36 



S. E. station and proceeded to Wye by the 1.51 

 train. Brakes and conveyances met the train at 

 Wye, but as the weather looked somewhat 

 uncertain it was decided to g'O over the 

 Agricultural Colleere before going- on the Downs. 

 The party was met at the College by the principal 

 and some of the staff who very kindly pointed 

 out the numerous things of interest in the 

 College and the Farm. By this time the weather 

 seemed more promising, and the conveyances were 

 brouglit up and all proceeded to the Downs 

 accompanied by Professor Percival, who pointed 

 out many rare plants and explained tha interesting 

 features in them. Several orchids were found, 

 many of which grow nowhere else in England. It 

 is difficult to decide what plants, are natives of 

 Britain and what may have been introduced in 

 various other ways. Professor Percival has spent 

 years trying to tiad out if hops are indigenous to 

 this country, and, so far, without success. It is 

 generally supposed that hops were introduced 

 into England In the reign of Uenry VIII., 

 but this is not so. The Professor has 

 examined all manners of old records, and 

 traced to their origin many popular errors. 

 He finds that hops were grown in England in the 

 reign of Henry VI., because he found records of 

 money being paid tt) men to show people how to 

 grow them. He also found an autograph letter 

 from Henry VIII. orderiner that his beer should 

 contain no hops and no brimstone. The earliest 

 treatise on agriculture and one of the earliest 

 books in the English language is a book on hop 



growing by Reynold Scot, of Scot's Hall, Kent, 

 dated 1578, and entitled *' The Perfite Platforme 

 of a Hoppe Garden. *' It givos full details of how 

 best to grow hops and is illustrated with wood- 

 cuts, and tells the people of Kent that they will 

 make their fortunes if they turn their farms into 

 hop gardens. The various methods of training 

 hops were shown and the advantages of 

 each method described. Th(* Professor also told 

 the members much about plants and showed how 

 some were very sensitive as the tendrils of White 

 Bryony, a plant which grows alouic the hedges of 

 the hop fields. If a tendril of this plant is touched 

 near the point the whole tendril immediately 

 twines itself up and each half curls in opposite 

 directions with a peculiar twist in the middle. 

 Among the numerous plants found were specimens 

 of Draba muralis, a very rare plant, until recently 

 never thought to grow in Kent at all. Manypx'etty 

 species of Polygala or milkwort were found in 

 the three colours, red, white, and blue, also 

 several orchids including 4cerasttH(/iropop/iora,the 

 Green man, Gyynnadenia conopsea, the sweet 

 scented orchid, orchis niiscidata. Ophrys 

 mnsicifera, the fiy orchid. One specimen, Paris 

 quadri/olia, was very remarkable, having five leaves 

 instead of four. Asperula cifiianchia, Bryonia 

 dinica Draba verna, Convolvulas arvensis etc. 

 Nineteen of the members sat down to a substantial 

 repast at the King's Head Hotel, and then 

 returned to Canterbury by the 7.16 train after 

 spending a most interesting and enjoyable after- 



THIRD SUMMER EXCURSION, 



THURSDAY, .JULY 4th, 1901.— THE WAKKEN, FOLKESTONE. 



The members and friends of the above Society 

 met at Canterbury West Station for the 3 18 train 

 to Folkestone Junction on July 4. The party 

 included Misses C. Phillpotts, K. Holmes, Palmer, 

 and Hammond, Messrs. Brownhill, F. C. Snell, C. 

 Buckiogham, and W. H. Hammond, and the Hon. 

 Secretary (Mr. A. Lander). 



The Warren was reached soon after 4 o'clock, 

 and several good photographs obtained with the 

 numerous cameras carried by the members. 

 Although this interesting spot is so near 

 Canterbury it appears to be practically unknown 

 to a large number of people. The beach is a good 

 place to find many interesting seaweeds, and is 

 literally covered with treasures in the shape of 

 metallic ores, copper and iron pyrites, etc , and 

 fossil shells and plants of almost endless variety, 

 washed out of the sott chalk by the action of the 

 tide. The cliffs abound in vegetable life, over SO 



separate species of plants being counted in flower. 

 These included many rare plants, and some of the 

 orchids for which this spot is famed. Among 

 others found were Gymnadejiia conopsea, Ophrys 

 apifera. Orchis macnlata, Ononis arx^ensis, Ajmia 

 reptans, Anthriscus cerefolium, Asperula cynanchia, 

 Chlora per/oliata. Convolvulus arvensis, Echium 

 vulgare, Equisetuni arvense, Evjyhrasia ojicinalis, 

 Festuca sylvatica, Lot\is villosus, Leontodon Lirtus, 

 Brachypodium sylraticum, Lithonpe^-miis officinale ; 

 Selene nutans (Nottingham catchfly), very 

 uncommon in Kent and elsewhere ; AnthyUis 

 vulneraria or lady's fingers ; Iris foetidissima, the 

 purple flag; Olaacium htteum, the horned poppy. 

 This handsome plant was found in abundance ; it 

 stainsalmostanythinga deep black. Roso rubiginosa, 

 the sweet briar; Orchis pyramidalis ; Origanum 

 vulgare, or marjoram ; Orohanche caryophyllacea^ 

 a rare and curious plant confined to Kent. 



