XX Proceedings of the Botanical Society of 



Mr. Blanc exhibited ripe fruits of the white strawberrj', 

 recently introduced into the country by him. 



May 26. At 6 p. m. members and their friends gath- 

 ered in the classroom of the Botanical Department, when the 

 Director of the garden referred to recent developments in it. 

 Thereafter the company inspected the plants in the green- 

 houses, which were described by Drs. Macfarlane, Miller and 

 Schmucker. At 7. i 5 the ladies' auxiliary- committee received, 

 and served lunch supper in a room of the department. 



At 8 p. m. Dr. Miller called the meeting to order. Mr. 

 Charles Hires spoke on "The Vanilla Plant in Its Native 

 Home." He told of a visit made to Mexico in order to study 

 the plant; of the stages in his journey through the interior 

 to the west coast, and his subsequent observations on vanilla 

 cultivation, collection and preservation. He described the 

 different types of capsule and the mode of recognition of each, 

 illustrating by a large series of preparations and samples. 



Dr. Adolph Miller then described the history of the plant, 

 from the time when the natives came in contact with the 

 Spaniards to the present day, when it is largely grown, not 

 only in Mexico, but in Java and other East Indian islands. 

 A cordial vote of thanks was given to Mr. Hires for his 

 interesting communication. 



An exhibition of forty-seven varieties of rhododendron in 

 flower was made from the collection of Mr. Clarence Clark. 

 The parent forms of many of these were shortly described by 

 Professor Macfarlane, who advised members to visit the collec- 

 tion. 



Mrs. Mary Williams showed flowering shoots of Ledum 

 latifolitun from New England, through the kindness of Mr. 

 Hosmer, of Concord, Mass. 



October 7. Dr. Miller, President, occupied the chair, and 

 called on Henry S. Conard, who spoke on "The Natural 

 History of Garden Cannas." He spoke of their floral struc- 



