43 



I will, however, just say that there are two principal opinions upon it ; one which 

 maintains the choice of one soil rather than another by a plant to be due to its 

 chemical constitution ; the other tracing the choice to its mechanical and hygro- 

 metrical qualities. Though of so great importance to be known, the chemical 

 qualities of soils faU without the range of ordinary observation. We must wait 

 for their investigation till possessed of some competent help. But I thmk that 

 any pains-taking observing botanist may do much towards tracing the influence 

 of their mechanical and hygrometrical properties upon plants. I would, there- 

 fore, suggest that a commencement should be made by noting the various kinds 

 of soil in a district, not resting in the old division into sands, clays, and loams, 

 but first dividing them according to the degree of disintegration of the rock 

 whose detritus mainly constitutes them. This may be partial, as in the case of 

 sands and gravels, or complete, as in clays, loams, &c. They should then be 

 studied with regard to their hygrometric properties- as to their relative degree of 

 retention, transmission, and evaporation of moisture. And when their peculiari- 

 ties have thus been noted, the relative abundance of species not common to all 

 soils must be carefully observed, selecting for this purpose plants which are 

 tolerably conspicuous, and at the same time, such as are likely to be present, if 

 the soil is suitable. Or a shorter process may, if this is too complex, produce very 

 valuable results. Such might consist in observing what species are not present on 

 all soils, and then ascertaining what qualities are possessed in common by those 

 soils which do produce them. 



Fourthly, Altitudinal range of species. On account of the physical character 

 of our county, this is not a fertile branch of enquiry ; yet it is desirable to note 

 " the highest and lowest places at which species occur, whether in absolute height, 

 in comparison with the appearance or cessation of other species, or in relation to 

 the parts of particular mountains, as at the base, middle, or summit." And 

 lastly, "any other information of an historical, economical, and philosophical 

 nature tending to illustrate the Flora of Herefordshire, or the science of botany, 

 cannot fail to be of much value." 



THE DESTRUCTION OF FERN AND GORSE BY THE APPLICATION 

 OF FRESH LIME, &c. 



By De. A. Rowan. 



At the Aymestrey Meeting of the Woolhope Club, Dr. Rowan, of Hereford, 

 read the interesting paper on this subject, which we subjoin :— 



Being a few months back at an agricultural meeting in the adjoining county 

 of Radnor, I was interrogated as to the cause of various phenomena occurring in 

 that locality. Facts were brought forward of which I had no previous knowledge, 

 and which required investigation before a correct reply could be given. One 

 question asked was, why does the application of lime to fresh broken up land 

 destroy fern and gorse, it being ascertained that the application of guano produces 

 an opposite result? I requested that specimens of those plants should be fur- 

 nished to me, together with a portion of the soil, as well as of the lime used in 



