96 REPORTS ON INVESTIGATIONS AND PROJECTS. 



The completion of the main building left us with a large number 

 of finishing operations that could be completed only in the spring. 

 At that time the ground about the building was graded, a drive made 

 from the highway to the building, the water system completed, and 

 the electric cables finally laid. During the coming year we plan to- 

 introduce a new water supply, which will furnish about 2,000 gal- 

 lons of water per hour, with a head of 20 feet, to be used for the 

 fish-ponds, the indoor fish-troughs, and irrigation of the gardens,, 

 green-house, and insectary. It is hoped also to complete the salt- 

 water system to the main building. 



The general care of the place — cutting grass, keeping drive in 

 order, and washing windows — has required some attention and has 

 been done by a laborer, who has, in addition, dug ditches for drain- 

 ing, water pipes, and cables, done detailed grading, and helped in 

 many of the heavy operations. 



It is a feature of experimental work in biology that it tends to 

 increase geometrically, and it is evident that more land will event- 

 ually be required. 



That the work of the station is widely known and generally 

 appreciated is shown by the variety of gifts received from many 

 sources. These comprise books and papers pertaining to the work, 

 together with interesting specimens of animals, plants, and so forth. 



The station is especially indebted to Dr. O. L. Jones for the gift 

 of much sand, gravel, and forest loam, as well as for numerous other 

 courtesies. 



REPORT OF DR. GEORGE H. SHULL. 



The botanical experiments may be con.sidered under the two- 

 natural subdivisions, variation and inheritance. Recognizing that 

 variations are of two kinds, mutations and fluctuations, both of 

 which doubtless have important bearing upon evolution, the study 

 of variation resolves it.self into (i) a .search for mutations, and (2) 

 the investigation of the causes, modification, and fixation of fluctuat- 

 ing characters. * 



In the search for .suitable material for .studies on the origin and. 

 permanence of variations among plants, 160 lots of seeds were col- 

 lected, representing 108 species. Certain limitations of space avail- 

 able for germinating and caring for the.se plants made it impossible 

 to handle so many lots ; consequently a .selection was made involv- 

 ing 128 lots of seeds of the 81 .species that were thought to be most 

 promising. Sowings of the biennial and perennial species were made 

 in the latter part of February and early in March with the hope that 



