Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club. OCTOBER, 1884. THE FUNGUS FORAYS. THE Fungus Forays of the Club for the present year took place as follows: On Tuesday, October 14th, Croft Ambery and the surrounding woods were examined; on Wednesday, the rich ground of Haywood Forest was visited; on Thursday, October 16th, when the General Annual Fungus Foray was held, the woods of Dinmore-hill were searched; and on Friday a foray was made to Eastnor Park. The very dry summer and autumn have not been very favourable for mycelial growth, and funguses have not, therefore, been plentiful anywhere. Many interesting plants, however, were found, and a very considerable variety were to be seen on the tables in the Museum-room at the Free Library. The weather throughout the week has been very fine and beautiful. The autumnal tints were never to be seen in greater perfection, and the beautiful scenery in the localities visited has made the week a very pleasant and enjoyable one. The General Meeting of the members of the Club was held on Thursday, after the excursion to Dinmore, when the following officers were elected for the ensuing year: President-Mr. C. G. Martin, Broad Street, Hereford. Vice-PresidentsThe Rev. Charles Burrough, The Rectory, Eaton Bishop; Mr. John Lambe, Bridge Street, Hereford; Mr. H. Cecil Moore, Broad Street, Hereford; Mr. Henry Vevers, St. Owen Street, Hereford. Central Committee-The President; H. G. Bull, M.D., J.P., St. John Street, Hereford; Mr. Joseph Carless, jun., St. John Street, Hereford; Mr. J. G. Morris, J.P., St. Owen Street, Hereford: Mr. O. Shellard, J. P., Barton Manor House, Hereford. Editorial CommitteeH. G. Bull, M.D., J.P.; Dr. Chapman, Burghill; Mr. J. Griffith Morris, J.P. Treasurer-Mr. Thomas Cam, J.P., St. Owen Street, Hereford. Auditors--Mr. James Davies, Broomy Hill, Hereford; Mr. J. T. Owen Fowler, St. John Street, Hereford. Secretary--Mr. Theophilus Lane, Broomy Hill, Hereford. The President of the Club, the Rev. Charles Burrough, gave an evening reception to the gentlemen present, in the Woolhope Room at the Free Library. The "certificates" and "diplomas of honour" were hung on the walls of the room, and the five medals gained at Rouen were exhibited in a small glass-case, and were much admired. In the centre was the gold medal awarded to the Herefordshire apples and pears; and on one side was the silver-gilt medal for the cider made from mixed varieties of fruit, and the large silver medal given for the Herefordshire grapes; whilst on the other side was the silver medal for cider made from a single variety of fruit, and the bronze medal for cider apples and perry pears. When the teacups had been set aside, and a pause had occurred in the discussion of some of the funguses discovered, the reading of scientific papers began again, for they had occupied the two previous evenings also. The following papers were read at one or other of the evening meetings during the week : "Notes on the Edible Fungi of North Italy": by Mr. A. S. BICKNELL. "On Colour Nomenclature in Fungi": by Mr. HENRY T. WHARTON, M.A., &c., Oxon. : "The British Species of Nidularia”: by Mr. Wì, PHILLIPS, F.L.S., &c. "On the Spermogonia of the Uredines" by Mr. CHARLES B. PLOWRIGHT. "Researches into the Oospores of some Fungi": by the Rev. JOHN E. VIZE, M.A. "On Bunt (Tilletia Caries)" by Mr. CHARLES B. PLOWRIGHT. "On Gigantic Fungi": by Dr. M. C. COOKE, M.A., &c. "Some Recent Additions to our Mycological Flora": by Mr. Wм. PHILLIPS, F.L.S. And the subject of "Trinomialism in Zoology" was introduced by Mr. HENRY T. WHARTON, M.A., Oxon, &c. Several of these papers elicited discussion, but as, perhaps, both the papers and the observations upon them are of a high order of science, their names must suffice. There is no saying how much people lose for want of due appreciation. Many of them, however, are destined for publication in the works devoted to Mycological studies. The following gentlemen took part in the proceedings of the week:-The Rev. Charles Burrough, M.A., President; the Rev. H. B. D. Marshall, Mr. J. Griffith Morris, and Mr. G. H. Piper, F.G.S., Vice-Presidents; Dr. Bull; Dr. Carlyle, of Carlisle; Dr. M. C. Cooke, F.L.S., &c., London; Dr. Chapman, of Burghill; and Dr. Glendinning, of Abergavenny; Canon J. M. Du Port, Matteshall, Norfolk; Revs. J. S. Clarke, Goudhurst, Staplehurst; C. H. Bulmer, Credenhill; E. Cunningham, Marnham, Nottinghamshire; J. E. Grasett, Allensmore; E. J. Holloway, Clehonger; W. Houghton, F.L.S., &c., Preston Rectory, Salop; W. H. Lambert, Stoke Edith; Augustin Ley, St. Weonards; H. W. Phillott, Staunton; T. A. Stoodley, County College; F. S. StookeVaughan, Wellington Heath; and J. E. Vize, Welshpool; Major Doughty and the Rev. G. Doughty; Messrs. T. Bennion Acton, Wrexham; F. Bainbridge, Hampton Park; A. S. Bicknell, South Kensington; Cedric Bucknall, Clifton; C. P. Bird; C. E. Broome, F.R.S., F.L.S., &c., Bath; J. Carless; G. C. Churchill, F.L.S., &c., Clifton; James Davies and Gilbert Davies, Hereford; C. Fortey, Ludlow; J. Greaves, Malvern; A. A. Hancocks, Hereford; W. H. Harrison; Edward