O NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM 



if the specimens were collected in our State and were desirable 

 additions to the herbarium. Tlie number of identifications made 

 of specimens sent or brought to the office by inquirers is 2419. 

 The number of persons for whom identifications were made and 

 the number of identifications made exceed the corresponding num- 

 bers, 152 and 17 17, for last year. This indicates a gratifying 

 increase in the general desire for botanical information. A list 

 of the names of the contributors and their respective contributions 

 is marked " Contributors and their contributions." 



Names and notices of species new to our New York flora and 

 descriptions of new species are given in a chapter marked " Species 

 not before reported." 



New localities of rare plants, descriptions of new varieties and 

 any facts of interest that may have been observed are given in a 

 chapter entitled " Remarks and observations." 



Species of fungi collected outside our State limits are fre- 

 quently sent for identification. Sometimes specimens are received 

 that do not correspond to any published description. In such cases 

 the fungus is given a name and a description of it prepared. These 

 names and descriptions make a chapter with the heading '' New 

 species and varieties of extralimital fungi." 



Specimens of five species of Crataegus, or thorn bushes, have 

 been added to the large number already represented in the 

 herbarium. Four of these have not before been reported and are 

 new to our flora. 



Specimens of five species of mushrooms have been collected and 

 their edible qualities tried and approved. These make the whole 

 number of our New York edible species and varieties 205. Three 

 plates have been prepared on which the five added species are 

 represented by colored figures, natural size. Descriptions of these 

 species may be found in a chapter on " Edible fungi." Two other 

 plates have been prepared on which three new species of mush- 

 rooms are represented. 



One species has been tried which, when eaten freely, causes a 

 profuse perspiration but no other inconvenience. Its flavor, tex- 

 ture and digestibility are faultless, but its efifects are such as to 

 place it among medicinal, not edible, mushrooms. My attention 

 was first called to this peculiar character of the mushroom by Mr 

 F. G. Rowland and through his kindness in furnishing me samples 

 of it I have been able to verify its sudorific properties. Perhaps 

 experimentation may prove it to be useful in cases of illness where 

 a sudorfic medicine is desirable. An account of my experiment 



