CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES. 487 



Mr. W. F. Stanley (Croydon) : In our local Society wa have two 

 subjects which seem to be very appropriate, at least for such Societies, and 

 one of them would aid very materially what Mr. Cole has put before us. 

 Photography is very popular with our Society. The observations we 

 record by means of drawings are often very poor, but we can record 

 them correctly by means of photography in much less time. Another 

 thing which is very popular with these Societies is meteorology. There 

 are many elderly people to whom it is a source of pleasant occupation to 

 make daily observations of meteorological conditions. I would mention, 

 with regard to the polytechnics, in which I take a very great interest 

 that the Government money is suggested to be for technical education, 

 and it is really so applied in many instances. But the money is so 

 thoroughly taken up and so usefully employed in that direction that I 

 think there would scarcely be any to spare for a learned society in which 

 knowledge is the sole aim. It is generally technical knowledge that is 

 required — knowledge which will be of value to students in life, and will 

 greatly aid in elevating the classes for which it was originally intended. 



The Hon. RoUo Russell (Haslemere) : I was going to suggest le^ore 

 the previous Delegate spoke that possibly meteorology might be add'^d to 

 the subjects mentioned in the paper ; and though this might not come 

 within the view of many Societies, observations might be made of the 

 diseases of plants, and of the relations of plants to meteorology. Meteoro- 

 logy furnishes an enormous field for investigation, and if this were added 

 to the subjects mentioned it would help towards getting grants from 

 county councils and town councils. Experiments might be made on 

 plant-life in relation to soils, weather, and various other conditions. 



Professor Weiss (Owens College, Manchester, Delegate from Sec- 

 tion K) : I am rather sceptical of getting a grant from the county 

 council for the purposes suggested in the paper. I think aid would come 

 better from the British Association grants, which I am sorry to say are 

 decreasing, while the demands are increasing considerably. I doubt very 

 much whether we are getting further forward by i-esting our hope on the 

 county council, but I do not see why we should not make a trial. It 

 might be useful, though I doubt whether all county councils will have it 

 in their power to give grants. Section K might bring this up in con- 

 nection with the registration of botanical photographs. A pamphlet will 

 be sent to each Society giving particulars about photography. We are 

 very desirous of getting records of plant-life, both as regards the natural 

 plants which we find in difierent parts of England, and also in regard to 

 the acclimatised plants. For example, there are districts in the south of 

 England where we have tropical plants grown under favourable condi- 

 tions, and it is worth recording by photographs. Then, as to plant 

 diseases, we are desirous of getting photographs of these, when we have 

 crops destroyed, as we have liad to deplore from time to time. It would 

 be necessary and desirable to have records from different districts 

 recording statements which can be referred to afterwards. Then curi- 

 ously injured trees, trees injured by lightning, wind, or other causes, 

 trees of great age or possessing other peculiarities, are well worth putting 

 on the records of each district, and should secure the attentioii of local 

 Societies. It is only by getting local Societies interested and taking up 

 this work that we can hope to obtain a series of records such as we 

 should get in this country. I am glad that several Societies have 

 already undertaken this work for the coming season. 



