122 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



botany in the fall term. The course in Elementary Grenetios also drew 

 a good sized class. 



The necessity of taking over 100 women students for one term only, all 

 in the same term, makes the fall term an exceedingly crowded one, both 

 as regards demand on the instructional force and on laboratory space in 

 which to conduct the classes. If the expected increase in the number of 

 students materializes next fall it will probably be necessary to conduct 

 some classes in the evening. 



The attempt has been made to maintain the Botanical Grarden at its 

 former high standard of scientific value and pnhlic interest. Numerous 

 perennial plants were purchased to replace plants that had died, or 

 those of less importance, as well as to add species not represented. The 

 aim has been constantly to add, as far as possible, species that are native 

 to the State, a.s well as shrubs not native here but which might he expected 

 to be of value for ornamental or other puipoises. Still other plants were 

 added merely for their scientific interest. 



Many specimens of Michigan plants have been added to the Herbarium. 

 These are mainly the spoil of collecting trips made in co-'operation with 

 the Greological and Biological Survey in previous years, as well as plants 

 collected on short trips and those donated by interested amateurs. An 

 insufficiency of funds lias pre\'ente(l the acquirement of many valuable 

 sets of specimens which would have added very greatly to the value of 

 the Herbarium, for a herbarium, like a library, is of increasingly great 

 value as it i-epresents collections from more sources. 



The work on the Flora of Michigan has progressed slowly because of 

 laick of suitable help, it being impossible for Professor Darlington to 

 devote much time to his work and also supervise the Herbarium and 

 Botanical Garden in addition to his teaching. However, a number of 

 the larger families have been worked over and are practically ready for 

 incorijoration in the Flora. Professor Darlington has already published 

 a paper in the Michigan Academy of Science Report for 1919 on the 

 Orchid Family and has the Grasses and Sedges practically completed. 

 Miss Bertha E. Thompson, Assistant I'rofessor of Botany-, has worked up 

 the Violet Family. Professor Darlington and I have been working over 

 the Flora of Gogebic County, a region of great scientific interest because 

 of its location with reference to western and northern immigrant plants. 



In addition to the teaching and the other work mentioned, a large 

 amount of time is devoted, particularly in the spring and summer 

 months, to the answering of letters regarding the identification of plants, 

 the control or eradication of weeds, and a thousand and one other ques- 

 tions which a botanist can be called upon to answer. 



In 1913 some of the advanced students in botany organized an honorary'- 

 botanical society to which membership is open only to those who are 

 able to pass a stitf examination in botany. Those who are invited to take 

 this examination are picked from those students whose botanical work 

 has been uniformly good. This honorary botanical society, the Botanical 

 Seminar, in addition to its regular meetings has made it a practice to 

 bring in from outside the College some well knowni botanist to give a 

 public address. For the year just closed, the speaker was Dr. Bradley 

 M. Davis, one of the Professors of Botany at the Univei'sity of Michigan. 

 The subject of his veiw instructive lecture was "Problems of the Origin 

 of Variations." 



