NOTES AND NEWS. 14.3 



The common wild Columbine {Aqnilegia Canadensis), whose 

 habitat is given in the manuals as "rocks," or "rocky woods," is also 

 found in the shaded sands of the New Jersey sea coast. One of its 

 stations is in a sandy wood of Absecon Island on the outskirts of At- 

 lantic City. — C. F. Saunders, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Mr. Robert Ridgway's note on the fall of leaves in the Bald 

 Cypress {Taxodium distichnui), suggests a similar occurrence in the 

 case of the Japanese Privet {Ligusticuvi japonicnm), at Washington, 

 D. C, where it is commonly planted for hedges. In ordinarily severe 

 winters the leaves of this shrub drop off in January, but last winter 

 a large proportion of the leaves remained on the plant until the new 

 foliage appeared in April. This shrub, therefore, is to be classed as 

 evergreen or deciduous, according to climatic conditions. — F. V. 

 Coville, U. S. DeparUnent of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 



A good illustration of the differences in habit induced by climatic 

 conditions is seen in the Egg-plant. As grown in Northern gardens 

 it is a tender herbacious plant, which cannot be safely set in the open 

 ground before June i, and which is killed by the first suggestion of 

 frost in the fall. On the Keys of South Florida, where it is grown to 

 some extent for the New York market, the plant is a robust, shrubby 

 perennial, ten feet in height, and although the younger shoots die 

 down in winter, it puts forth fresh buds from the main stem in spring. 

 The Castor-oil bean [Ricinus) is another familiar example of this. — 

 Charles Louis Pollard, U. S. National Museum., Washington, D. C. 



"For the second time in its history the 'Barnard Annual ' con- 

 tains the portrait of one who died while devoting to the college all 

 the efficient energy of high intellectual attainments and loving en- 

 thusiasm. To the excellence of its botanical department more than 

 to any other feature Barnard owes its rapid growth in popularity and 

 prominence, and that excellence was due primarily to Prof. Emily L. 

 Gregory. Those of us who came into close contact with Dr. Gregory 

 in her home or in her laboratory, must still feel the influence of that 

 sweet, sunny nature which made her such a delightful acquaintance 

 and friend. In spite of the many serious duties which she performed 

 so admirably, no one ever more thoroughly enjoyed genuine fun, and 

 Barnard fun was, in her eyes, a little better than any other, just be- 

 cause it was Barnard. We cannot but feel, therefore, that there is a 

 peculiar fitness in presenting her portrait as the frontispiece of a 

 volume confessedly devoted to the ' lighter and brighter side of our 

 college life ' and that The Mortarboard must win friends for itself, 

 if for no other reason, because it bears her face upon its opening 

 page." — The Mortarboard. 