Houghton, Salop; W. H. Jones, Malvern; J. Lambe, and C. G. Martin, Hereford; G. Massee, Scarborough; H. C. Moore, Hereford; Wm. Phillips, F.L.S., &c., Shrewsbury; C. B. Plowright, King's Lynn, Norfolk; O. Shellard, Hereford; H. Southall, Ross; Henry T. Wharton, M.A., Oxon, &c., London; and Theo. Lane, Secretary. ANNUAL FUNGUS DINNER OF THE WOOLHOPE CLUB. THE annual fungus dinner of the Woolhope Club was held at the Green Dragon Hotel, Hereford, on Thursday evening, and was largely attended. The Rev. Charles Burrough presided. The Hydnum repandum (the vegetable oyster), and Cantharellus cibarius (the Chanterelle), were served up at the dinner in white sauce with cream, and were thought delicious. The President, having submitted the toast of "The Queen," called upon Dr. Bull to give his welcome to the visitors. Dr. Bull, who was warmly received, said that, in the first place, he wished to make several official announcements. A book on "the diseases of field and garden crops " had been published by Mr. Worthington Smith, and had been dedicated to the Woolhope Club. He looked upon the dedication of the book to the Club as a great honour to them, because it was a most useful and valuable work. The book was exceedingly well illustrated, and it promised to be extremely useful in the garden and vegetable world. The second announcement was in connection with the Caradoc Field Club, which was an offspring of their's. At one of their meetings, the President of the Caradoc Field Club (the Rev. J. D. La Touche) said he was induced to establish it through having attended the meetings of the Woolhope Club. The President of the Caradoc Field Club proposed to publish a manual of the Geology of Shropshire, and the work could not be otherwise than of peculiar interest to Herefordshire. There were no less than 823 lithographed figures in the book. The fossils represented belonged to the Silurian system which prevailed so extensively in Herefordshire. That work had occupied Mr. La Touche a considerable time. The next thing he had to notice, by the request of the Rev. John Stevenson, author of Mycologia Scotica, was the publication of Flora of British Fungi. The fourth announcement he made with a great deal of pleasure-that one of their active members (Mr. Plowright) was engaged on a work on The Uredines and the Ustalaginii, their Morphology and Physiology, with a description of all the British species (applause). The next thing touched them more closely-the Pomona. They had come to the last part of the Pomona, but he did not think that it would be out for two or three months, as the engraver was behind with the plates, owing to the illness of some of his artists. The visit of the representatives of the Woolhope Club to Rouen had been so exceedingly profitable that they would have to add a sixteenth plate (applause). That was a much larger number than they anticipated when they first started the Pomona. By this time next year the Pomona would become a matter of history. After a good deal of consideration, the Pomona Committee thought it advisable that the book should be bound in two volumes-that was to say, the introductory part in one volume, and the plates, with a description of them, in the other volume. He hoped the volumes would be on their shelves long before this time next year. This was the time that they should express some feelings of thankfulness to those who had so kindly supplied them with fruit. Letters had been received from Lady Emily Foley, and the Earl of Chesterfield, the latter of whom had been compelled to decline the invitation to attend on account of his health. The Pomona had rested almost mainly on the very extensive gardens of Stoke Edith House and Holme Lacy, which had always been open to them. He required some pears of a particular kind this year, and he went to Holme Lacy. There were, however, only six or seven of the kind he wanted on the trees, and he really had not the face to take them. The following day the Earl of Chesterfield arrived home, and went through the list which he had prepared. His lordship saw that he had not taken these particular pears, and directed that they should be sent to him. That circumstance showed how kindly and freely the gardens of the Earl of Chesterfield and Lady Emily Foley had been open to them. Lady Emily Foley had written a letter to him, saying what an extreme pleasure it had been to her to send fruit for so excellent a work as the Pomona. They were also greatly indebted to Mr. Higgins, Thing-hill, Mr. Rankin, M.P., and a great many other people. Wherever they had known of good fruit they had only had to ask for it. Mr. Arkwright, the Rev. Sir George Cornewall, and Lord Bateman, had sent fruit, but their gardens had not been so well looked after as those of Stoke Edith and Holme Lacy. Their greatest thanks were due to all those who had so kindly thrown their gardens completely open to the Pomona Committee (applause). At times they had been rather criticised in saying that the Pomona was not entirely a scientific work. He did not say that it was, but they were the only people who could take it up, and he thought they had done