April 14, 1910] 



NATURE 



199 



is an elegant climber. The opportunity of studying these 

 and other Chinese species is afforded by the establishment 

 of a border in the gardens among the collection of the 

 Rosaceae near the Pagoda. 



A MAGNIFICENT botanical scene in the Lichiang range, 

 situated in the big Yangtse bend in western Yunnan, is 

 briefly described by Mr. G. Forrest in the Gardener's 

 Chronicle (March 26). The limestone valley, at an alti- 

 tude of 9000 feet, is the home of many Primulas, notably 

 Poissonii, denticulala and Forrestii. The lower slopes of 

 the range are covered with two dwarf evergreen species 

 of oak and pines, and the clifls are clothed with masses 

 of Primula, Cremanthodium, Meconopsis, Gesnera, and 

 other brilliant flowers. The pine belt ranges from 10,000 

 to 13,000 feet, where it gives place to rhododendron forest 

 and scrub, and that in turn to Alpine pasture. The pine 

 belt yields the finest and rarest plants, e.g. many species 

 of Primula, Lilium (including L. lophophorum), Cyan- 

 anthus, Codonopsis, and Androsace. The Alpine pastures 

 also abound in magnificent plants, the most unique being 

 two new densely-hirsute species of Saussurea, found on 

 limestone rubble at a height of 16,500 feet. 



Reports on various field trials with mangolds, swedes, 

 and seeds hay have recently been issued from the Midland 

 Agricultural and Dairy College. The trials are made on 

 the usual lines, and aim at discovering the best varieties 

 of the particular crops and the most suitable manures for 

 use in the districts concerned. 



About eight years ago sisal was introduced into British 

 East Africa, and found to grow well. The quality of the 

 fibre is satisfactory ; its quantity is rather higher in the 

 coast belt than in the highlands, but the cost of production 

 in the latter case is less than in the former by reason of 

 the better climate and cheaper and more regular labour 

 supply. In the Agricultural Journal of British East Africa 

 (vol. ii., part iii.) the whole problem is discussed, and 

 although no definite conclusion is reached, th»»re seems a 

 prospect that the industry may be put on a sound basi$. 



It is not unusual in some districts to use sawdust as 

 litter for cattle, and as it would then form a constituent 

 of the manure produced, its nitrogen-content is a matter 

 of some interest. Mr. Kinch recently examined a number 

 of samples, and the results published in part v. of the 

 uultural Students' Gazette are as follows : — 



1 l.ese figures refer to the dry matter. In its ordinary state 

 sawdust might be supposed to contain about to per cent, 

 of water, in which case the mean nitrogen content is about 

 02 per cent. 



Messrs. Pe.^rl .and Surf.ace have issued a further instal- 

 ment of their applications of correlation methods to poultry 

 problems as Bulletin No. 168 of the Maine .Agricultural 

 Experiment Station. The fertility of the eggs, measured by 

 percentage of infertile eggs, does not appear to be in- 

 ted and is to a large degree influenced by external 

 circumstances. On the other hand, the " hatching 

 quality " of eggs, measured by the percentage of fertile 

 eggs hatched, is a character of altogether different nature, 

 being innate, constitutional, and inherited. It is, however, 

 rsely affected by heavy winter egg production, whilst 

 lity is not. The two characters are not entirely un- 

 connected ; there is a small but sensible correlation between 

 them, and a hen the eggs of which run high in fertility 

 NO. 21 1 1, VOL. 83] 



will also tend to show a high hatching quality. Both are 

 adversely affected by bad conditions of housing. 



In a lecture given at the Farmers' Club on February 28, 

 Mr. W. Herrod said that the usefulness of the bee in 

 connection with agriculture had not been recognised by 

 farmers in this country until recent years, and even now 

 many looked upon bees as they did on wasps, as insects 

 to be avoided. In some countries the bee was rightly 

 held in high esteem for its usefulness in the production of 

 seeds and fruit. Most plants depend on insects for 

 fertilisation, although in some it is done by the wind. 

 Amongst insects, the whole family of bees are of the 

 greatest use ; next come butterflies and moths, while flies 

 even do their share of the work, but it is more especially 

 the hive-bee that is the blossoms' partner, by carrying the 

 fertilising dust from one flower to another. After 

 describing the inhabitants of the hive, Mr. Herrod men- 

 tioned how the workers collect the nectar and carry the 

 pollen from one plant to another. He then quoted Darwin, 

 who found that twenty heads of Dutch clover yielded 

 2290 seeds, but twenty other heads protected from bees 

 produced not one. Then 100 heads of red clover produced 

 2700 seeds, but the same number of protected heads pro- 

 duced not a single seed. He also mentioned experiments 

 made in America which tended to show the great advantage 

 gained by the fertilisation of clover by bees. That bees 

 are useful to the farmer even with ordinary farm crops, 

 and that some farmers realise this, is proved by the fact 

 that hives of bees are carried into bean-fields just after 

 horse-hoeing, and the plants are about to bloom, so 

 that they may be close to the crop to carry out the work 

 of fertilisation. 



Prof. Grenville Cole has issued a description of the 

 raised map of Ireland contained in the National Museum 

 of Science and Art, Dublin. It is at once concise and 

 interesting, and, even without the aid of the raised map 

 to which it refers, may be read with profit by anyone 

 requiring a short but comprehensive review of Irish geo- 

 logical history. The development of the surface features 

 of the country as dependent upon geological events is 

 followed from .Archaean times. It is enjoyable reading 

 throughout. The illustrations are good. Some are old 

 friends, but are not the worse for that. All are well 

 chosen. 



The records of horizontal pendulums frequently show 

 series of small oscillations which, in their brief period and 

 long continuance, are quite distinct from those produced 

 by distant earthquakes. In previous papers Prof. Omori 

 has established the remarkable facts that the mean periods 

 of the principal groups of pulsatory oscillations are 4-4 and 

 80 seconds, and that they are approximately constant all 

 over the earth. He has recently returned to the subject 

 in an interesting report (Bulletin of the Imperial Earth- 

 quake Investigation Committee, vol. iii.. No. i, Tokyo) 

 on the oscillations observed in the Japanese islands of 

 O-shima and Hachijo, and in two neighbouring districts 

 of Tokyo. The oscillations, he finds, occur more or less 

 at all times on extensive quaternary plains and on large 

 alluvial valleys, but very seldom, and only to a slight 

 degree, at places on granite and Palaeozoic rocks. In the 

 islands the oscillations are of frequent occurrence, and 

 their mean period is, as a rule, 43 seconds. At Hongo, 

 in Tokyo, three periods exist, with mean values of 2-9, 

 4-5, and 75 seconds, but those with a period of 4-5 seconds 

 occur four times as frequently as those of the longer 

 period. The approach of a deep barometric depression- is 

 invariably accompanied by the production of marked 

 oscillations which have a mean period of 45 seconds- 



