xlii Proceedings of the Botanical Society of 



Professor Macfarlane communicated "Observations on 

 the Annual and Seasonal Growth of American Woods," and 

 illustrated by large microscopic sections, projected on the 

 lantern screen. He compared the varying quality and 

 amount of tissue formed during the spring and summer of 

 each year and during successive varying seasons in stems 

 of the black walnut, black locust, oak, tulip poplar, swamp 

 magnolia and other native species. The phenomenon of 

 tylosis was clearly demonstrated on the screen in the stem 

 of the walnut, and its origin was traced. 



Miss E. O. Abbot shortly described the work then being 

 done under Mrs. Banes and Miss Hall in advancing city 

 gardening among poorer children, at Broad and Spring 

 Garden streets. 



Professor Macfarlane exhibited an unidentified twining 

 Leguminous plant, seeds of which were recently brought 

 by him from Florida. Young plants which had been experi- 

 mented on by several of his students, gave the very short 

 circumnutating period of thirty-nine minutes, being the 

 fastest record yet given for any flowering plant. 



He also exhibited juvenile specimens of the Praying Man- 

 tis, reared in the greenhouses from material recently intro- 

 duced and apparently flourishing on the outskirts of the 

 city, near Carpenter. The hope was expressed that these 

 might become valuable greenhouse agents in destroying 

 green fly, plant scale, etc. 



April /p. Dr. Miller, Acting President, chairman. Miss 

 Boewig made a communication on "The Germination and 

 Mature Structure of Cassytha Hliformis," which is herewith 

 published. 



Mr. O. P. Phillips exhibited and described "Microtomes 

 for Work in Plant Histology." He reviewed the simple 

 instruments of fifteen to twenty years ago, the serial-section 

 microtome of the Cambridge type, the Reichert and Thome 

 microtomes of recent date, and the beautifully finished 

 Minot microtome, of which two instruments had recently 



