TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION K. , 741 



7. Second Interim Report on the Strucirire of Fossil Plants, 

 See Reports, p. 432. 



8. Ecological Work in Switzerland. By Dr. T. W. Woodhead. 



Swiss botanists early recognised the fundamental principles of geographical 

 botany. Siniler in 1633, and Scheuzer in 1706 and 1708, had already begun to 

 speculate on the environmental conditions of alpine plants, and in 1768 Haller 

 gave the first sketch of vertical zones of vegetation. A few years* later (1822 and 

 1825) Kastofer published excellent observations on the influence of climate and 

 man on forests, their former and present limits, and hints on replanting. Heget- 

 schweiler (1831) studied the plasticity of plants, and made experiments and 

 observations on the eflect of environment on plant form. In 1836 Heer published 

 an excellent study of the flora of part of Canton Qlarus, dealing with climate, 

 soil, vertical zones of vegetation, and habitats. Since then studies of small 

 areas from an ecological as well as from a floristic point of view have been largely 

 followed and extended, especially in the botany schools of Ziirich, under Professor 

 Schroter, and in Geneva by Professor Chodat and Dr. Briquet. Christ's ' Pflan- 

 zenleben der Schweiz ' (1879) marked a new era, and, except for formations and 

 adaptations, is a complete geo-botanical monograph of Switzerland. In the 

 quarter of a century following its publication some three hundred books and 

 papers have appeared in Switzerland dealing with various branches of the sub- 

 ject. The following groups will serve to illustrate the range and extent of this 

 work : — 



History of the Flora. — The names of Christ, Schroter, Heer, Briquet, and 

 Jerosch are conspicuous in this direction. Jerosch's history and origin of the 

 alpine flora is an able work. Schroter has given a complete account of the post- 

 glacial history of vegetation in Northern Switzerland, while Heer, Schlatter, 

 Walser, Neuweiler, and others have dealt with the history of cultivated plants. 



Forestry occupies an important position in the economy of the country, and 

 the literature is very extensive. An exhaustive work on the forests of Switzer- 

 land is now in progress, by Coaz and Schroter, which will occupy some 

 twenty volumes ; this is being issued by the Forestry Department. 



Pasture and Meadoiu Vegetation has been studied in a very detailed manner 

 by Stebler and Schroter ; the results have been published by the Agricultural De- 

 partment, the volumes being sold to students at a nominal price. 



Moorland and Peat Studies were placed on a solid foundation by Lesqueraux 

 in 1844-47, later work culminating in Friih and Schroter's admirable 'Moore der 

 Schweiz.' 



No systematic attempt is being made to treat uniformly the phytogeography 

 of Switzerland, but many selected areas have been treated in detail by Schroter 

 and his students, Chodat, Briquet, and others ; as well as the more general works 

 of De Candolle. Several important papers are being published, notably those of 

 Brockmann and Brunies. Such studies receive special encouragement from the 

 Agricultural and Forestry Departments, which also carry on numerous investiga- 

 tions on soil, phenology, &c. 



Vegetation of the Lakes has received special attention, the work often being the 

 work of subsidised Commissions, those published dealing with lakes Geneva, Con- 

 stance, Katzensee, de Brett, Lutzelsee, and the lakes of the whole Jura. Many 

 of these are very elaborate, and treat of the chemistry, physics, geology, and 

 fauna, in addition to Plankton, Algae, and higher plants. 



Works dealing with the alpine [flora are very numerous, Schroter's ' Pflan- 

 zenleben der Alpen ' giving an excellent account of work in this direction. 



Siviss Survey Maps are well known, and a great advance on our own, such 

 vegetation features as region of vine cultivation, grass land, moors, moors cut for 

 peat, forest, rocky slopes, alpine region, and snow and ice, being accurately shown. 



