THE HERBARIA OF THE SOCIETY. 109 



Eober-t Manning thought that the value and importance of the 

 central location possessed by the Society were not appreciated by 

 all. Many persons would come here to consult an herbarium, who 

 would not go over to the Natural History Society's building or 

 to Cambridge for that purpose. 



Mr. Wetherell added a word in regard to the importance of ac- 

 companying the specimens of grasses with such notes as were re- 

 commended by the Professor of Botany. In his view these notes 

 would be of great value, which he showed by reference to the Poa 

 nervata (now Glyceria nervata) or fowl meadow grass (confounded 

 with Poa serofina), and said that he went to Professor Gray with 

 specimens of each, and when he inquired in regard to their utility 

 and economical value as farm plants, Prof. Gray replied, that he 

 had no right to ask such a question of a botanist. This set him to 

 thinking which was more useful — the man who understood sys- 

 tematic botany, without any knowledge of the economical uses of 

 plants, or the man who knew the uses of plants but was ignorant 

 of systematic botany, and he concluded, from the practical stand- 

 point, that he would rather be the latter. Mr. Wetherell alluded 

 to the valuable results of the investigations into the utility and 

 cultivation of grasses by the Duke of Bedford, as recorded in the 

 " Hortus Gramineus Woburnensis." He did not agree with Mr. 

 Hovej^ in regard to books, for it is hard to draw the line between 

 horticultural and botanical works. 



Mr, Hove}^ said, that we should never have had the valuable 

 "Catalogue of Fruits" of the London Horticultural Society, if 

 that society had not given its attention strictly to horticulture. 

 In regard to the library, he did not care how many horticultural 

 books we had. The Linnean Society of London never meddled 

 with horticulture, and he would confine the work of our Society 

 strictly to horticulture. 



Dr. G. F. Waters remarked that a short time ago steps were 

 taken by the Boston Society of Natural History to organize a 

 botanical section, and he felt no doubt that at some future time all 

 the departments of that society would be in charge of separate 

 sections. 



The Chairman said that so much interest had been awakened in 

 the subject, that, if no one else undertook it, he would bring it 

 to the attention of the Society at a business meeting. 



