236 BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



once get the gardening skill of the present day to bear on the subject, 

 these really beautiful objects will soon be reinstated. 



BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 



June 25. — Mr. Ward made some remarks on the results of iiis plan 

 of growing plants in closed glass cases. He stated that tiie most per- 

 fect success had attended tliis plan, in bringing plants to this country 

 from tropical climates. Where it had not succeeded it arose from the 

 ignorance or carelessness of those who superintended it. In some 

 instances the cases had been covered with tarpauling, thus preventing 

 the access of light to the plants. Frequently they had not enougli soil 

 to grow in, or liad not siitticient water. Unless the plants were placed 

 as much as possible i.i their natural condition tliey would not do well 

 in these cases, any more than any whei'e else. Mr. AVard drew atten- 

 tion to the opportunity tliese cases afforded to the poor, in thickly- 

 populated towns, of cultivating a taste for natural objects. lie read an 

 interesting letter from an artisan, who stated that growing plants in 

 these cases had afforded him the most agreeable source of relaxation 

 after his day's labour. Mr. Ward also stated, tliat not only could 

 land-plants, and the liigher forms of vegetation, be grown in these 

 cases, but that the various forms of marine Algse had been cultivated 

 in artificial salt water. 



Dr. Daubeny gave the results of his experiments on the growth of 

 plants in closed glass cases. Many experiments had been conducted 

 by him at Oxford on this subject. lie liad found tliat in the closed 

 cases the oxygen was given out more rajjidly from tlie plants than the 

 carbonic acid gas was supplied, so that in the cases the atmosphere con- 

 tained a larger quantity of oxygen tlian out of them. Mr. Philip 

 Duncan recommended the trial of these cases for bringing home the 

 Victoria Regia. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, 



May 7. — British plants had been received from Dr. Wood, Mr, 

 Sansom, Mr. Meehan, and Mr. Roby, and a collection of Azorean 

 specimens from T. C. Hunt, Esq., Her Majesty's Consul at St. 

 Michael's. The Secretary stated that he had Dr. Greville's authorit}'- 

 to say that he never collected Potentilla rupestris on Ben Lawers, and 

 that probably some mistake had been made through the similarity of 

 name with Potentilla alpestris, but that it is quite certain that the 

 exhibited specimen was P. rupestris, and it was rightly named on its 

 lal)el, although (as now appears) inaccurately localised. 



Mr. Watson exhibited specimens of an aquatic Ranunculus, hitherto 

 unnoticed as a British form in that genus. In its cliaracter it is inter- 

 mediate between the two groups of varieties (or quasi-species) included 

 under the name of aquatilis and hederaceus, having the floating leaves 

 of aquatilis, with the small flowers of hederaceus. As far as can be 



