SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, MAY 23. 



lxxi 



more speedily (Journ. R.H.S. xxviii. (1903), p. 45), explaining his con- 

 ception of the action of ether, &c, upon the plants. 



Shoots of Yew Injured. — Mr. Saunders, F.L.S., showed some shoots 

 of yew, the leaves of which appeared to be covered with a pale yellow 

 alga. Mr. Massee undertook to examine these. 



Hybrids. — Mr. Worsley showed flowers of a hybrid between Tropceolum 

 peregrinum and T. Lobbianum, and between a Phyllocactus hybrid and 

 a white night -flowering species of Cereus. The flower was intermediate 

 between the parents in all characters except that the stigma was white, 

 while in the female parent it was purple, and in the male yellow. The 

 flowers of the hybrid opened in the evening, and were at first scented. 



Seedling Scillas. — Mr. Worsley also showed seedlings of Scilla 

 campanulata bearing pink flowers. The seed had been saved from plants 

 with blue flowers, the only others near being white, no pink- flowered 

 plants being in the garden. 



Effect of Manures on Rye. — Mr. Baker showed specimens of rye 

 grown under different manurial conditions. What was apparently the 

 best part of the field was untreated and bore very poorly ; the other parts, 

 on a poor, chalky soil, received dung or ashes from a destructor. The 

 former gave a very lush growth, which was, however, weak and somewhat 

 crippled at the nodes, while the crop on the portion manured with 

 destructor ashes, which contained no nitrogenous matter and much 

 potash and phosphoric acid, was strong and healthy-looking. 



Shoots of Rose Injured by Weevils. — Mr. Saunders reported on some 

 shoots of rose, sent by Mr. Yarde, of Northampton (the young shoots had 

 been eaten, and rings were gnawed round the stronger shoots), as follows : 

 " The injury was caused by the ' clay-coloured weevil ' (Otiorhynchus 

 picipes), which feeds only at night, when they may be shaken off the 

 bushes into an open umbrella, or on to boards or sheets of metal freshly 

 tarred, or on to white cloths laid under the bushes. They will lie as if 

 dead, and remain still with their limbs close to their bodies for a minute 

 or two, so that there is plenty of time to collect them. The insects hide 

 very carefully during the day, and small bundles of dry moss or hay tied 

 to the stems of the roses would provide them with suitable shelter. 

 These should be examined every morning to see if any weevils are 

 present. The weevils often prove troublesome in greenhouses, and their 

 grubs feed on the roots of ferns, cyclamens, primulas, and other plants. 



Pagoscope. — Dr. Masters showed a " pagoscope " — an instrument 

 invented recently in France — by which it is possible to ascertain, with 

 approximate accuracy, the previous night, (1) the probability of a frost 

 before morning, (2) the possibility of a frost, or (3) the certainty of 

 freedom from frost. He had tested the instrument for some time, and 

 had found it to be satisfactory. 



Scientific Committee, May 23, 1905. 



Dr. M. T. Masters, F.R.S., in the Chair, and eleven members present. 



Shoots of Yew Injured. — Dr. Cooke, V.M.H., reported that the injury 

 to these shoots, shown at the last meeting, was due to the interference 



