4QO 



The Bulletin of the Imperial Institute started in 1903, has often 

 been quoted in this Journal. It includes for the past year fifty- 

 eight reports and special articles of the greatest value. The 

 Director and his staff have also published four Parliamentary papers, 

 and a number of other articles of great scientific value in other 

 publication and as independent works. 



The whole report is in fact a very modest account of a vast 

 amount of research, carried out at a very moderate expenditure. 

 The funds of the establishment have never been very extensive and 

 the cessation of the grant of £2,000 a year previously made by the 

 Commissioners of the 185 1 Exhibition which came to an end in the 

 beginning of 1906, naturally caused some anxiety and made it 

 necessary to trench to a considerable extent during the year on the 

 accumulated balance of funds, to avoid a serious reduction in the 

 efficiency of the epartment, and has also made it impossible to 

 meet the legitimate demands for expansion. Negotiations are tak- 

 ing place to form a scheme for putting the Scientific and Technical 

 Department on a satisfactory financial footing, and it is sincerely 

 to be hoped that this may be effected. The establishment appeals 

 to every agriculturist, miner, merchant and manufacturer in the 

 Empire, and more especially to those in the Colonies. The nation 

 has lately been strongly reproached for its neglect of Science and 

 Scientific investigation, in the appreciation of the importance of 

 which it is far behind other countries, instead of being as would 

 naturally be expected in the forefront. It is quite time that this 

 reproach should be taken away. 1 he Imperial Institute has shown 

 its capabilities in a most marked way. Its value to the Empire is 

 now assured. It only remains for its financial position to be assured 

 in such a way as to not only continue its work as in the past year 

 but to expand its scope to the fullest extent. 



H. N. R. 



A DISEASE OP RUBBER SEEDLINGS. 



A Correspondent in Borneo sends a letter containing an account 

 of a vicious attack on his rubber seedlings which destroyed many. 

 Specimens sent were too dry on arrival to make much of, but there 

 was clearly a fungus attacking the base of the seedling and the lower 

 part to bore elevated masses of wood of tissue and Epidermis, but 

 no trace of fructification was to be seen. 



He writes " I am sorry to say that the trial I made with the 2,100 

 seedlings you sent me proved a failure. The seedlings arrived here 

 in good order and condition and every one of them was looking 

 healthy, but though they were watered for the first day till I got 

 sufficient rain only 40 per cent, survived of which many died after- 

 wards. I may state that they were planted in the open without shade. 



Rubber seeds I had received previously a large quantity of, which 

 were planted out in nurseries. I made trials with covered and 

 uncovered nurseries. 



