90 REPORT—1868. 
in which the habit and the minutest details of the gills were preserved. The pre- 
cise method by which they are prepared has not at present been made known. 
The two groups, consisting of numerous species, were deposited in the Museum 
at Norwich. 
On Arboriculture as a Science. By Witt1AM Brown. 
After referring to what he advanced on the same subject at Dundee last year, 
the author said that the practical observer and man of science agree in the belief 
that man, to a great extent, can control and regulate certain climatic agencies. 
He quoted Sir John Herschel in attestation of this, showing that itis in man’s 
selection of the kind of vegetation that such influences are perceptible. The gist of 
Mr. Brown’s argument last year was that, by a proper distribution of variously- 
sized plantations, man may come to suit, in degree, the climate to the plant, and 
not so much the plant to the climate, as he must do in present circumstances. 
Reference was also made to Mr. Symons’s paper in 1865, on the Rainfall of the 
British Isles; and it was shown that, narrow as Britain is, its climate is materially 
influenced by /ocal causes—these causes having respect to the area of surface occu- 
pied by trees. It is sometimes said, ‘‘Give me a good soil, and I will produce 
abundant crops;” but this sole condition as to quality of soil is not enough ; for a 
favourable climate is even more important than a rich soil. It is a fact that, as 
regards the primitive soil, there is no difference betwixt the slopes of the Himalaya 
(where the Deodar and broad-leaved oak luxuriate) and a great part of Scotland, 
the soil in each case being principally from granite and mica-schist, The succes- 
sion of pine to oak, or beach to pine, in indigenous forests, has no doubt depended 
more on changes of temperature than any other physical cause. The author then 
showed that the geographical distribution of rain cannot meet the requirements of 
all parts of a country, and thus the need of those modifying circumstances which 
man can command being brought into play ; for while it is beyond his power to in- 
terfere with the periodicity of events, to modify them certainly isnot. Mz. Symons 
acknowledges that ‘rainfall records evince a regularity not before expected.” The 
observations of half a century make it clear that the rainfall of these isles is, for 
all practical or general purposes, a regular one, The present extent under wood in 
Great Britain would make a belt two miles broad all round the coast, which 
seems large, and might suffice both for health, shelter, and climatic uses, but it is 
not distributed to suit the different requirements of districts. Until this is done it 
is perfectly plain we will never secure adaptable climates, or make meteorology 
practically useful. But with the knowledge of these two facts (the general regu- 
larity of rainfall, and that local irregularities are governed mainly by local influences), 
are we still to carry on the same plan of observing, recording, and deducing ? Is 
it not time to amend our course of procedure in relation to atmospheric science ? 
The author proposed that a set of direct experiments should be established to test 
the deductions drawn from the general ones, which, if properly conducted, would 
doubtless lead to important results, and would at once lay the foundation for a 
new era in the history of our rural economy. The question which he set before 
meteorologists was—at certain geographical positions, exposures, altitudes, and on 
certain geological formations, with and without artificial drainage, to what extent, 
and in what way, do trees and other vegetation exert their influences? The 
author concluded his paper by claiming for arboriculture a more prominent place 
under botany in connexion with the Association. 
On the Progress of Oyster and Salmon Cultivation in England. 
By Frank Bucxwanp. 
The author stated that, in his official capacity as Inspector of Salmon Fisheries, 
he had lately visited most of the rivers of England and Wales. The eupry of 
salmon had been much increased owing to the protection of the Acts of Parlia- 
ment. Still there remained much to be done. He complained bitterly of the im- 
pediments caused by weirs, which prevented the parent salmon ascending to the 
spawning-grounds. The author instanced Diglis weir, which was the “ hall door” 
