Clii PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



in the case of herbaceous plants those situated in the same 

 spots " (Report, &c, 1891), yet the observers have not recorded 

 the surrounding conditions respectively to show how far they 

 all agree in any one of the " areas." The problem is thus further 

 complicated, for a plant growing in a warm place may be greatly 

 hastened in flowering as compared with one in a shady and cool 

 place. Again, plant idiosyncrasies vary greatly : thus, of two 

 Horse Chestnuts, one frequently flowers as a regular feature 

 before others growing side by side with it. Hence, without 

 such and other additional data for strict comparisons, the really 

 scientific value of the phenological observations does not seem 

 to be very pronounced. For horticultural purposes their value 

 is practically none. As illustrations of the above remarks there 

 are four stations at Salisbury. In 1891 the Coltsfoot flowered 

 at these places from February 15 to March 7, a range of 

 three weeks ; at two places at Clifton the Blackthorn flowered 

 on April 26 and May 5 respectively ; but there is no clue 

 whereby one can trace the causes of these and other similar 

 differences. 



Scientific Committee, December 11, 1894. 

 Dr. M. T. Masters in the Chair, and five members present. 



Pines, &c. — Dr. Masters exhibited a series of cones, &c, 

 received from Mr. Herrin, gardener at Dropmore, as follows : — 

 Pinus Lambertiana, the Sugar-pine, from California, the cones 

 being 12 inches in length, of which the seeds are edible. Abies 

 nobilis, remarkable for the golden -coloured reflexed bracts and 

 the silvery foliage. Araucaria imbricata, first and second years' 

 cones. The largest tree at Dropmore was raised (as also the 

 one lately dead at Kew) from seed brought by Mr. Menzies from 

 Chili. Cupressus Goveniana, remarkable for its elegant branch- 

 ing with decussating branchlets. C. macrocarpa, only growing 

 at Monterey, on the coast of California. It succeeds well on our 

 own coasts, but not inland. 



Primula obconica, Cause of Eczema. — Dr. Bonavia described 

 a case of a lady who was three times made seriously ill by 

 handling this plant before it was discovered to be the cause. 



