Civ PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE. 



May ii, 1915. 



Mr. E. A. Bowles, M.A., F.L.S., F.E.S., in the Chair, with twelve 



members present, and Mr. A. B. Lister, visitor. 



Magnesium in Soil. — Dr. J. A. Voelcker referred to a sample of 

 soil recently sent to him from near Cardiff, with the complaint that 

 it had become infertile, although manured in the ordinary way. It 

 was found to contain all the essential chemical elements in sufficient 

 quantities to suggest that it was a fertile soil, but further analysis 

 showed the presence of -So per cent, of magnesia and only -36 per 

 cent, of lime. Dr. Voelcker said that the excess of magnesia over 

 lime was, no doubt, the cause of the soil's infertility, for experimental 

 work at Woburn and elsewhere had clearly shown that when such 

 excess existed the cropping power of the soil was greatly reduced. 



Peat and Potash. — Dr. Voelcker also pointed out that peat varied 

 greatly in composition, and that the materials sold under this name 

 were often very dissimilar from one another. Burnt peat had recently 

 been advocated as a source of potash for manuring, but all samples 

 of burnt peat could not be relied upon to provide any considerable 

 quantity of this necessary chemical, and as an example he mentioned 

 a sample he had recently analysed which gave only -58 per cent, of 

 potash in the ash. 



Apple with pistillate flowers. — Mr. E. A. Bunyard, F.L.S.. exhibited 

 a specimen of apple with pistillate flowers only. The flowers rarely, 

 if ever, produce petals. An apple of this character is figured by 

 Duhamel under the name of Fig Apple, and the tree in question bears 

 fruits very similar in shape to the figure given in Duhamel's work. 

 It is possibly the form mentioned in Darwin's works as the ' St. Valery ' 

 Apple. 



Breaking of Tulips. — Canon Fowler remarked upon the great 

 extent to which Tulips are breaking this season, and other members 

 corroborated his observations. Breaking is very noticeable in the 

 great collection at Wisley, and is by some thought to be due to a 

 change of soil and by others to conditions brought about by a previous 

 dry season. 



Primula x 'Mrs. W. R. Lysaght.' — Mrs. W. R. Lysaght exhibited 

 a very pretty Primula under the name of the exhibitor, raised by 

 crossing P. pulverulent a ' Mrs. R. V. Berkeley ' with P. X ' Unique.' 

 It was raised at Castleford, Chepstow. 



Lonicera Griffuhii. — Lt.-Col. F. G. L. Mainwaring sent sprays of a 

 very beautiful Honeysuckle which he had raised from seed sent from 

 Chitral in 1910, flowering with him at Upwey, Dorset, in a greenhouse. 

 He had had many failures with the plant, but after trying several 



