Proceedings of the Royal Society for November,1872

The monthly evening meeting of the Society was held on Tuesday, the 12th November, M. Allport, Esq., V.P,, in the chair.Dr. Agnew produced a fern which had been sent to the Museum for the purpose of determining the nature of the small scales which were thickly distributed all over it, especially on the stems.-Several reports from farmers who had planted sugar-beet seed, furnished by the Society, were read, the general experience being highly in favour of the root as being very productive and excellent for fattening stock of all kinds.-Mr. Barnard read his promised paper describing, in detail, from the latest authorities, the best method of extracting the sugar from the beet.-Mr. Stephens called attention to the specimen of bituminous shale from Piper's River, and described its geological position.-A letter from Colonel Crawford (of Castra) was read in reference to two parcels of seed from India, sent for planting,in the Society's Gardens.-A letter was read from Mr. Davis, Ark Inn, above New Norfolk, giving a description of some very large fish, thirty or forty in number, which had recently been seen on several occasions, and on each occasion higher up the stream. The general belief was that they were salmon on their way to spawn.-a letter was read in relation to the sighting of a huge monster cuttle-fish found on the east coast of the North Island, about 80 or 100 miles north of Cape Palliser.
-Mr. J. Swan introduced a subject of great practical interest—the economic growth of Angora Wool.