TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION C. 569 



Flora of Great Britain,' by Lindley and Hutton, which appeared in parts between 

 1831 and 1837. Important additions have been made to the knowledge of York- 

 shire Jurassic plants by W. C. Williamson, Bunbury, Leckenby, Carruthera, 

 Nathorst, and other writers. 



Geological. — The East Yorkshire rocks of Lower Oolitic age may be said to con- 

 sist of three important estuarine series, separated from one another by thin bands 

 containing marine fossils. The majority of the plants have been obtained from the 

 Lower Estuarine Series, which includes the famous plant-bed of Gristhorpe Bay. 



Botanical. — I. EamsETALES. Equketites colunmaris is one of the commonest 

 and most characteristic plants of the Yorkshire Flora. II. Filices. The Ferns 

 are represented by numerous species, including examples referred to the 

 Cyathaeacese, Osmundaceae, SchizEeacese, Dipteridinaj, and Matoninese. III. Gink- 

 GOALES. The genera Oinkgo and Baiera are both represented by several forms. 

 IV. Ctcadales. Williamsonia, Nilssonia, and Otozamites are the most con- 

 spicuous examples of this dominant class. V. Coniperj3. The Conifers are less 

 abundant than either the Cycads or Ferns, but the Araucariere appear to have 

 occupied a prominent position in the vegetation. 



The composition of the Yorkshire Jurassic vegetation was compared with that 

 of floras of the same geological age in other parts of the world, and suggestions 

 were made for future work. 



3. Report on the Fossil Flora of the Transvaal. 



4. The Teaching of Geology to Agricultural Scholars. 

 By Professor Grenville A. J. Cole. 



Experience under the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for 

 Ireliind has shown that geology appeals strongly to scholars who have been bom 

 and bred on country farms. Now that there is a general movement towards the 

 further organisation of agricultural education, it may be opportune to inquire as to 

 how far geology bears upon the problems of the farm, and how far an agricultural 

 student may with advantage be trained as a geologist. The brief paper, of which 

 this is an abstract, is intended, in fact, as a basis for discussion. 



The author's views at present are as follows : — 



Geology should be an essential subject in the training of instructors for agri- 

 cultural classes and of heads of experimental stations, but may be regarded as non- 

 essential in the training of farmers' sons for farming work. 



The instructor, or itinerant adviser, will have to understand the features of a 

 wide district, and will often have to discover the causes of local differences within 

 that district. His geological training should include the following : — 



(i) Hock-forming minerals and their appearance and reactions in thefragmental 

 condition in which they appear in soils. Far more stress should be laid on the 

 physical results of the disintegration of these minerals than on the chemical consti- 

 tution of the final product, where this is solid. On the other hand, soluble products 

 may be specially dwelt on from a chemical point of view. 



(ii) The natural agents of disintegration and accumulation. Origin of soils. 



(iii) The origin and structure of common rocks, the microscope being used to 

 show the relation of the minerals to one another before disintegration, and thus to 

 explain how disintegration may proceed in each case. The microscope also impres.ses 

 the worker with the effective abundance of certain constituents, such as apatite 

 in basic igneous masses, although they may be invisible to the unaided eye. 



(iv) The relations of rocks to one another, including questions of drainage and 

 water-supply. 



(v) The structure of soils formed from various types of rock ; their porosity, 

 fineness of grftin, &c., treated experimentally. 



(vi) The historic succession of the geological systems, and the principles of 

 stratigraphy, leading up to the reading of a geological map. 



