TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 83 



BOTANY AND ZOOLOGY, including PHYSIOLOGY. 



Botany. 



On a supposed Fossil Fucus found at Aust Cliff, Gloucestershire. 

 By C. C. Babington, M.A., F.R.S. 



Above the well-known bed containing fossils occupying the higher part of Aust 

 Cliff, there is a bed of laminated rock nearly, or quite, devoid of fossil remains. 

 Lately a fall of the cliff brought down a part of this upper stratum, when Mr. 

 Brodie, the author of a well-known work on fossil insects, found between some of 

 the thin plates of stone a substance closely resembling a Fucus. There being no 

 apparent mode of accounting for its presence in that position, and no reason except 

 its very modern appearance for doubting its fossil character, Mr. Brodie and other 

 geologists and naturalists inclined to think it of ancient origin, and for that reason 

 presented it to the notice of the Section. Several naturalists examined the specimen, 

 and thought it possible that it might be a recent product, a Rhizomorpha, which 

 had intruded itself between the plates of stone. A careful microscopic examination 

 alone can determine if it is of fungoid or algal structure, of recent or fossil date. 



Notes on Experiments in the Botanical Garden of the Royal Agricultural College. 

 By Professor Buckman, F.G.S., of the Agricultural College, Cirencester. 



In this paper the author first described the soil and situation of the ZocaZe occupied 

 as his garden, which, from being situate on Forest Marble Clay, is of a somewhat 

 sterile character. The experimental portion is divided into 200 plots, most of which 

 are 2i yards square, some double that size, and a few still larger, now engaged for 

 experiments with various manures. The plots are employed at the present time with 

 crops mostly experimental, in the following classes : — grasses, 82; papilionaceous 

 feeding-plants, 25 ; crops for green food, 12 ; wheat, 6 ; garden vegetables, 5 ; turnips, 

 experiments with manures, 14 ; economic plants, 13 ; flowering and ornamental 

 plants, 40: total, 197. For the grasses many observations were given tending to 

 show that several so-called species prove in cultivation to be varieties, — instances of 

 which were given in the following genera : — Bromus, Festuca, and Agrostis. One 

 case in particular of the three following forms of Festuca, F. loliacea, F. pratensis, 

 and F. elatior, were shown to have been produced from the same seed by the gradual 

 change of the first two into the latter. In the Papilionaceae the author pointed out 

 the production of the spring and winter varieties of Vetch from the V. angustifolia. 

 In the genus Trifolium he made the following remarks on T. pratense and T. medium. 

 The T. pratense occurs wild in all good and rich meadows and pastures; its place, 

 however, in poor sandy soils is supplied by the T. medium, on which account the 

 latter plant was some few years since introduced into agriculture to ensure a crop 

 when the former usually failed. The seedsmen used to supply it under its botanical 

 name of T. medium ; but it is a curious circumstance that all the samples of this seed 

 now in the market show it to be but a variety of T. pratense, and hence, at present, 

 the best informed seedsmen no longer send it out under the original botanical desig- 

 nation of T. medium, but under that of T. pratense perenne, — the fact being well 

 established that we have two varieties of broad clover in cultivation, whilst the true 

 T. medium has been entirely lost to agriculture ; and the whole evidence with respect 

 to this subject showed that it has not been lost from neglect, but that it has merged 

 into T. pratense ; and if so, it remains as a most interesting matter for experiment, 

 especially when it is considered that no doubt has been entertained by botanists of 

 their distinction as species. Many experiments of a like kind were described, and 

 their practical utility clearly pointed out. 



On New Forms of Diatomacea from the Firth of Clyde. By Professor Gkegoky, 



Edinburgh, 



The author, after referring to two papers by himself on the Diatoms of the Glen- 

 shira Sand, the marine forms in which must have come from the Firth of Clyde, 

 proceeded to describe the material now under investigation. It is remarkable that 

 of all the many undescribed marine forms found in the Glenshira Sand, not one has 



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