REPORT OF THE BOTANIST. 



To the Director of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment 

 Station. 



Sir: — 



During the past year two bulletins have been published from the 

 Botanical Division. 



Bulletin 138, " Studies and Illustrations of Mushrooms," is the first 

 of a series of popular bulletins upon the more common edible and 

 poisonous mushrooms. In this first one, a full but simple account of 

 the growth and structure of the common mushroom [Agaricus cam- 

 pestris) is given, and description of the smooth lepiota (Lepiota 

 naucinn) and one of the deadly amanitas [Amanita phalloides). 

 These plants are illustrated by about twenty-five cuts mostly from 

 photographs. 



Many letters commending the publication of such a series and 

 complimenting the beauty and accuracy of the illustrations have been 

 received by me, not only from persons in this country, but also from 

 England, Germany and France. It lias led to a request from several 

 institutions for lantern slides and prints of many of the photographs 

 of mushrooms which we have studied here, and these have been sup- 

 plied to the Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden of Edin- 

 burgh, to one of the professors of Botany in the University of Berlin, 

 and to the Director of the Field Columbian Museum at Chicago. 

 The bulletin has been republished entire in a number of journals and 

 papers, and several cuts have been used in numerous publications. 



Illustrations are now ready for one or more bulletins of the series, 

 and they can be published as soon as funds are available for the 

 purpose. 



The other bulletin from the Botanical Division was prepared by Mr. 

 B. M. Duggar, the Assistant Cryptogamic Botanist of the Experiment 

 Station, whose report I append here. 



Very respectfuUj'' yours, 



G. F. Atkinson. 



