clxxiv PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Ergot on Byegrass. — Mr. Baker drew attention to the remarkably 

 frequent occurrence of this fungus in this and the past few years, in 

 North Kent, on Ryegrass and some other wild Grasses. Mr. Odell said 

 that close feeding, and the cleaning of ditches and headlands, was the 

 best means of eradicating the fungus. 



Malformed Orchids. — Mr. Odell showed a specimen of the Orchid 

 Selenipedium x calurum, in which the lateral petals were completely 

 suppressed, while the dorsal sepal was much reduced and malformed. 

 A similar condition is frequently seen in S. x Sedeni. 



Chrysanthemum indicum Hybrids. — Mr. Smith, of Weybridge, 

 exhibited flowers of hybrids between C. indicum and cultivated forms. 

 These were retained for further examination. 



Diseased Fern. — Mr. Massee, V.M.H., reported that he found abundance 

 of mycelium on the brown spots on the Todea leaves, but no fruit ; the 

 fungus was therefore indeterminable. The rhizornorphs from Beech 

 shown at the last meeting were those of Armillaria mellea. 



Scientific Committee, December 10, 1907. 



Mr. E. A. Bowles, M.A., F.L.S., in the Chair, and thirteen members 



present. 



Grubs in Gooseberry Stem. — Mr. G. S. Saunders, F.L.S., reported 

 that he had examined the Gooseberry stem shown by Mr. Odell, and had 

 found it to be attacked by a number of small red grubs, which were 

 hidden under the loose outer bark near the bud. They evidently feed on 

 the cells immediately under the bark. They belong to the Diptera, and 

 probably to the family Cecidomyidae. They are very small, being 

 scarcely one-tenth of an inch in length. Mr. Saunders suggested that as 

 the insect probably pupates under the bark, some shoots should be 

 inclosed in muslin sleeves so that later the fly might be identified. 



Chrysanthemum indicum Varieties and Crosses. — Mr. Chittenden 

 reported that he had examined the Chrysanthemums shown by Mr. Smith 

 at the last meeting. They were divisible into two sets. In the first the 

 result of sowing seed from C. indicum which had been pollinated with 

 pollen from a rose-coloured variety : all the plants bore yellow flowers, 

 but there was considerable variation in the depth of colour, the length 

 and breadth of the corollas, the arrangement of the flowers, and the 

 hardiness of the foliage. It is, however, scarcely safe to argue from this 

 instance that the colour of C. indicum is dominant over rose, in view of 

 the facts that (1) considerable variation from seed is probable in 

 C. indicum ; (2) there is difficulty in ensuring the pollination of the 

 flowers of Chrysanthemums (as of most other composites) with foreign 

 pollen to the exclusion of pollen from the same flower or neighbouring 

 flowers in the head ; and (8) the absence of any precautions to prevent 

 insect pollination. The second series, C. indicum, crossed with an 

 almost magenta flower, showed considerable variation in colour from 

 almost white to deep rose, as well as in form, &c. Altogether it would 

 appear that Chrysanthemums were unsuitable flowers with which to 



