297 
indicated by the thatched hovels in which the people live, floored 
ith mud and often shared by fowls and animals. But the people 
At ps feats which stands on a “lis at soniething’ Ge over 2000 ft.” 
surrounded by mountains, the land becomes more fertile. The 
vegetation was about as far advanced as it was in England a month 
previously ; ; that is to say, the buds of most things were only just 
bursting, others had not stirred from their winter rest. The chie 
SPALATO. 
Returning northwards to Spalato I found a rather interesting 
variety of trees planted in the streets: white mulberry with its 
rugged trunks, the heads being pruned back annually. (leditschia 
caspica, Broussonetia papyrifera quite abundant as a shapely small 
tree on the road to Salona and laden with twisted catkins, Celtis 
australis, always distinguishable by its neat rounded neads and 
clean smooth trunks, and a few Melia Azedarach. The climate a 
Spalato is probably not so favourable as that of Ragusa, but n 
effort is made to beautify the place with the many delichtful plan 
that might be used. The presence of vineyards, fine loquats heavily 
in fruit, Cupressus sempervirens and enormous bay-laurels show that 
a very large selection of trees and shrubs is available for use, but 
the Stadt Park is largely filled with Norway maple, lime, plane and 
Acer Negundo amongst deciduous things and among evergreens by 
the eternal Luonymus japonicus (very mildewy), Biota orientalis, the 
commonest and usually the only member of the Thuya group on this 
coast, and Aleppo pine very luxuriant and forming large plumose 
masses. Of more interest were Cephalotarus pedunculata 20 ft. 
high and Ligustrum lucidum 35 ft. high and quite a tree. On the 
road to Salona Christ’s Thorn (Paliurus Guaealay, is used as a 
fed, 
XXXIV.—COTTON. 
The improvement of cotton by means of hybridisation has long 
been the subject of numerous and careful experiments on the part of 
the officers in charge of Botanic and Agricultural Stations in India, 
Egypt and our Colonies. The subject, however, is attended with 
difficulties of a very serious character which are mainly due to 
uncertainty as to the types used for hybridisation, In most cases 
pure races can only be detected or dig cmnuee: after years of laborious 
work owing to the extent to w promiscuous hybridisation has 
taken place, either by acci idenit or design, during long years of 
cultivation. Another difficulty almost equally serious is that con- 
nected with the supply of seeds from the Experimental Stations. 
