secretary's budget. 39T 



a school of Botany, endowing it with real estate which even now pro- 

 duces an income of over $5,000 a year. Prof. Wra, Trelease, an emi- 

 nent botanist among the younger class of men, has been placed in 

 charge, and inaugurated on the 6th of November. It has been made a^ 

 department of Washington University. The whole movement so far 

 seems to indicate a bright future, and must be highly gratifying to Mr. 

 Shaw, the generous promoter of the measure. The Engelmann Her- 

 barium, and other famous material will, it is hoped, go to the charge 

 of this new department of the University. 



Wood ashes contain all the required elements of plant nutrition 

 except nitrogen, 100 pounds of wood ashes contains 16 pounds of pot- 

 ash worth 80 cents, 3-^ pounds of soda worth 2 cents, 67 pounds of lime 

 and magnesia worth 8 cents, and 5^ pounds of phosphoric acid worth 

 26 cents. If we had to buy in market in the cheapest form, the man- 

 urial materials contained in 100 pounds of ashes, the co.st would be- 

 $1.16. 



sleeping PLAN'IS. 



During the year, and in connection with this experiment with the 

 clovers, the writer's attention has been directed to other plants assum-^ 

 ing similar sleeping or nyctitropic movements. The oxalis shuts up 

 its flowers and leaves like umbrellas on the first approach of night, and 

 opens them at sunrise. The dandelion opens before six, where exposed,, 

 and closes about sundown. The little daisy that greets us by the way- 

 side, retires to rest each evening and rises to meet the early beams in. 

 the morning. The marsh marigold goes to bed at sundown and rises 

 with the sun. Tulips begin to prepare for repose about tea time and 

 are late risers. This feature in the life of most plants may be made a 

 most interesting and instructive exercise to observing boys and girls 

 whose homes are away from the city in the open fields of nature. — - 

 Prairie Farmer. 



fire blight in the pear. 



The December American Naturalist has a paper by Prof. J. C 

 Arthur, which is one of the most satisfactory we have read for a long, 

 time, and is well worthy of perusal by those'interested in intelligent 

 pomology. It is long since the Oarden&rs Monthly took the stand 

 that fire blight must of necessity be of fungus origin, because it was 

 not possible to introduce any supposition on the other grounds of cli- 

 mate, soil, modes of culture, etc., without the proposition carrying. 



