38 Journal of the Mitchell Society [May 



In an unpublished letter, of February 6, 1880, to Mr. 

 Mazyck, Mr. Meeban says : 



"I am very much obliged by your letter and samj^les of live- 

 oak. I knew before that this species is monocotyledonous, and 

 that the development of the radicle and ultimately plumule, is 

 as you describe. Other oaks have somewhat the same character, 

 but not the same degree. But I did not know of the swelling 

 of the radicle. I shall call the attention of the Academy of 

 Science to this interesting fact at its next meeting. ..." 



In a later letter (February 29, 1880) we find the following : 



'' . . . The acorn matter was very interesting to the 

 members. Some examinations of other species have since been 

 made, and it is found that so far as the lengthening of the 

 petioles of the cotyledon is concerned, many have it to a greater 

 or less degree, and the discovery of yours will be of very great 

 value in the determination of the species. Drawings will be 

 made and published of many species, but I made a formal ad- 

 dress before the Academy at its meeting on last Tuesday even- 

 ing, so that the discovery may be placed on record to your 

 credit. It may be some months before this is published officially 

 by the Academy, but as soon as it is I will send you a copy. 



One of the tubers was examined microscopically by Mr. 

 Potts of the Microscopical Section, and found to contain starch 

 granules of precisely the same character as those of the original 

 cotyledon. 



Thanking you for your interesting facts, I am. 

 Very truly yours, 



Thomas Meehan^ 

 2nd Vice-President Academy of 

 Natural Science of Philadelphia 



In my article on Dr. Mellichamp (Journal of the Elisha 

 Mitchell Scientific Society, May, 1911), I published, on page 

 50, a letter of Dr. Mellichamp's which is concerned in part with 

 this matter. He says : 



"If I could only have received these queries when I was last 

 in Bluffton I could have answered them accurately, but now 

 I cannot do so, and I do not wish to trust to my memory of some 

 years back when I not only planted the live-oak acorns, but 



