xxxviii Proceedings of the Botanical Society of 



to the proper presentation of this subject in our school 

 curriculum. The pastoral and agricultural, economic and 

 scientific phases of development represent successive lines of 

 advance in the relation of plant study to man. 



Dr. Shaw then spoke on plants recently collected by a 

 University party in South Florida. The distribution of the 

 saw and cabbage palmetto, of species of yucca, crinum, 

 orchid, tillandsias, ferns, etc., were successively treated of. 

 The chairman read extracts from letters sent to him and 

 Miss Abbot by Professor Macfarlane, leader of the Florida 

 trip. 



January i8. Dr. Miller in the chair. Henry S. Conard, 

 M. A., gave "Observations on the Genera of Nymphsea- 

 ceae." He said that the representatives of the group were 

 traceable in the tertiary formations when warmer conditions 

 prevailed over wide areas for long periods of time. 

 Nymphaea arctica was found fossil along with allies of 

 Brascnia in arctic regions. By aid of lantern slides he then 

 illustrated the structure and affinities of representatives of 

 the three great natural subdivisions of the order. 



Miss Marion Mackenzie presented phyto-phenological 

 reports for 1900. The number of observers for the year 

 had considerably increased, though observations taken dur- 

 ing the latter part of the year were less complete than in the 

 earlier, and the suggestion was made that the Society's list 

 of summer and autumn flowering plants might be consider- 

 ably improved and added to. Observations made by Drs. 

 Macfarlane and Miller regarding the flowering and fruit- 

 ing periods of several fruit trees, showed that these varied 

 considerably according to the variety. 



Professor Macfarlane then exhibited a valuable collec- 

 tion of microscopic slides and herbarium specimens illus- 

 trating many of our native mosses. The collection was a 

 gift to the department from Mrs. Josephine Lowe, a former 

 member of the Society. 



A large exhibit of living plants from the University 



