PROCKKDTNOvS OF THE ACADRMY AND AFFTUATKD 



SOCIETIEvS 



RIOLOGTCAL vSOCIETY OF WAvSHTNOTON 



The 589th regular meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly 

 Hall of the Carnegie Institution, Saturday, January 11, 1919; called 

 to order at 8.00 p.m. by President Smith; 26 persons present. 



On recommendation of the Council the following named persons were 

 elected to membership: (^jRorgk Wiijjctt, Los Angeles, and Walter 

 M. GiFFARD, Honolulu. 



Deaths of the following named members were noted: Dr. Howard 

 E. Ames and Dr. W. T. Foster. 



The annual report of the treasurer was received and accepted. 



Prof. A. S. Hitchcock presented the following proposed amendment 

 to the b^^-laws: The President shall not be eligible for immediate 

 reelection. To follow at the end of first paragraph of Article H of the 

 by-laws. 



President vSmith announced the membership of the Committee on 

 Communications as: A. S. Hitchcock, L. O. Howard, A. Wetmore, 

 R. E. CoKER, J. W. Gidley; and of the Committee on Publications 

 as: C. W. Richmond, J. H. Riley, Ned Dearborn, W. L. McAtee. 



Under the heading of Brief Notes, Prof. A. S. Hitchcock referred 

 to the work of the Committee on Generic Types of the Botanical 

 vSociety of America, of which he is chairman. Under the same heading 

 President Smith referred to the mild winter so far experienced and its 

 eflfects on the unusual blooming of certain spring-flowering plants. 

 W. L. McAtee, with reference to the same subject, called attention 

 to the late blooming of some autumn-flowering species. In this con- 

 nection Dr. L. O. Howard called attention to a publication on this 

 same subject by Prof. ly. F. Ward many years ago. 



J. B. Norton presented the first formal communication: A new 

 and easy way to recognize our local asters. He said investigation of 

 several local species of Aster showed great differences in the disk florets. 

 These differences were utilized in a key for the separation of the species 

 which it was suggested could be expanded to include all the forms in the 

 vicinity of Washington. The utilization of similarly neglected charac- 

 ters in other difficult groups would be advisable. His remarks were 

 illustrated by a series of well prepared diagrams showing the variations 

 in the different structures of the disk flowers of Aster. Discussion by 

 W. ly. McAtee and A. S. Hitchcock. 



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