49 
GLYCINE HISPIDA. 
The Soybean, Glycine hispida , of which I recently sowed some 
seeds obtained from a Soy factory, germinated with fair rapidity and 
grew well on being planted out. It commenced to fruit when only 
about six inches tall. The flowers are all cleistogamous, that is to 
say, the petals never develop and the flower never opens but is 
fertilized by itself in the bud. At the time of fertilization the bud 
is less than a quarter of an inch long, with a green hairy five-pointed 
calyx and minute pale blue petals which soon become pale pink 
and persist without developing further for some time during the 
ripening of the fruit. The ovary is green and covered with white 
hairs and the style is decurved on it so that the stigma comes into 
contact with one of the minute black anthers and is thus fertilized, 
thus the plant is quite independent of insect agency for its ferti- 
lization and would fruit anywhere. It might be worth while seernc* 
the large demand there is for the beans here to try the use of this 
plant as a catch crop. 
I note one enemy it has in the form of a minute black beetle 
(apparently one of the Hahicidae) which nibbles the leaves and 
makes small spots on them. I have seen it also on other beans. 
Editor. 
NOTE ON A PECULIAR FLOW OF LATEX 
IN A HEVEA 
As a rule, when a Para rubber tree is opened by the herring-bone 
method, the flow of latex commences immediately and continues for 
about an hour when it ceases to produce anymore. There is a latfge 
tree, however, in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which behaves in a 
very different manner. When the cuts are opened, no latex or very 
little appears for from an hour to an hour and a half. It then com- 
mences to flow freely for several hours, requiring a cup to be changed 
several times. Thu when tapped at 5 \ M. it had only just ceased to 
flow at 1 p. m. All the adjacent trees flowed naturally, and the 
cause of this curious action is not at all clear. The tree wlWh 
otherwise altogether resembles those next to it had previously (some 
years ago; been tapped on the same side. 
Editor. 
Malay Peninsula Agricultural Association. 
A General Meeting. 
A General Meeting was held on Tuesday, the 24th January, 1905 
at No. 5, Weld Quay, when the following Members were present:— 
H011. J. Turner — President, Mr. T. Row— Vice-President Mr. 
L. es Chasseriau, Mr. K. es Chasseriau, Mr. Joseph Mojr’ Mr* 
F ‘ 0. Halufax, Mr. John Symes, Mr. D. Douglas, Mr. D, 
C/52. 
