May 7, 1891' 



NA TURE 



England. A comparison of this kind made by the memory is 

 no doubt not severely scientific, but those tourists in Switzerland 

 who are in the habit of observing flowers will probably confirm 

 the statement. Plants grown at high levels in the Alps are, as 

 Mr. Dyer says, above a great screen of aqueous vapour, and I 

 have in my own mind always put down the greater brilliance of 

 Alpine flowers to their getting more sun than in our cloudier 

 climate. It is not, however, solely any alteration in the actual 

 effects of the solar rays, caused by this absence of aqueous 

 vapour, that makes the colours of Swiss flowers so bright. The 

 same, or, I should assert from memory, even greater, brilliancy, 

 will be found in Arctic and sub- Arctic Norway by anyone who 

 visits the Throndhjem district and the coast to Hammerfest in 

 June. Western Norway notoriously is one of the moistest parts 

 of Europe ; but, on the other hand, it has, broadly speaking, no 

 night at midsummer. It is thus apparently the quantity, and 

 not the quality, of the sunlight that causes the peculiarly vivid 

 colours of Swiss flowers, including those of the pastures from 

 2000 feet upwards. I have never been in Switzerland in spring, 

 and I cannot therefore judge whether the colours of the flora in 

 the lower districts are also more brilliant than ours ; but it will be 

 seen below that Swiss observers find thnt the high Alpine flora 

 is much more brilliant than the same plants in the lowlands. 



Our great national garden at Kew is peculiarly badly situated 

 for the growth of Alpines. The situation is low and foggy, and 

 mild muggy weather alternates with night frosts. Above all, the 

 smoke pail of London is peculiarly destructive in connection 

 with the other disadvantages of the site. Alpine plants, as Mr. 

 Dyer shows, are, in their natural state, at rest under a cloak of 

 snow during the winter. The least warmth, however, starts 

 them into growth, and the marvellously rapid flowering of many 

 kinds in the ooze on the melting of a snow-bed, is one of the 

 most curious sights of the Alps. The Kew climate (and the 

 general English one too, though to a lesser degree) keeps the 

 plants in growth in winter. Then fogs, smoke, and damp collect 

 on the young growth. These enemies are peculiarly liable to 

 attach themselves to the numerous sorts with hairy or woolly 

 leaves. Then follow night frosts, and the young growth perishes. 



The application of these remarks is, that it does not follow 

 that, because cold frames are necessities in the culture of Alpines 

 at Kew, they should be used elsewhere in PZngland. There has 

 been a long discussion recently on this very point in the gar- 

 dening papers, and the general belief appears to be, that given 

 a fairly dry climate cold frames are itijuriotis, because they 

 excite and keep plants in growth when they should be at rest. 

 A sheet of glass suspended over a plant in the open air, so as to 

 shoot off our superfluous rain and to keep off some of our fog, 

 appears to be much better, for premature growth is not stimu- 

 lated. Alpines should so far as practicable be kept as dry as we 

 can in winter, by drainage, light soil, &c. Then when growth 

 commences, say in March, they should be well watered each day 

 (unless it is raining), early in the morning. The plentiful 

 moisture thus supplied to some degree takes the place of the 

 melting snow, and it has dried off before the evening frosts seize 

 upon the leaves. The plants thus can grow freely in the day 

 because they are surrounded with a moist atmosphere, and they 

 are kept "stocky" (in gardeners' phrase) by the cold at night, 

 just as they are in fact on the Alps. This is the plan recom- 

 mended by that great authority M. M. Correvon, of the Jardin 

 Alpin d'Acclimatation, Geneva. In the drier climate of that 

 city. M. Correvon replaces the .snow blanket of the Alps by 

 pine boughs fastened closely over his Alpines. In England this 

 would, I fear, only make the plants rot. It does not follow that, 

 because many plants in frames at Kew grow long and straggling 

 and lose their natural habit, they do so in England generally in the 

 open air. The changes in the habits of Alpines are largely due 

 to changes in soil. For instance, the Edelweiss (Gnaphaliiim 

 leo7ttopodium) grows perfectly freely from seed anywhere about 

 London, but the flowers lose their compactness. I am told, 

 however, that if plenty of lime is added to the soil they 

 become as compact and close as in Switzerland. 



