202 
tion to the fact that the gum abounds in benzoic acid, and asked. 
how far north the tree produced this gum, which appears to be 
difficult to obtain in commercial quantities. 
The Club then adjourned till October 11th. 
Proceedings of the Botanical Club of the A. A. A. S,, 
New York Meeting, Aug IIth to 16th, 1887. 
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11th, 
In the absence of Mr. M. S. Bebb, the Chairman elect, Rev. 
Thomas Morong was called to the chair. 
Prof. W. J. Beal read a paper on the character of the root- 
stock in Leersta and Muhlenbergia, illustrated by diagrams. 
Prof. Volney M. Spalding read a paper prepared by Miss 
Florence May Lyon, entitled “ Dehiscence of the Sporangium 
of Adiantum pedatum”* Prof. George Macloskie remarked 
that he had observed that when examined with a bulls-eye con- 
denser, sporangia would burst and eject the spores to a distance 
of a yard or more, and attributed this action to heat. Prof. 
Joseph Schrenk referred to the paper by Plantl,+ already 
reviewed by him in the BULLETIN, Vol., xiii p. 168. 
A paper by Prof. Charles E. Bessey, entitled ‘‘ A Meeting— 
place for two Floras,”t was read by the Secretary. 
The Committee of the Torrey Botanical Club, which had in 
charge the collection of rarer plants of the vicinity of New York 
for distribution, announced that printed lists of the plants had 
been prepared and invited the members to select from these lists 
such species as they desired. 
The following letter was read by the Secretary : 
THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, i 
DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY, 
Aucust 8th, 1887. 
To the Members of the Botanical Club of the A. A. A. S.- 
Allow me as an absent member of the Club to urge that action be taken look - 
ing to an improvement in the condition of the National Herbarium at Washington, 
D.C. 
This action should refer to the following points, viz : 
* Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesell., iv, p. 42. 
+ See this BULLETIN, p. 189. 
_t See this BULLETIN,.p. 180. 
