446 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—K. 
Mr. E. WYLLIE FentoN.—The need for a permanent organisation for under- 
taking periodic botanical surveys of Great Britain (11.0). 
The type of Botanical Survey suggested is similar to that of Smith and 
Rankin and Smith and Moss in England, and the brothers Smith in Scotland. 
Such surveys have both academic value as well as great practical value, 
indicating the suitability or otherwise of certain areas for particular types 
of husbandry or afforestation. "They would also reveal how human activities 
were affecting vegetation. 
Periodic re-surveys are necessary to keep pace with changing conditions, 
and to indicate whether certain activities are harmful or otherwise. Periodic 
re-surveys in the past would have been of great value to-day. 
The real ideal is a Scientific Survey including all sciences. With such a 
survey the maps would be both complete and valuable. The Geological 
Survey took time to establish, but its value to-day is unquestioned. So it 
would prove if a Botanical Survey were established. ‘The question of aerial 
photographs should not be forgotten, but perhaps co-operation in certain 
quarters would overcome the difficulty. 
To commence with, it would probably be best for botanists to be attached 
to the Geological Survey, and to develop gradually from this small staff, 
The ideal of a Scientific Survey should not be unduly delayed or forgotten. 
Prof. S. E. Witson.—The fate of reserve materials in the felled tree (11.30). 
Forest trees are usually felled in the season (winter) when the sapwood 
contains abundant reserve food-materials. ‘These, as starch, sugar, fats, 
etc., occur within the protoplasts of the living storage cells which constitute 
the ’ medullary rays, and wood-parenchyma if present. The fate of the 
reserve materials is now shown to depend on the treatment of the timber 
after felling. If the log is kept whole, and the bark retained to prevent 
rapid drying, the storage cells continue alive until all reserves are exhausted ; 
whereas if the timber is converted quickly and the cells killed by desiccation 
or kiln-heat the reserve materials remain intact and cannot thereafter be 
removed by any known treatment. 
Timber containing reserve materials is shown to be a ready prey to wood- 
tunnelling beetles and sap-staining fungi. In particular, Lyctus powder- 
post beetle larve feed on the starch occurring in oak, ash, elm, walnut, etc., 
so that removal of the starch by the ‘ log-seasoning ’ process serves to im- 
munise the timber against Lyctus infestation. ‘The experimental evidence 
for this is described, and samples of immunised common hardwoods, of 
commercial size, are demonstrated. 
A gravimetric method of determining the total amount of respirable 
cell-contents in experimental samples is discussed, and the further bearings 
of the occurrence of reserve materials in technological research are outlined. 
Suggestions are put forward for the co-operation of forest botanists with 
timber technologists in extending our knowledge of these important 
reserve materials, with a view to the better utilisation of our native timber 
trees. 
Dr. K. M. SmitH.—Some aspects of the plant virus problem (12.15). 
The last decade has seen the beginning of intensive study of plant virus 
diseases and a large body of knowledge has been compiled. Among the 
interesting facts discovered may be mentioned new knowledge concerning 
the relationship of plant viruses with insects, the alteration in flower colours 
due to virus infection, the existence of closely similar virus strains, the 
