May 4, 1923 PROCEEDINGS: BOTANICAL SOCIETY 189 
nature” if so we may term it. For the present, investigation rather shows 
the affinity between the orchid seed and the fungi to be one of mutual 
parasitism rather than mutual symbiosis. 
E. T. Wuerry concluded the program by remarks on the Cultivation of 
our native orchids with special reference to their relation to sotl activity. 
159TH MEETING 
The 159th meeting of the Society was held at the Cosmos Club, Tuesday, 
April 3, 1922, at 8 P.M. with President Sarrorp in the chair and 55 mem- 
bers and guests present. 
Dr. A. S. HircHcock showed specimens of rattan from China. This 
rattan palm was very bad for travelers, on account of the spikelets. He 
also showed samples of wild rice from southeastern China, which he stated 
were the prototypes of cultivated rice. 
Dr. N. A. Copp gave an illustrated address on The coconut industry, its 
economic importance, and a serious disease of the coconut caused by a nematode. 
—The coconut industry is a very large one, but its size and importance are 
frequently not appreciated, even by experts. The coconut enters into the 
manufacture of soaps as an oil, into milk as a filler, while it is well known as 
a food, and used in cake frostings, cookies and candies. The dried meat of 
the coconut is the copra of industry. Thousands of miles of sea coast in 
the tropics are adapted to the growing of coconuts. . 
Fifteen years ago a disease was reported from Tobago and Trinidad, which 
came to be known as the coconut root disease. No one at this time realized 
that a nematode was the cause of this disease. Only afew years ago the first 
nematode was obtained from a diseased coconut by a Mr. Nobb, of the 
Imperial Dept. of Agriculture of the West Industries, though he did not. at 
first recognize it as the causal agent of the disease. The identification of the 
nema and the proof that it caused the root disease was made by Dr. N. A. 
Cobb of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. The nema was determined to be a 
hitherto unrecognized species and was given the name Aphelenchus 
cocophilus, and the disease later came to be known as Red Ring of the 
coconut. 
An estimate of the number of nemas in a single foot length of a coconut 
root shows about 20,000 present. The address was finely illustrated by 
colored slides of various nemas, as well as the sick and dying coconut palms, 
infested with A phelenchus cocophilus. 
160TH MEETING 
The 160th meeting of the Botanical Society of Washington was held at 
the Cosmos Club, Tuesday, May 2, 1922 President, W. E. Sarrorp presiding. 
Dr. TyozaBpuro Tanaka spoke on the Citrus fruits of Japan, with notes on 
their history and the creation of new varieties by bud variation. ‘The orange goes 
back into Japanese mythology. Foreign citrus were introduced into Japan, 
as early as the first century. The general extent of the culture of the most 
important species and varieties of citrus grown in Japan were discussed. 
Several cases of the origination by bud variation of the variety Wase from the 
variety Owari were observed during recent citrus studies in Japan. 
Dr. H. L. Suanrz gave an illustrated talk on the Botanic Gardens of South 
Africa. The National Botanic Gardens of South Africa at Kirstenbosch, 
the best known in that part of the continent, were visited by the Smithsonian 
African Expedition in August 1920. The Gardens are supported largely by 
