350 The Snowdrop. 



galanthina is, unfortunately, only too frequently a destroyer of 

 all Snowdrops, although, happily, there are some gardens where 

 it has not been observed. Its popular name is given as " Snow- 

 drop White Mould," but this, like many other popular names, is 

 not a suitable one, as the fungus is more grey than white. There 

 are few years in which it does not make its appearance in some 

 gardens, and it seems as virulent on plants of original species 

 newly imported as on the hybrids or those which have been long 

 in cultivation. It seems to appear soon after a thaw, and is 

 more prevalent in winters where we have frequent alternations of 

 frost and thaws. It has, one time and another, attacked all the 

 species and many of the varieties in my garden. This year I 

 have only seen it on some bulbs of Galanthus cilicicus, but the 

 plants of Galanthus byzantinus I had from Broussa were deci- 

 mated, and a fine row of Gal. ikarias suffered even more severely 

 a few years ago. I have found several clumps badly affected 

 among the myriads of plants in Arbigland woods, so that one 

 cannot consider that it is artificial conditions which introduce it. 

 I have here an illustration of Botrytis galanthina, in a copy of 

 the " Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society," where it forms 

 one of a series of illustrations of a capital series of articles by Dr 

 M. C. Cooke on " Pests of the Flower Garden." The best treat- 

 ment is the destruction of the infected plants by means of fire, 

 and dusting round about the spot with sulphur or a specific for 

 plant diseases called Veltha. 



II. — Meteorological Observations at Dumfries During 

 1903. By Rev. W. Andson. 



Barometer — Highest on 5th November, 30.629 in. ; lowest on 

 27th February, at 5 a.m., 28.250 in.; annual range, 2.379 in. 

 Mean barometrical pressure for the year (reduced to 32 deg. and 

 sea level), 29.816 in. This is about one-tenth of an inch below 

 average, and when the details are examined it appears that only 

 one month in the year, namely, the month of June, had a mean 

 pressure of a little over 30 inches, while several had values 

 considerably below the average of the last 17 years. This was 

 true of December, March, and October, the last-mentioned 

 month in particular showing the abnormal figure of 29.461 in., 

 instead of a mean of 29.925 in. On the whole, therefore, the 



