TOO 
Suggestions for Beginning Survey Worh. 
preserved, till flowers are found or some one can name it. A mere 
list of plants is not sufficient, it should be classified as much as 
possible. The following method is simple, but others arc in use :— 
Larch wood with a few Spruces, trees about 70 feet high, and 
from 6 to 10 feet apart: two distinct associations found, Calluna 
and Bracken, the latter in hollows, the former occupying the larger, 
more level floor of the wood. (Soil—thin peaty humus, overlying 
Liassic Limestone, 650 feet alt., Clevelands, N. Yorks.) 
CaZ/wm-Association : 
Social Species: 
Dominant, Calluna Erica, 40—50 p.c. 
„ Erica cinerea, 20—30 p.c. 
Sub-dominant, Vaccinium Myrtillus, 5 —10 p.c. 
•about 7O' 1 /,, 1 
Sub-dominant, Festuca ovina \ 
„ Aim fiexuosa I 
,, Agrostis vulgaris i 
„ AnthoxantJium odoratum ; 
about SO'Yo 1 
Isolated Species: 
Characteristic: 1. Potentilla sylvestris. 
,, 2. Galium saxatile. 
„ 3. Oxalis Acetosella, etc., in decreasing 
abundance. 
Sporadic : Carduus arvensis (from farm-land). 
From this list one learns that certain plants of the under¬ 
growth are social, occurring in patches; of these, two dominate and 
give the association its physiognomic and ecological character, while 
others, though social, are only sub-dominant here. The percentages 
show roughly that Ericaceae occupy about twice as much ground as 
the grasses, and that ling forms about half the vegetation, Bell- 
Heath a quarter. These seven species are supplemented by others 
which occur isolated here and there; they are noted so that the 
more abundant are first, the rare last; amongst the rare forms one 
may find sporadic species, which have been introduced, but will 
probably not survive long, unless the conditions are changing. 
D. Ecological study proper or observations on the relation of 
plants to their environment. It is simpler here to attempt one or 
two of the dominant species only, or it may be done with the 
association as unit. Here there is much scope for original obser¬ 
vations, and the working out of problems, since the ecology of few 
British plants or associations has been attempted, and the 
methods to be adopted, which must necessarily vary greatly accord¬ 
ing to the particular problem investigated, have still, for the most 
part, to be elaborated. A given plant occurs here and not there; is 
it climate, slope, sun or shade; oris it soil, its moisture, its texture, 
its acidity, or lime-content, or what? Soil examination may include 
preparation of soil-sections or the use of boring-rods, while lime- 
content may be tested with acid, and soil-water may be estimated 
by the weighing of fresh, air-dry, and dessicated samples. 2 The 
morphology of plants, their mode of growth, hibernation, and 
1 These percentages can be estimated by eye according to the pro¬ 
portion of ground in a small sample area covered by the 
different forms of vegetation. 
2 “ The Soil ” by A. I). Hall (Macmillan, 1903) gives much useful 
information, 
