
the Selaginellas were affected, especially Selaginella Wildenovii, 
its young leaves being badly curled. The rest of the ferns were 
practically. uninjured. 
In House No. 2, one of the houses that was closed, a few plants 
of the water hyacinth were left. A temperature of 30° was re- 
corded which caused many leaves to die, but the plants survived. 
Sanchezia nobilis, a native of Ecuador, was alive after several 
times enduring a temperature of 30°. It finally succumbed. 
As an adequate supply of coal is not in sight, we have adopted 
similar measures this winter in order to save as many plants as 
possible. The following houses receive fire heat only when the 
temperature falls so low that there is danger of pipes freezing: 
Instruction houses Nos. 1, 2, and 3; propagating house No. 3, 
and Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 11 of the main range. Except for 
the instruction houses and Nos. 6 and t1 (which contain plants 
uninjured by low temperatures, or material easy to replace) the 
ventilators are kept closed so as to store up as much sun heat as 
possible during the day. Only in very cold weather is it necessary 
to use artificial heat in these houses. The mortality should be 
much less this year, owing to the possibility of preparing the 
plants for their ordeal. Without doubt, many deaths were caused 
last winter because of the fact that normal heat was maintained 
beyond the middle of December, which caused many plants to 
push forth new growth, not so capable of withstanding coo! 
conditions as matured growth would be. With low temperatures 
maintained from the middle of November onwards, these plants 
ought to remain in a semi-dormant resting condition, and come 
through the winter much better. Some damage, of course, was 
caused by the overcrowded condition of the greenhouses, but this 
too will probably be mitigated if the plants are not actively grow- 
ing when the low temperatures begin to prevail. 
MONTAGUE FREE 

PRESENTATION OF GOLD MEDAL 
One of the best evidences of a lively sense of appreciation by the 
boys and girls of Brooklyn of the advantages they enjoy at the 
Botainic Garden was their presentation, on November 23, 1918, 



