Woodhead : Plant Geography in Switzerland. 2 1 r 



gratis, for each farmer, an analysis of his soils respecting lime 

 contents. 



Commissions. — Reference has been made above several 

 times to Commissions. These are appointed and controlled 

 entirely by the Schweizerische naturforschenden Gesellschaft. 

 This Society receives every year a grant of about 60,000 francs 

 (;f2,40o), from the Government, for conducting scientific 

 investigations, and they cover a wide field. Many of the 

 excellent works referred to above are the outcome of a co- 

 operation of the several branches concerned, botany, zoology, 

 geology, physics, chemistry, etc. 



In addition to the publications already mentioned as issued 

 by these Commissions, reference should be made to the ' Kryp- 

 togamic Flora Commission,' which issues every year a mono- 

 graph on some part of the cryptogamic flora of Switzerland. 

 The last issued is a large volume of 591 pages and 343 figures, 

 on the Uredinese of Switzerland, giving the results of twenty 

 years' observations on the group by E. Fischer. This work 

 cost over 5,000 francs, defrayed partly by the Government, 

 partly by the Naturforschenden Gesellschaft. 



The Bernina Biological Observations. — In May, 1905, 

 Dr. Ed. Riibel, acting on the suggestion of Prof. Schroter, 

 established for one year a biological station at Berninahospiz. 

 The object was to make a more detailed study than has hitherto 

 been attempted, of the conditions of plant hfe in the Alps. The 

 Hospiz is 2,309 metres above sea level, and a good centre for 

 the surrounding peaks of the Bernina group, some of these, e.g., 

 Piz Bernina, rising to 4,052 metres (13,170 feet). The station 

 was equipped with all the necessary meteorological instruments, 

 and records were regularly taken three times daily at 7 a.m.,, 

 I p.m., and 9 p.m. I had the privilege of spending a month 

 here in July and August 1905, making frequent excursions to 

 the surrounding peaks, and did space permit, I could say much 

 about the interesting work that is going on, but it must suffice 

 to say that the work in progress covers almost every branch 

 of ecological research, and a number of interesting observations 

 have been made, though as yet, only preliminary results have 

 been published. Considerable interest was taken in the station, 

 and it has been visited by many botanists of note. 



Excursions. — Studies in plant-geography and ecology are 

 fostered in Switzerland by the excellent series of excursions. 



1908 Jane i. 



