SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, JULY 14. 



CXXXV 



SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE. 



July 14. 



Dr. M. T. Masters, F.R.S., in the Chair. 



Picea Alcochiana, Foliaceous Cones. — Mr. Meehan, of Ger- 

 mantown, Philadelphia, sent specimens showing the bracts of 

 the cones becoming leaf- like, with the following observations : — 

 " It represents a great struggle between the effort to make a cone 

 and a branch. I have numbers on several plants. In some 

 cases the branch, and in others the cone, nearly wins. The 

 specimens are certainly due to the conditions of environment. 

 There are about a dozen plants from 2 to 3 ft. high. Trans- 

 planted in the spring of 1895, it was with difficulty we got them 

 through the drought and torrid heat of that exceptional season, 

 the growth being but an inch or two. Other species of the order 

 planted with them died absolutely." 



Galadium, Variegated Leaf. — Mr. Philip Crowley, of Waddon 

 House, Croydon, sent a very curious example of dissociation of 

 colour. The leaf was mainly of a pale pink colour, but one 

 quarter, sharply marked off by two lines at right angles to each 

 other, was white with green veins. The suggested interpreta- 

 tion was that the plant which bore it was a cross between two 

 plants having the above peculiarities respectively, and that the 

 parental characters had become suddenly dissociated. 



Grinum capense, var.—Rey. W. Shirley, of Southwick Par- 

 sonage, Fareham, sent a flower which proved to be a pale variety 

 of this species. He remarks that he has succeeded in crossing it 

 with C. Moorei as the male parent, having raised four plants, but 

 was unable to effect a cross the reverse way. 



Parrot Tulips not Seeding. — In response to an inquiry from 

 the Secretary, Mr. Barr writes: — "We have been making- 

 inquiries over Holland, and are informed that the Dutch 

 growers do not remember to have ever seen seed to ripen on 

 these Tulips." It was suggested that it would be worth while 

 experimenting with them next year to see if seed could be pro- 

 cured by artificial pollination. 



Fungus on Primula. — A curious fungus {Physarum gyrosum) 

 upon leaves of a Primula was sent by Mr. W. Hall, the super- 



