1g01-1902.] orth American Raspberry at West Linton. 383 
and the handsome volumes—two of them specially bound 
in green morocco—were handed over by the Vice-President 
amidst applause. 
A NORTH AMERICAN RASPBERRY AT 
WEST LINTON. 
By Mr J. LINDSAY. 
On July 13 of last year (1901) the Society made an ex- 
cursion to West Linton, when two residents of that place 
very kindly put their services at the disposal of the members, 
namely, Mrs Robertson and the late Mr R. Sanderson—the 
former a well-known local botanist, and the latter equally well 
known for his intimate knowledge of the district. On that 
occasion Mrs Robertson showed a number of berries from 
a shrub which was said to be pretty widely distributed in 
that locality, and of which a specimen was pointed out to 
us at Slipperfield. It was believed by several of the members 
to be an American Rubus, but it was resolved to wait until the 
following summer in order to secure flowers, which were at 
this time past for the season. Mrs Robertson duly forwarded 
blooms about the middle of July this year; and at the 
beginning of August one of our members on holiday at West 
Linton, Mr G. R. Hamilton, secured several early berries, 
Owing to the cold and wet spring and summer of this year, 
flowers and fruit of the plant were much later than last 
year. On examination, it was concluded that the shrub 
was fiubus spectabilis, and this has been confirmed by one 
of our honorary members, Mr Hugh Fraser, late manager 
to Messrs Thos. Methven & Sons, Nurserymen, who re- 
members seeing this Rubus in abundance at Dolphinton some 
twenty years ago, when it was planted in the woods and 
coppices on the estate of the late John Ord Mackenzie, Esq. 
of Dolphinton, as a cover for game. The plant seems now 
to have spread considerably, as it has been found in various 
places within a radius of six or seven miles. 
