MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 45 



On the flora of Indiana, yapers are few that treat of all of the species of 

 a gi'oiip that occur throughout the State. The latest and most complete 

 papers follow in chronological sequence. 



The Flowering Plants and Ferns of Indiana by Stanley ("oulter in the 

 Ind. Geol. Rept. Vol. 24:553:1002:1899. This was a most excellent work; 

 and we are promised that this work will be brought up to date by the same 

 author at this meeting. 



Revised list of Indiana plant Rusts by J. C. Arthur in Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci. 

 1903. This group of so much economic importance has been much studied, 

 and, yet, much remains to be done. We are promised that the knowledge of 

 this group will be brought up to date at this meeting. 



Preliminary list of the Hymenomycetes or Mushrooms of Indiana V)y 

 Donnald Reddick in the Ind. Geol. Rept. Vol. 32:1193-1252:1908. 



Indiana Fungi by J. M. Van Hook in the Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci. 1910 and 

 1911. 



The Trees of Indiana by C. C. Deam in Ind. Forestry Rept. 191 1. 



It will be noted that there is yet much to be done on the plant life of the 

 State. On the lowest forms only fragmentary papers have appeared. The 

 work on the fungi is far from complete. Practically nothing has been pub- 

 lished on the lichens of the State; little on the Characea; nothing on the 

 Hepaticae; only local lists on the mosses; and much yet remains to be done 

 on the higher forms of plant life. 



A review of the work done on the flora and fauna of the State shows that 

 it is chiefly of a systematic nature. Life histories ; life zones ; and the ecological 

 and economic features of the biological survey have been treated in a frag- 

 mentary way in isolated papers, and in only a few instances have attempts 

 been made to bring together the systematic, ecological and economic knowl- 

 edge of a group in one paper. Then, too, if I mistake not, there is little work 

 in progress to accomplish the ends desired. 



Admitting that there is much to be done, who is to do it? Any one fa- 

 miliar with the work knows that it should be done by some one with more 

 than a rudimentary knowledge of the subject, if rehable results are to be 

 obtained. Then too, much time and money are necessary. 



There are several ways by which results may be obtained; and some of 

 them will be briefly stated, because your committee believes that some action 

 should be taken at this meeting to further the work on the biological survey. 



First: The work might be done by some philanthropic individual. In- 

 stances of this kind, however, are rare exceptions. The advance of science 

 has been in specialization and today a subject of any magnitude means col- 

 laboration; consequently one person is not able to do it all. 



Second: The professors in charge of the departments of biology in our 

 colleges and universities might so arrange the work of their departments as 

 to accomplish more than they have. They might encourage more students 

 to speciahze on local or state problems. The assignments to students need 



