50 KEPORT OP NATIONAL, MUSEUM, 1908. 



and 83 from the Office of Experiment Stations. Among the pur- 

 chases were 305 Mexican plants from Dr. C. G. Pringle and 769 from 

 Dr. Pxlward Pahner, 400 CJiiatemahin plants from Baron Henry von 

 Turckheim, 499 Californian plants fnmi Mr. A. A. Heller, and 544 

 plants of the northeastern United States and Canada from Mr. M. L. 

 Fernald, Mr. W. W. Eggleston, Mr. J. ISIacoun, and Mr. W. H. 

 Blanchard. The herbarium of Mr. J. "W. Toumey, containing 887 

 specimens of cacti and many types, was also purchased. The princi- 

 pal acquisitions of American plants by exchange consisted of about 

 2,000 specimens, including many from the West Indies and some 

 living specimens of cacti and Crassulacea^, from the New York 

 Botanical Garden ; 636 Texan plants collected by Lindheimer, one of 

 the older American botanists, from the ]Missouri Botanical Garden; 

 206 sj^ecimens from Indiana and Illinois, from Mr. V. H. Chase ; 349 

 specimens from Nevada, from Mr. P. B. Kennedy; 300 specimens 

 from Illinois and Wisconsin, from Mr. F. C. Gates; and 280 speci- 

 mens from Guatemala, from the Ohio State University. The foreign 

 exchanges were mainly conducted with the Royal Botanical Museum, 

 Berlin; the Universit}^ of Lausanne, Switzerland; and the Albany 

 Museum, Grahamstown, South Africa. The associate curator, Dr. 

 J. N. Rose," collected about 2,000 dried specimens and 500 living 

 plants while engaged in field work in the soutliAvestern United States 

 and northern Mexico. 



The rearrangement of the herbarium on the sj'Stem of Engler and 

 Prantl was completed during the year. The genera of flowering 

 plants have been given serial numbers corresponding with those of 

 Delia Torre and Harm's Genera SiiDhonogamarum, and an alpha- 

 betical reference card catalogue of this work was prepared. There 

 were stamped and incorporated in the permanent series 12,379 speci- 

 mens, making the total number so disposed of since the return of 

 the herbarium to the Museum 332,361. The number of specimens 

 mounted was 10,336. The additions to the stack consisted of 15 

 wooden unit cases, 3 half-unit cases and 1 steel case, comprising 420 

 pigeonholes and increasing the total number of the latter in use to 

 10,858. 



The investigations conducted were mainly in continuation of those 

 of the previous year — Dr. J. N. Rose on the cacti, Mr. W. R. Maxon 

 on ferns, Mr. E. S. Steele on the genus Laciniaria, and Mr. J. H. 

 Painter on water lilies. Mr. Maxon, on the invitation of the director 

 of the New York Botanical Garden, edited the manuscript on ferns 

 left by the late Dr. L. M. Underwood. The director and three other 

 botanists of the New York Botanical Garden spent some time at the 

 herbarium, Dr. N. L. Britton working with Doctor Rose on the 

 cacti, Dr. J. K. Small examining material in the prejDaration of a 



