SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, MAY 6. 



li 



Red Tankard,' ' Greentop,' and 1 Greystone ' Turnips, ' Purpletop ' and 

 1 Greentop ' Swedes, as well as some intermediate forms. Can you suggest 

 any cause for this state of things ? In this case the ' Red Tankard ' must 

 have been a sport from the Swedes ; but in those we first indicate, the 

 Cabbage and the roots were from old stocks that had been well selected 

 for years. We enclose particulars of the ' Red Tankard ' produce ; the 

 others we did not notice at the time. 



" Report of the produce of one handsome ' Red Tankard ' Turnip 

 picked up in a 20-acre field of ' Giant Bronzetop ' Swede. Seeded in a 

 private garden far away from any other Turnip or Swede seed. Covered 

 with muslin to prevent inoculation. Forty-nine 1 Purpletop ' Swedes, 

 seven 1 Bronzetop ' Swedes, 150 'Bronzetop ' White Turnips, ten ' Green- 

 top ' ditto, one ' Whitetop ' ditto, six ' Reddishtop ' ditto, eight ' Shorttop 

 Red Tankard,' and a score or two of small nondescripts." The opinion 

 of the Committee was that in a large mass of any one kind of plant the 

 general intercrossing which takes place tends to equalise the produce to a 

 general average, the would-be varieties beirg swamped ; but when a 

 single plant is isolated it can give rise to variations intact. 



Leucojum vernum forming Bulbs. — Mr. Bradley sent illustrations of 

 this plant forming fresh bulbs above the one planted. He writes as 

 follows : — " The border in which these bulbs grew had from time to time 

 been topped up by the addition of soil, the effect being that the base of 

 the bulbs, which had originally been planted much shallower, had gradu- 

 ally been covered with earth to a depth of 6 or 8 inches. Nerine 

 sarniensis showed a similar production of new bulbs. They had been 

 planted about five years ago. When planting, a trench was thrown out to 

 a depth of some 18 inches, and about 3 inches of manure put in, then the 

 trench was filled up with soil and the bulbs planted at a depth of about 

 3 inches to the base below the surface of the soil. The trench was subse- 

 quently refilled as the soil sank, so that the bulbs were ultimately about 

 8 inches below the surface. Under these conditions they developed the 

 upper bulbs." The interpretation appears to be that bulbs normally 

 require to be at certain depths, some deeper than others. If they be too 

 near the surface they form contractile roots, which pull them down, but in 

 the present case, the bulb being too deep, the difficulty was surmounted 

 by the formation of another at the proper depth (see M. T. Masters's 

 Vegetable Teratology, p. 84). 



Scientific Committee, May 6, 1902. 



Dr. M. C. Cooke in the Chair, and eleven members present. 



Turnip Seedlings. — With reference to Mr. Gould's account at the last 

 meeting of the great variation in the seedlings of a ' Red Tankard ' 

 Turnip, Mr. Arthur Sutton thought there must be some mistake, as it 

 was contrary to all experience at Reading ; but Rev. W. Wilks confirmed 

 it in the case of Cabbages. Having an excellent variety, very useful late 

 in the season, he saved two plants for seed, covering them when in bloom 

 with a thin muslin net. In the following year they produced all sorts 

 of the most mixed form of Cabbages, Coleworts, &c, but not one single 



