278
THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
the observations of Prof. Bayley Balfour, communicated to the Manchester Con-
ference of Delegates of Corresponding Societies of the British Association, as to
the importance of observing and recording the "life-histories" of plants from the
germinating seed to the production of seed again. This subject had been alluded
to by Prof. Meldola in a late number of the Essex Naturalist (vol. i., page zoo),
but he thought that these suggestive remarks merited careful consideration, and
could not be too widely read. Prof. Balfour said :—
"It appears to me that much good scientific work might be done by members
of local Societies in a direction which has not attracted so much attention in
Great Britain as it deserves. The discovery and description of new forms, and the
distribution of our indigenous plants, are, in Botany, the lines upon which most of
the energies of local Societies are principally spent, whilst habit, construction, and
generally the features of life history of plants come in for attention in quite a
secondary way. This arises, I think, in great part from the prevalent notion that
the facts of the life history of our common plants are all well known, and that
there is little, if anything, more to find out about them. That this is an erroneous
idea may easily be shown—witness, for example, the interesting observations
recently published by Sir John Lubbock—and there is a field for a great deal of
sound work upon plants growing at our doors.
"Within recent years Mr. Darwin's work, followed up by that of such men as
Hermann Muller, Kerner, Ogle, and others, has given a stimulus to observations
of adaptations between the vegetable and animal kingdoms in connection with
pollination in flowers ; and many interesting facts about British plants have been
brought to light by workers in local Societies. But little has been done for the
subject of the vegetative organs of these plants- I mean the arrangement, true
nature, and structure of the members that carry on plant-life. In Germany
many years ago Wydler and Irmisch published a splendid series of contributions
to the knowledge of these features in indigenous German plants—why has this
not been done for Britain ?
"Now I venture to think that good results would follow if you would bring
before the Delegates at the meeting to-day the importance of encouraging the
members of their Societies to study the life histories of indigenous plants in their
entirety, i.e., from the stage of embryo in the seed up to the production of fruit
and seed again. Anyone who will take up this line of study will assuredly derive
great pleasure from it, and will be able to add a great deal to the sum of our
knowledge of plant-life. Such work can be well combined with the more usual
systematic work, it can be easily accomplished, and it will be found to give much
additional interest to the study of British Botany."
At the Manchester Conference Mr. C. P. Hobkirk had said that the subject
was a most interesting one, and he considered that the time and energies of the
members of local Societies would be far more usefully employed by following the
lines indicated by Professor Balfour than, as at present, in simply collecting,
naming, and registering local plants. Although the compilation of local floras
was most useful and necessary work, yet the elucidation of the actual life histories
of individual forms was now of really paramount importance, and members of
local Societies should be urgently requested to carry on this work without delay.
Prof. Meldola, without questioning the value, from many points of view, of
accurate catalogues of local forms, and the collation of facts recorded by former
observers, strongly advocated the views above put forward.
The vote of thanks to Prof. Boulger was carried by acclamation.
The Essex Herbarium of the late Rev. Thomas Benson, presented to the Club
by Mrs. Sidney Thorp, was exhibited in the room.
The usual conversazione concluded the meeting.