52 



^ Sphaeria consociata, E. & H. — Perithecia depressed-mam- 

 miform, .0015' diameter, with a short nipple-Iike,blackostiolum; asci 

 narrow ; sporidia fusiform, acute, 2-3-nucleate, .0004' — .0005' long, 

 subhyaline or yellowish. 



On foliage of Sequoia gigantea, California. H. W. Harkness. 

 Note : On page 27, under the description of Fusarium Schwein- 

 itzii, E. & H., for " Newfield, N. J.," read Bethlehem, Pa. 



_ 47- The Herbaria and Botanical Libraries of the United 



States. VI. — The Lapham Herbarium. — The herbarium of the late 

 Dr. I. A. Lapham was purchased by the State of Wisconsin and deposit- 

 ed in the State University at Madison. It embraces the whole range of 

 the vegetable kingdom, with a similar treatment for all examples from 

 the highest to the lowest, and constitutes an uniform herbarium of 

 24,000 specimens belonging to 8,000 species. The specimens of each 

 species, with their labels, are placed loosely between folded sheets of 

 white paper, a little larger than the standard size, and arranged al- 

 phabetically in colored genus-covers. The genera are distributed in 

 strong portfolios, a portion alphabetically under the larger orders, 

 and the remainder alphabetically under the several classes— 

 without reference to orders. This arrangement answered well for 

 a private herbarium, but is very inconvenient for general use. To 

 make the collection more serviceable it is now being mounted on 

 half sheets of heavy white paper, the specimens and labels fastened 

 with white glue, and the sheets placed in manila genus-covers. There 

 has been built especially for the collection, a cabinet with pigeon-holes 

 m which the arrangement of the genera and orders will be systematic 

 and m accordance with the latest information. 



Dr. Lapham had the inborn love of preserving and accumulating 

 valuable or curious objects which bespeaks the careful and assiduous 

 collector. The specimens of his own gathering are exceptionally per- 

 fect and finely preserved. He indirectly did much to improve the 

 quality of herbarium specimens in this country. Dr. Short, of Ken- 

 tucky, and others also, often referred, in correspondence, to the great 

 improvement in the specimens received, and attributed it to the good 

 example set by Dr. Lapham, Wm. Oakes, of Ipswich, Mass., and a 

 few others. The most active period of his collecting and exchanging 

 was between 1830 and 1855. During tliis interval he made a very 

 complete set of the plants of Wisconsin. 



His earlier correspondence included nearly every American bot- 

 anist and a large number of foreign ones. In many instances the 

 ^ correspondence was continued until interrupted by his death. Ex- 

 changes were arranged with most of his correspondents, and prob- 

 ably no specimens were purchased. Two very large additions, prin- 

 cipally of European plants, were received from Dr. F. J. Tung and 

 Dr. E. Wunderly, of Germany. A fine set of Australian plants was 

 communicated by Fred. Mueller, of Melbourne. Many plants were 

 received indirectly from the herbaria of Alex. Braun, of Carlsruhe 

 Germany, Sir Wm. Hooker, of England, andGouan, of Montpellier^ 

 !• ranee. 1 he largest American contributors were C. W. Short of 

 Kentucky, A. W. Chapman, of Florida, Wm. Oakes, ofMassachusetts. 



