NEWS NOTES AND WANTS. 71 



We have received the following items from the School of 

 Botany of the University of Texas : 



Mr. Harlan H. York, instiiictor in Botanj' since Septem- 

 ber, 1J>00, has taken np the study of the algal flora of the vicinity 

 of Austin. He is also extending his field knowledge and collec- 

 tions of the mallows, upon a monograph of which he was occu- 

 j)ied during his residence at the Kew York Botanical Garden 

 last year. Mr. York will spend the month of June and part of 

 July in collecting, probably in the Brownville region, going 

 thence to Cold Spring Harljor, to assist Professor Johnson 

 during the regular summer session. 



Professor W. L. Bray has recently submitted to the l)i\-i- 

 sion of Dendrology of the Forest Service manuscript Avitli full 

 illustrations showing the history of the development of forest 

 formation upon the low flat lands known as the Texas Coast 

 Prairie, east of the Brazos. The most striking phase of the 

 forest, here is what is called '"thicket," the "Big Thicket" of 

 Hardin county being the best and really very widel}' known 

 tract. This is the region of the Beaumont, Sour I_iake, Batson, 

 and other oil fields and of Bulletin 60 of the Porest Service by 

 Zon on "Tlic LoliJolJy PiiiQ hi Eastern Texas." It is also the 

 main rice belt of the state. Thus forest growth has a very im- 

 portant economic bearing. 



The School of Botany of the University of Texas has in- 

 augurated the ])lan of publishing bulletins and leaflets for dis- 

 tribution especially among the high schools of the state with a 

 view to encouraging the adoption of a thorough full year's course 

 in Botany. These publications will make use of available types 

 of Texas plants for laboratory study and of the Texas vegeta- 

 tion in general to illustrate fundamental botanical questions. 

 The first of these, Bulletin 82 (Scientific series), is now 

 being distributed. It presents The, Distrihation and Adapta- 

 tion of the Vegetation of Texas somewliat upon the Plantzen- 

 geographie anf Phys'iologische Grundlage of Schimper and the 

 well known Oel'ologisclie Pftanzengeographie of Wanning (Knob- 

 lauch). A short bulletin will present the biology of the Mistle- 