it well (applause). They had already commenced The Flora of Herefordshire, which, he hoped, would be the book for next year. The Birds of Herefordshire would be the work for the following year. They had already gone into this question. The last thing on the list in his hand was The Fungi of Herefordshire. He had now to perform the pleasing duty of welcoming the visitors (applause). If the Club had depended on the Woolhope people, he did not think they should have gone on so far as they had. In connection with the visitors, he asked them to drink the health of Mr. Broome (applause). Mr. Broome replied. The Chairman said he had the pleasure of calling upon Dr. Bull to give his report of the Rouen Exhibition (applause). Dr. Bull said it would be difficult to name, in a few words, all the adventures with which he and Mr. Piper met, during the few days they were upon the continent in the service of the Club. In Herefordshire there were upwards of twenty kinds of so-called Norman apples. They could hardly finish the Pomona with satisfaction without knowing something of these apples. Last year, eighty-five varieties of apples were sent by some of the best growers in Normandy, to the Pomona exhibition at Hereford. Not one of them resembled the Herefordshire apples; therefore it became a question whether they should place their so-called Norman apples alongside the Norman apples to be exhibited in Normandy, and thus decide whether the Herefordshire apples were really Norman or otherwise. In the spring of this year, he, Dr. Hogg, and Mr. Piper, were appointed a depu tation to represent the Woolhope Club at the general Congress of the Pomological Societies of France, to be held in Normandy. They took what steps they deemed necessary to represent the Club, and took good care to obtain the best collection of apples they could procure. They sent to the exhibition about 1600 specimens, embracing 238 varieties. They could picture the trouble which it took to keep all those apples distinct. They knew they should make a creditable appearance, but they never expected to win. They also sent some grapes; the vines in Normandy are not cultivated under glass as in England, and consequently the English grapes are of a finer quality. With regard to the apples, the plates were not large enough to hold the required number of six, and one had to be taken off each plate; then the plates were covered. He did not think that he ever saw a more beautiful collection than the Herefordshire apples. They were at once the attraction of the exhibition, visitors inspecting them for a very long time. Close by the Herefordshire apples, was the best collection of pears that he ever saw. The Association Pomologique de l' Ouest, under whose auspices the exhibition was held, did not offer prizes for competition, but simply awarded medals according to the merit of the exhibits. The Herefordshire apples at once had the gold medal (applause). He must say that in several of the Norman collections apples were shown quite as good as the Herefordshire apples, but the Norman exhibitors had only four or five varieties in the collection, while they had 140 varieties, each one of which was a study in itself. At a grand banquet, a rather mysterious announcement was made by the President, that they should depart from the general rule, and give a gold medal to the gentleman who had done more than anyone else to promote pomology. No name was mentioned, but in the evening the President called at the Hôtel du Nord, and presented the medal to Dr. Hogg (applause). On the morning after their arrival in Normandy, the President and Vice-President of the Association waited upon them and invited them to all of the Society's meetings. The first thing they saw at the exhibition was the Pomona being examined with delight (applause). Accompanied by Dr. Hogg, whose repute as a Pomologist was certainly European, and carrying with them such a magnificent display of fruit, and such a splendid work as the Pomona was, they were received with an amount of dignity and consideration which he assured them was very agreeable (laughter). He now came to the cider fruit, which was the real object of their visit to Normandy. This fruit was shown under the auspices of a different Society, who offered a general schedule of prizes. The competition was very great, and it was said that in the table and cider fruit departments no less than 6,000 apples were shown. The cider fruit was an admirable collection. The Herefordshire cider fruit was deficient in numbers altogether, through some of their friends not keeping their promises. Here they relied on the fruit sent by Mr. Watkins, of Pomona Farm, and Lady Emily Foley. What redeemed their display of cider fruit was an excellent show of perry pears which Mr. Piper took with him at great inconvenience. The display of pears, together with their fine apples, secured for Herefordshire the large bronze medal. They took over six varieties of cider and two of perry. They were very anxious to know the result of this show, but as they were competing they could not be present during any of the judging. He |