494 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Turkish government "; this consists in sowing wheat, barley, rye and 

 maize all altogether in one field, and as no trouble is taken to obtain 

 pure seed-grain, the mixed produce is sown year after year, till weeds 

 accumulate to as much as ten per cent, of the whole crop. The most 

 noteworthy cultivated plant in the plain round Adrianopolis is the 

 Eose, grown in fields for the petals which are collected in May and 

 June and distilled to extract the oil " attar of roses." This industry 

 is extensive; in 1907, 5000 lb. of the oil v/ere placed on the market; in 

 1904 over 8000 lb. Each lb. of "attar" is the product of about 

 3500 lb. (31 cwt.) of rose petals, and as each grower generally distils 

 his own produce, we are told that at least 13,000 stills are in 

 use.— W. G. S. 



Vegretation of Woodlands. By W. G. Smith (Trans. Roy. 

 Scott. Arbor. So.c. xxiv. 1, pp. 6-23; Jan. 1911, and 2, pp. 131-139, 

 July 1911). — A wood consists of trees, shrubs, and ground-vegetation, 

 and according to the age, density and shade-casting powers of the trees^ 

 tlie lower vegetation is developed so that for each type of woodland 

 there is a corresponding type of ground vegetation; this relationship 

 is briefly discussed. While in Britain at the present time there are! 

 few primitive woods, still many woods are little altered from thej 

 primitive condition and are semi-natural. From recent observations 

 it is known that these woods follow definite tracts of country, their 

 distribution being determined partly by climate, mainly by soil-factors. 

 The larger types of woodlands are : alder-willow on very wet soils ; 

 oak and birch on non-calcareous soils ; beech and ash on calcareous 

 soils. Each of these types may be subdivided according to wetness 

 and dryness of the soil, and to amount and condition of humus. In 

 recognizing types of woods, the ground-vegetation is a useful guide, 

 and it also indicates characteristics of the soil which may be made use 

 of in forestry ; it is also a guide in determining whether a wood is pro- 

 gressive or degenerating. Several types of ground- vegetation are dealt 

 with in this paper and it is pointed out that the condition of the under- 

 growth is actually observed by the forester in estimating the growth ol 

 a wood, although not often referred to in forestry literature. — W. G. S'. 



Veronicas, Herbaceous. By S. Mottet (Le Jard. xxiv. 565.j 

 p. 201; Sept. 5, 1910; with 1 fig.). — Tn continuation of a previous! 

 note on shrubby Veronicas, this article enumerates the herbaceous 

 species and their habitat. They fall into two groups; 1 uprightj 

 tufted, 3 ft. or more in height; 2, low, creeping, forming a carpet, j 



Among the former the best are: V. spicata Linn., V. incisa, V. pin\ 

 nata, and V. latifolia, which are larger and more robust; V. longifoli 

 Linn. var. subsessilis, from Japan, the most ornamental of this group 

 but unfortunately not hardy; V. incana Linn., with grey-green leaves 

 and grey-blue flowers; V. virginica Linn., very tall with whit 

 flowers; V. gentian oides, a distinct species, from tlie Cnucasus, wit] 



