127 



the past 58 years) is 9.74 inches. The precipitation recorded for 

 these three months this year is 5.50 inches, or 4.24 inches (nearly 

 one half) below the normal. The accompanying high tempera- 

 tures, the highest on record for the corresponding dates in 30 years 

 or more, made a severe demand on the drought-resisting power ot 

 the vegetation. Leaves dropped from some of the trees and 

 shrubs, and plants like Pachysandra terminalis and others wilted 

 to the ground. 



The situation was aggravated on June 21 by the contractors, 

 who were excavating on Washington Avenue with a steam shovel, 

 breaking one of the water pipes. This necessitated shutting ofl 

 the water supply to the entire Botanic Garden (including the con- 

 servatories, buildings, and grounds) for an entire day; thus putting 

 a stop to all artificial irrigation on one of the hottest and driest 

 days of the season. 



The brown lawns showed almost no trace of green color except 

 for here and there a vigorous thriving plant of white daisy, plan- 

 tain, dock, and a few other weeds whose green foliage and increas- 

 ing height (on account of no mowing of the lawns for several 

 weeks) caused them to stand out in sharp contrast. Distressing 

 as this was from the standpoint of maintenance of the lawn, it 

 afforded a striking illustration of weediness, certain plants being 

 weeds because, owing to their deep root-system and other char- 

 acters, they can succeed under adverse conditions where lawn grass 

 and other plants fail. 



The drought was finally broken by the precipitation of July 4-6, 

 but drought conditions obtained throughout most of August and 

 September, the second dry spell being broken by the rains of 

 September 22-23. The Garden, however, held its own remark- 

 ably well during these adverse weather conditions, and, as a whole, 

 was looking better in late September than at any previous year. 



NOTES 



The Alfred T. White scholarship of $100 was presented to Mr. 

 Gordon Utter at a meeting of the Boys' and Girls' Club on Sep- 

 tember 22, 1923. The president of the club, James Hall, presided. 

 The basis of the award was explained by Miss Shaw, curator of 



