Nov., 1911.] Climatic Conditions and Plant Growth. 395 



(species of Aster), sunflowers (species of Helianthus), goldenrods 

 (Solidago canadensis and S. nemoralis), plantains (Plantago 

 major, P. rugelii and P. lanceolata), yard grass (Polygonum 

 aviculare), docks (species of Rumex), goosefoots (Chenopodiimi 

 album and C. urbicum), milkweeds (Asclepias cornuti), lettuces 

 (Lactuca scariola and L. canadensis), purslane (Portulaca oler- 

 acea), evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) and crab grass 

 (Panicum sanguinale). Some of the above ripened or succumbed 

 sooner than others. In woods, in low meadows and along streams 

 grasses and sedges were able to persist in good quantity, but on 

 higher open ground wild grasses and sedges were for most part 

 dead and brown above ground by the middle of August. 



The leaves of many trees, especially maples and ashes, became 

 dry and brown before the middle of September, and it was sus- 

 pected that a considerable number of these would die the following 

 season. The many planted trees of the campuses of Miami Uni- 

 versitv and The Western College for Women, at Oxford, were 

 carefully watched through the season of 1909. The campus of 

 the former institution has a shallow soil, the solid limestone 

 rocks being within three to six feet of the surface, while rocks 

 have not been reached on the campus of the latter institution in 

 digging, except in very low places. Many large, planted trees 

 have died on the campus of Miami University since the summer 

 of 1908; but only two planted trees have died on the campus of 

 The Western during the same years, and these two were badly 

 injured by Cenangium abictis. Of 213 maple trees on the campus 

 of Miami University before the drought, 9 were dead in the fall 

 of 1909; and 3S more were in a dying condition as shown by thin 

 foliage or more frequently by more or less of the crown of the 

 tree being dead. Of 90 planted ashes, 9 showed a larger or smaller 

 number of dead branches, and 7 died before the summer of 

 1911. Of 10 spruces, 4 were in a dying condition in 1909. 

 About 35 other trees died or were in a dying condition in 1909; 

 but these were scattered through many genera, and while the num- 

 ber is large, great damage was not shown by any of the genera 

 involved. Trees have been dying on the campus of Miami 

 University in considerable numbers since 1908, and the dying is 

 largely confined to the trees that showed the injurious effects of 

 the drought of 1908. The superintendent of grounds for Miami 

 University informs us that not a single large, planted tree on the 

 campus died from 1898 to 1908, but that dying has been going on 

 constantly since the latter date. 



The contrast in crop conditions between 1908 and 1909 has 

 been given above. Other contrasts in vegetation conditions 

 were also very marked. In 1909, all kinds of herbaceous vegeta- 

 tion of the region was green and luxuriant throughout its natural 

 cycle, and trees not considerably injured by the drought of the 



