258 
ANNUAL  REPORT  FOR  1904  OF  THE 
CONSULTING  BOTANIST. 
From  December  1, 1903,  to  November  30,  1904,  the  Consulting 
Botanist  received  299  applications,  and  duly  dealt  with  them. 
The  greatest  portion  of  them,  181  in  number,  were  samples  of 
clover  and  grass  seeds,  submitted  for  determination  of  their 
value.  Thirty-seven  others  sought  advice  in  relation  to  diseases 
affecting  farm  crops,  and  methods  of  dealing  with  them.  In 
31  cases  information  was  supplied  regarding  the  names  and 
properties  of  plants.  Three  were  inquiries  about  suitable  seeds 
for  laying  down  land  for  pastures,  whilst  5 seed  mixtures  were 
examined  as  to  their  respective  value  for  sowing.  The  remain- 
ing applications  wei'e  less  important,  and  were  of  miscellaneous 
nature. 
Several  communications  from  Government  Departments, 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  were  dealt  with.  An  officer  of  the 
Natural  History  Museum  inquired  on  behalf  of  the  authorities 
of  East  Africa  as  to  the  best  method  of  killing  insects  in  or  on 
cotton  seed,  without  injiiring  its  germinating  power.  He  was 
recommended  to  steep  the  seed  for  fifteen  minutes  in  water 
kept  at  a temperature  of  140"  F.,  which  would  effectually  kill 
the  insects. 
Seed  from  Scotland  and  England  was  applied  for  and 
transmitted  to  the  German  Agricultural  Societj'  (Deutsche 
Landwirtschafts  Gesellschaft)  for  the  purpose  of  their  experi- 
ments with  ryegrass  seed  of  different  origin.  A similar  request 
was  made  by  Professor  Rampelli,  of  the  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station  at  Rieti,  Italy,  for  the  principal  varieties  of  cereals 
grown  in  this  country.  An  extensive  series  was  obtained  and 
transmitted  to  him. 
Purity  and  Germination. 
Owing  to  the  deficient  harvest  in  1903  of  English  seed,  large 
quantities  of  foreign  seed  had  to  be  used,  especially  of  clover. 
No  doul)t  this  accounts  for  the  remarkably  high  percentage 
of  samples  infested  with  dodder,  25  per  cent,  containing  the 
seeds  of  this  troublesome  pest.  Of  the  grasses,  meadow  grass 
showed  the  least  germination,  one  sample  germinating  only 
25  per  cent.  A sample  of  hard  fescue  showed  after  sixteen  days’ 
i 
