﻿MAY 
  4, 
  1922 
  proceedings: 
  BOTANICAL 
  SOCIETY 
  235 
  

  

  Few 
  parrots 
  are 
  raised 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  though 
  in 
  Europe 
  they 
  are 
  quite 
  

   freely 
  raised 
  in 
  captivity. 
  The 
  habits 
  of 
  parrots, 
  and 
  even 
  their 
  anatomy, 
  are 
  

   still 
  not 
  well 
  known. 
  Probably 
  a 
  dozen 
  West 
  Indian 
  parrots 
  have 
  become 
  

   extinct, 
  and 
  our 
  Carolinian 
  Parrakeet 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  Florida 
  and 
  is 
  almost 
  

   •extinct. 
  The 
  desirability 
  of 
  immediate 
  further 
  study 
  is 
  obvious. 
  

  

  E. 
  A. 
  Goldman: 
  Rats 
  in 
  the 
  War 
  Zone. 
  Rats 
  infested 
  the 
  whole 
  war 
  

   area, 
  and 
  their 
  relation 
  to 
  epidemic 
  diseases 
  was 
  early 
  recognized. 
  The 
  

   speaker 
  was 
  commissioned 
  as 
  an 
  officer 
  to 
  study 
  and 
  solve 
  the 
  problems 
  pre- 
  

   sented 
  by 
  rats. 
  Their 
  holes, 
  burrows, 
  and 
  paths 
  were 
  everywhere. 
  German 
  

   trenches 
  were 
  infested 
  and 
  many 
  rat-catching 
  devices 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  them. 
  

   Rats 
  were 
  troublesome 
  in 
  disturbing 
  sleeping 
  soldiers, 
  destroying 
  suppHes, 
  

   eating 
  and 
  spoiling 
  food, 
  and 
  as 
  potential 
  carriers 
  and 
  disseminators 
  of 
  dis- 
  

   ease. 
  

  

  Food 
  was 
  arriving 
  in 
  greater 
  quantities 
  that 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  cared 
  for. 
  Under 
  

   the 
  boards 
  or 
  litter 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  cases 
  of 
  food 
  were 
  stacked, 
  rats 
  found 
  

   shelter 
  and 
  opportunity 
  to 
  breed. 
  Trapping 
  was 
  the 
  chief 
  means 
  for 
  con- 
  

   trol, 
  but 
  poisoning 
  with 
  squills 
  was 
  also 
  effective. 
  In 
  food 
  warehouses 
  and 
  

   trenches 
  the 
  control 
  was 
  reasonably 
  adequate. 
  

  

  Rats 
  bred 
  rapidly. 
  Females 
  averaged 
  7.3 
  embryos. 
  The 
  number 
  was 
  as 
  

   few 
  as 
  3 
  and 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  17. 
  The 
  principal 
  species 
  was 
  the 
  brown 
  rat. 
  Black 
  

   rats 
  were 
  sometimes 
  found 
  where 
  there 
  were 
  few 
  brown 
  rats 
  to 
  contend 
  with. 
  

   After 
  the 
  trenches 
  were 
  evacuated, 
  foxes, 
  weasels, 
  cats 
  and 
  other 
  predatory 
  

   animals 
  did 
  much 
  to 
  eliminate 
  rats, 
  but 
  many 
  followed 
  the 
  men. 
  

  

  Many 
  lantern 
  slides 
  were 
  shown 
  depicting 
  the 
  conditions 
  which 
  favored 
  

   rats, 
  their 
  work, 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  trapping, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  insulating 
  

   .against 
  rats, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  Allied 
  and 
  German 
  lines. 
  

  

  A. 
  A. 
  DooLiTTLE, 
  Recording 
  Secretary. 
  

  

  BOTANICAL 
  SOCIETY 
  

  

  153rd 
  meeting 
  

  

  The 
  1 
  53rd 
  meeting 
  was 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  Assembly 
  Hall 
  of 
  the 
  Cosmos 
  Club 
  at 
  

   8 
  p.m., 
  October 
  4, 
  1921, 
  with 
  President 
  Chambliss 
  in 
  the 
  chair 
  and 
  106 
  

   persons 
  present. 
  

  

  A. 
  T. 
  Bruman 
  and 
  Frank 
  G. 
  O'Donnell 
  of 
  the 
  Federal 
  Horticultural 
  

   Board 
  and 
  Robert 
  C. 
  Wright 
  of 
  the 
  Office 
  of 
  Horticulture 
  and 
  Pomology 
  

   were 
  elected 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Society. 
  

  

  An 
  exhibit 
  of 
  dahlias 
  was 
  furnished 
  by 
  Mrs. 
  WoLF, 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  A. 
  Orton, 
  

   Prof. 
  J. 
  B. 
  S. 
  Norton, 
  Dr. 
  Wm. 
  E. 
  Safford 
  and 
  Miss 
  Florence 
  Thompson. 
  

   The 
  regular 
  program 
  of 
  the 
  evening, 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  symposium 
  on 
  the 
  dahlia, 
  

   followed. 
  

  

  W. 
  A. 
  Orton 
  : 
  Group 
  classification, 
  climatic 
  requirements 
  and 
  aims 
  of 
  dahlia 
  

   breeders. 
  

  

  The 
  dahlia 
  has 
  been 
  wonderfully 
  improved 
  by 
  plant 
  breeders 
  until 
  its 
  

   range 
  of 
  form 
  suggests 
  the 
  anemone, 
  the 
  water 
  lily, 
  the 
  peony, 
  the 
  rose, 
  and 
  

   the 
  chrysanthemum, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  types 
  familiar 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  as 
  dahlias. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  distinct 
  groups 
  of 
  dahlias, 
  the 
  oldest 
  is 
  the 
  Show. 
  Then 
  there 
  are 
  

   the]Hybrid 
  Show, 
  Pompon, 
  Fancy, 
  Cactus, 
  Hybrid 
  Cactus, 
  Decorative, 
  Peony 
  

   Duplex, 
  Single, 
  Collarette, 
  Anemone, 
  Star 
  and 
  Miniature 
  Cactus. 
  

  

  The 
  dahlia, 
  a 
  native 
  of 
  the 
  tropics, 
  can 
  not 
  withstand 
  our 
  northern 
  winters. 
  

   The 
  roots 
  must 
  therefore 
  be 
  lifted 
  and 
  stored 
  in 
  sand 
  in 
  a 
  cool 
  cellar. 
  

  

  