230 ANNUAL FUNGUS FORAY.
Dr. Cooke, in reporting upon the day's collecting, called attention to the
comparative abundance of fungi that autumn in the forest, as evidenced by
the number of species shown upon the tables that evening, larger than for
many years past. He had not had sufficient opportunity for the minute
examination of some of the species, which was difficult by artificial light, and
up to the present no species new to the published forest flora had been
detected.
Mr. George Massee, F.L.S., said also that he had not observed any new
species, but the gatherings had been exceptional in quantity and variety,
including some very unusual forms, and promised well for future research in
the forest. Remembering the large attendance of members, he hoped that they
might look forward to some good Cryptogamic work being done by the Club. It
would be a mistake to suppose that they had "done" the forest from a
botanical point of view. The minuter species had not been thoroughly worked
out yet, and, still more important, there was the task of investigating the
"life-history" of each form. They could count upon their fingers—
probably on the fingers of one hand— the species of which the complete life-
history was known. This indicated the line of promising investigation. They
wanted to know why the species appeared at all under their present forms.
There must be a definite reason, a general law, and the sooner they discovered
and recognised that law the better. Mr. Massee then spoke of the economic
value of the accurate biological study of the minuter fungi. In the ramble
through the woodlands that day he noticed many trees which were going
wrong, obviously through the attacks of fungi. In this branch of study they
had a field which was practically unworked, but which was well worthy of
being diligently worked at—the knowledge of plant diseases turned mainly
upon mycology, and the biological and experimental study of these minute
plant-parasites was one not only of scientific interest, but of great practical
importance to the forester and arboriculturist.
Prof. Boulger, in the course of his remarks on the day's observations,
spoke of the remarkable way in which the aspen was spreading in the forest,
in many places to an extent which would speedily alter the appearance of
some of the woods. When he first knew the forest, the aspen was not notice-
able ; now one could not walk through it without being struck with the coming
abundance of the tree.
Prof. Meldola said that, when in Canada that autumn, he was told that
when a wood was burned down the tree which first grew up on the cleared
space would be the Canadian representative to our aspen—the Populus
tremuloides. He had asked one of the Canadian Forest Authorities, who did
not know our country, what he would expect to happen in England in such
a case, and the reply was that if aspen was in the neighbourhood it would
certainly assert itself, and then the birch, and then that there would be a
struggle between the two, in which probably the birch would survive.
Dr. Cooke then read a paper, entitled "British Mycology during the last
Sixty Years," showing how great had been the advance made during the
Queen's reign in this department of botany. The paper will be printed in
full in the Essex Naturalist.
Remarks on Dr. Cooke's paper were made by Mr. Massee and Prof.
Boulger, and the Chairman proposed, amid applause, that a special vote of