In "Les Plantes des Alpes" (Geneva, Jules-Carey) M. Cor- 

 revon very fully explains his views, formed, after great practical 

 experience, on the conditions of the Alpine flora. Your space 

 will not allow me to make many quotations from a work of the 

 utmost interest both theoretical and practical, but the following 

 bears on my point as to the brilliant colours of Alpine flowers : — 



"Ces vegetaux sont 'reine Kinder des Lichtes,' cimme les a 



appeles un poete allemand ; on ne trouve pas de champignons 



dans les Alpes, ni aucune plante qui n'appariienne franchement 



au domaine de la lumiere. AuSsi les especes de noo plaines qui 



NO. I 123, VOL. 44j 



se trouvent transportes la-haut sont-elles parces de couleur bien 

 plus vives, bien plus pures qu'elles ne sont cheznous." 



M. Correvon gives a number of instances in support of this, 

 which I will not quote here. In conclusion, is Mr. Dyer correct 

 in thinking that the soil in the high Alps is permanently frozen 

 with the exception of a slight film on the top? I am aware that 

 when you get to considerable elevations the subsoil is frozen. 

 For instance, I was told that the reason for the well-known 

 mortuary on the Great St. Bernard was that bodies could not be 

 buried there. But a great many of the flowers generally called 

 Alpines grow below the tree limit of 6000 or 6500 feet, and few 

 are to be found above 8000 feet. If the subsoil on the higher 

 Alps is frozen, it would not apparently be so where trees grow, 

 and it would be interesting to know the line of subterranean 

 frost, and at what depths below the surface it is permanent at 

 various elevations. J. Innes Rogers. 



Chislehurst, April 27. 



Co-adaptation. 

 I DO not propose to extend the discussion on this subject 

 beyond the present communication, but I cannot refrain from 

 calling attention to the remarkable discrepancy in the position 

 taken by Dr. Romanes in his last letter (April 23, p. 582), 

 and that in his former communication (March 26, p. 489), in 

 which he says:— "I do not . . . hold myself responsible for 

 enunciating Mr. Herbert Spencer's argument, which the quota- 

 tion sets forth. I merely reproduced it from him as an argument 

 which appeared to me valid on the side of 'use inheritance.' 

 For not only did Darwin himself invoke the aid of such inherit- 

 ance in regard to this identical case . . . &c." If words have 

 any meaning, this implies that Dr. Romanes agrees with Darwin 

 in regarding this case as one in which " use inheritance " played 

 a part. Now, after I have endeavoured to .show that this sup- 

 posed case of co-adaptation can be explained without the aid of 

 '• use inheritance " at all. Dr. Romanes says that there is no 

 difference of opinion on this point between us. I can only say 

 that I am very glad to learn this admission on his part, but why 

 did he quote the argument from Herbert Spencer as "valid on 

 the side of 'use inheritance,' " if he did not believe it to be a 

 case of true co-adaptation? R. Meldola. 



High and Low Level Meteorological Observatories. 



I HAVE read with much interest your article of the nth inst. 

 on the results obtained by simultaneous observations in the 

 meteorological ob=ervatories at the base and at the summit of 

 Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis rises to a height of only 4370 feet above 

 the sea, and yet we find that the comparison of these observa- 

 tions gives results of a kind that could not be obtained from any 

 number of stations all on the same level. Might we not hope 

 for still more valuable results from similar observatories placed 

 at the base and the summit of Etna and Teneriffe? Etna is 

 10,870 feet high, and Teneriffe 12,200. The^e would be better 

 than any Alpine stations, because of their perfect isolation. 



Belfast, April 25. Joseph John Murphy. 



An "International Society." 



An institution with the grandiloquent title of " The Inter- 

 national Society of Literature, Science, and Art," which appears 

 now to be largely touting for subscriptions, publishes in its 

 prospectus a list of the " Honorary Council," among whom 

 appears " Professor Flower." As I am the only person in this 

 country to whom such a description could be applicable, and aa 

 many of my friends have inquired of me whether I have really 

 given my support to the institution, I wrote to the secretary to 

 inquire by what authority the name appeared, and received the 

 following reply, which needs no comment : — 



" Sir, — We beg to acknowledge the receipt of your favour of 

 Saturday. The gentleman to whom you refer is the well-known 

 Professor Ogilby Flower, of New York. I am sorry the 

 coincidence should have caused you any annoyance. In future 

 printings of our prospectus the Christian name shall be inserted, 

 so that no misunderstanding may exist." 



Although this letter was dated March 9 last, I find that 

 the prospectus continues to be issued unchanged, otherwise 

 I should not have cared to trouble you with what may appear a 

 small personal matter. I may mention that there are other names 

 upon the list which present as great or even greater difficulties 

 of identification. W. H. Flower. 



British Museum (Natural History), May 2, 1S91. 



