12 SinitJi : Botiuiical Survey for Local Naturalists' Societies. 



those describings the veg^etation of foreign countries, will have 

 an increased value. After an association has been carefull)^ 

 .studied, it will form a suitable topic for a paper to the Society, 

 and we venture to predict that there will be less difficulty in finding- 

 topics for discussion at meetings of societies than at present. 



(b) The Society. When a local Society has sufficient workers 

 it will be possible to obtain accurate information on all the 

 plant-associations of a neighbourhood. The records should 

 therefore be lodged with the societies, probably after being read 

 as papers. In such a series of records of associations, there is 

 the basis of a map of the vegetation, and a more complete survey 

 than has yet been attempted. After the experience gathered by 

 work oi the kind suggested, a vegetation map would be a prac- 

 ticable and useful work for the Society, and would form part of 

 a more complete regional survey.* 



(c) General. The work of individuals and societies, if pro- 

 perly recorded, would be available in many ways. The value of 

 Ipcal Floras could be greatly extended if their pages gave more 

 information on the vegetation of a district, in addition to the 

 floristic details which at present are too often given in a dry and 

 and stilted manner. Mr. Crump's ' Flora of Halifax ' is an 

 example which we venture to quote. The flora is searchingly 

 dealt with in the manner usually found in Floras, but, in 

 addition, the habitat or station of a species is described in a 

 way which enables its place in the veg'etation to be recognised. 

 In the Introduction the more important plant-associations are 

 described, and, so far as we are aware, this is the first attempt 

 of the kind made in Britain. The result is that the Introduction 

 as a description of the parish ma}- be read with interest by a 

 general reader, who would never refer to the purely floristic 

 part. As a contrast take the usual Flora of a district. In 

 ' North Yorkshire ' we have a description of the various districts, 

 with an account of the geology, lithology, and climate of the 

 whole, presented in a way which makes it of the utmost value ; 

 whereas the description of the vegetation is a representation 

 from which a stranger could hardly form a picture of this 

 interesting area. 



The work of the local societies would form part of the survey 

 of vegetation already begun in Yorkshire. In the parts as yet 

 untouched, namely, the North and East Ridings, the work done 



* A useful paper on the work of local societies in preparing- reg-ional 

 surveys, written by Miss Nevvbig-g-in, is given in Scottish Geograpliicat 

 Mairaziiie, December 1901. 



