30 



i 



Robert Heatii LocK.-^Tlie deatli of Dr. R. TL Loolc, D.Sc, 



on June 26tli, is a severe loss to botanical and agricultural 

 science. After distinguishing- himself in tlie Xatural Seiencci^ 

 Tripos at Cambridge, Loch devoted himself to the study of plant 

 breedings and in September, 1902, was appointed scieuliiic 

 assistant to the Director of the Royal Botanic Hnrdens, Rera- 

 deniya, Ceylon, where he was able^to carry out his researclkes 

 under tropical conditions. During his two years in Ceylon he 

 undertook experiments in plant breeding with /'/.vww? .9^f/r;/7?? and 

 Fhaseolus, with important scientific results, and also initiated 

 some of the experiments in Maize which he developed in later 

 years. His paper on the growth of the giant Bamboo Dendm- 

 calawus giganteus was the outcome of a scries of observations 

 made during the year 1903, On October 1st, 1904, Lock resigned 

 his post in Ceylon, having been elected a Fellow of Gouville and 

 Cains College, Cambridge, and continued his plant breeding 

 work at the University, where also he held the post of Curator 

 of the. Herbarium. He returned, however, to Pcradoniya in 

 1908 to take up his duties as Assistant Director of the Royal 

 Botanic Gardens, and commenced his new work on January 28th 

 of that year. 



The experiment work of the Agricultural Department at the 



and he devoted himself more especially to plant breeding work m 

 Maize, Paddy and Tobacco, achieving useful and important 

 results. He also commenced work on Coffee with a view to pro- 

 ducing a race resistent to the ravages of He mile ia. His resigna- 

 tion of the Assistant Directorship, on Xovenihcr 20th, 1912, un- 

 foi'tunately prevented the continuance of this and other valuable 

 research work on which lie was enc^aged. Shortly after his return 

 to England, lio receired an nppointment as Inspector under the 

 Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, and v^ns actively eng-ap^ed 

 on the duties of his post when a sudden heart attack caused his 

 untimely death. 



Kew and the War.— Since the publication of the last note in 

 K. B. 19.15, p. 9G, seventeen more employees of the Royal Botanic- 

 Gardens have enlisted or re-enlisted. Kine members of the 

 uniform section, including- Corporal ConsUible J. Sealy and 

 Laboratory Porter J. A. Mingay, have re-enlisted, the two latter 

 to serve in the Army Ordnance Corps; three labourers, a carter 

 and four young gardeners, including one of the sub-foremen, 

 have enlisted. As two men have been discharged as unfit, the 

 number of Kew employees serving with His :Majesty's' Forces is 

 now ninety-two. One young gardener has recently received a 

 commission. 



Botanical Magazine for May.-The plaiit. ^Sf^^^^ 



Gentiana harhafa, Froelich, forma grandiflora, Freyn (t. bbUy), 

 Zynopetalum Pminiamim, Rolfe (t. 8610); AmelancJner fior,da, 

 Lindl. (t. 8611), and PrhnuJa pi/cnoloha, Bur. et Francli. 

 (t. 8612). 



