57 



apro, in my own neighbourhood, marl-pits were sunk in marl land, to manure marl 

 soil, a proceeding not altogether agreeing with the laws of agricultural chemistry, 

 and somewhat analogous to the old school-boy adage of giving bread to bread and 

 cheese to cheese (laughter and applause). So now, we continually see lime used 

 upon soils upon which it is entirely thrown away, while upon land on which it 

 might have a beneficial effect, it is never used at all. Under such circumstances 

 as these I said I believed we might often be of service to the agriculturalist, and 

 carry the helping hand of science into the ordinary pursuits of men ; but as I said 

 before, there is no department of science that has not its ties with the ordinary 

 business of life, and there is no business entirely independent of science ; and so 

 it matters not amongst what class of persons the different members of our societies 

 may be thrown. 



By our not disdaining to assist the school-boy in his arrangement of natural 

 history specimens — by our inculcating by every means in our power, the growing 

 thirst for natural history— by assisting, through such means as lectures and ex- 

 planations of fossils, minerals, chemical compounds, and plants, the communica- 

 tion of scientific knowledge, I believe we might become the means of awakening 

 many of our fellow men to a consciousness of the value of our pursuits, and the 

 utility of their results (applause). 



ON THE PLANTS WHICH FLOURISH ON SILURIAN LIMESTONE. 



By EDWIN LEES, A mkmber of the Malvern Club. 



There are many plants that indicate limestone in the localities where they 

 grow, or nourish most lu.xuriantly on a calcareous soil, so that an experienced 

 botanist at once recognises them, and knows the nature of the ground he is on 

 from the very circumstance. The Traveller's Joy (Clematis Vitalba), the Lady's 

 finger (Anthyllis Vulneraria), Saintfoin (Onobrychis sativa). Yellow-wort (Chlora 

 perfoliata), wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), and the Wayfaring tree (Viburnum 

 Lantana), all abundant in this district, are familiar instances ; and many others 

 might be named. 



Botanical travellers have all made the remark that on limestone vegetation 

 assumed a peculiar character, and that calcareous strata possessed plants diflferent 

 from all other soil.i. This has been noted even in America by Von Martins ; and 

 Wahlenberg, in his "Flora of the Carpathian Mountains," has enumerated 43 

 species of plants that he only met with upon limestone. 



Now I must here make the passing remark, that our Sisyphean rock-rolling 

 and stone-breaking friends, the geologists, may here get an up-lift from the humble 

 exploring botanist, who might in a strange place tell them where to look below 

 for fossil remains from the appearance of a little flower, even before they were 

 themselves aware of the formation they were on from the appearance of the magna 

 ossa parentis, the great ribs of our mother earth, elevated and laid bare before 

 them by some dyke or protrusion of the strata beneath. Indeed, a change of rock 

 may be indicated by the sudden and unexpected appearance of plants not partial 

 to limestone, and which have other affinities. Thus, when flying about like a 



