258 The British Association at Newcastle. 
on Plant Disease, a committee was appointed to consider the best 
means of promoting the advance of Phytopathology, and following 
the discussion on the relation between the researcher in Genetics 
and the practical breeder and horticulturist a committee was formed 
representing Botany, Zoology, and Agriculture. Miss Saunders 
had suggested in her report that the trades concerned should be 
encouraged to establish research departments, while research would 
be promoted by the formation of a Genetics Association. These 
suggestions were warmly supported by Mr. Bateson who, however, 
negatived the idea of a new publication at present. 
The discussion on Plant Disease was opened by Professor 
Potter, who laid stress on the enormous annual loss entailed by the 
depredations of disease, that of Rust alone having involved in Aus¬ 
tralia a loss of 2^ millions sterling on one year’s wheat crop. In 
this paper and in the subsequent ones by Mr. Brierley and by Mr. 
Ramsbottom the need for the establishment of a Central Institute 
was elaborated, as well as the urgency of providing better training 
for the investigator. Mr. Salmon and Dr. Eyre testified to the 
willingness of the farmer to apply well tested scientific results. 
One of the most important series of papers was that on Utiliza¬ 
tion of Waste Lands, introduced by Professor Oliver. He showed 
that in many cases two courses are open (a), to encourage and 
develop the natural product, as for instance, maritime grasses, 
utilizable for paper-making; or, (b) to reclaim and convert to 
normal fertile soil. The labour required for this might well give 
particularly suitable provisional employment to soldiers at the end 
of the war. Thus sand dunes might add profitably to our timber 
area, and Mr. Martineau, of the Reafforesting Association showed 
that even pit mounds may be successfully planted. 
Dr. W. G. Smith gave an excellent account of the difficulties 
attendant upon treatment of mountain and heath land, but sug¬ 
gested that more frequent burning and inclusion of a greater 
number of cattle in the grazing would increase their productiveness. 
The encouraging results obtained by treatment of moorland with 
bacterized peat were reported by Professor Bottomley. 
Sir John S. Stirling Maxwell delivered an interesting paper on 
Reafforestation after the War, maintaining that the British Empire 
as a whole should aim at being self-supporting in the matter of 
timber. 
Dr. M. C. Stopes, in a paper on The Botanical Aspects of Coal, 
urged the importance of the cooperation of the Palaeobotanist, 
Chemist, and Ecologist, and referred to the probable association of 
spore-content with certain chemical properties of particular coals. 
It was essential not to confine palaeobotanical investigation to the 
Carboniferous epoch in view of the Tertiary origin of Indian coal. 
An industrial problem of immediate import was handled in the 
discussion on the Collection and Cultivation of Medicinal Plants. 
Professor Greenish, of the Pharmaceutical Society, gave an account 
of the present position of the English market and showed that 
serious steps were being taken greatly to increase home production. 
Sir Sidney Olivier, the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture and 
Fisheries emphasized the importance of establishing the industry 
on sound commercial lines if it were to meet with success. 
E. N.T. 
