498 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1892. 



REPORT OF THE BOTANICAL SECTION. 



The Vice-Director of the Botanical Section respectfully reports 

 that the Section is wholly free from debt, and that the monthly 

 meetings have been regularly held, except during the three summer 

 months. Besides the valuable additions to the library and herbar- 

 ium of the Academy, announced at each meeting, many interesting 

 addresses have been given by Messrs Meeban, Redfield, Macfarlane, 

 Brinton, U. C. Smith, Wilson, Martindale and others, some of 

 which have been published, or will appear, in the Proceedings of the 

 Academy. 



The membership now consists of 32, and the officers elected for 

 the ensuing year are : 



Director, .... Dr. W. S. W. Ruschenberger. 



Vice- Director, .... Thomas Meehan. 

 Recorder, ..... Dr. Charles Schaffer. 

 Cor. Secretary and Treasurer, . Isaac C. Martindale. 

 Conservator, John H. Redfield. 



It is a pleasure to note that under the zealous and unremitting 

 care of the Conservator, Mr. Redfield, the growth of the herbarium 

 noted annually for some time past, is not only maintained, but 

 exceeds that of any previous year. No less than 3,934 species have 

 come to hand, nearly equally divided between the Old and the New 

 World, and of these 2,087 were species new to the herbarium. 



A list of these contributions is given in detail by the Conservator, 

 and will be found in the list of additions to the museum. 



Thomas Meehan, 



Vice-Director. 



Report of the Conservator. — In presenting his report for the year 

 now closing, the Conservator of the Botanical Section has the satis- 

 faction of stating that in no previous year have the contributions to it 

 been larger or more valuable. With the increased accommodation 

 which we may hope soon to enjoy, we have every reason to expect a 

 continued, substantial and healthy growth of a collection so import- 

 ant to the study of systematic and practical botany. 



The contributions during the past year reach a total of 3,934 

 species. Of these, 284 belong to the lower Cryptogams, 80 being 

 Mosses, 57 Hepaticse, 16 Lichens, 2 Algse and 129 Fungi. Of the 

 remaining 3,650 species of Phanerogams and Ferns, 1,269 proved to 



