TRANSACTIONS OF THE SOCIETY. 83 



Nitrana Schoberi, a shrub growing near nitre works in Siberia, a speci- 

 men of which cost Linnaeus 20 years' patience and experiment to make it 

 flower. (Loudon's Encyc. p. 396.) 



Several older species well known, viz : — 



Echinops Ritro L. Loudon's Encyc, 12,780 

 Sophora alopecuroides, " •' 5,675 



Thermopsis fabacea, " " 5.680 



Zygophyllum fabaso, " " 5,870 



Also, a species of Rheum, (Rhubarb,) allied to Rh. tartaricum, which 

 may be worth trying, for economical purposes. 



A large proportion are Composite and Umbelliferous plants, having gen- 

 erally dowers of not much beauty. 



As these seeds are more than a year old, some difficulty may be experi- 

 enced in vegetating them, the more especially as they have borne a foreign 

 voyage. But as it is familiar to culiurists, that these seeds will sometimes lie 

 in the ground dormant for considerable time after planting and finally grow, 

 and also that old seeds may be facilitated in their vegetation by the use of 

 alkalies, or acids, or the harder shelled ones by boiling in water, it may be 

 well to endeavor to sow the contents of this package, hoping thereby to 

 rear something new or rare, among several kinds of which we know noth- 

 ing in the works of Botany at our disposal. 



I remain, with sentiments of respect. 



Yours, (Sec, 



JOHN LEWIS RUSSELL, A. A. S., &c., 



Prof, of Botany and Vegetable Physiology to the Mass. Hort. Society. 



To M. P. Wilder, President of the Mass. Hort. Society, Boston. 



Meeting of the Society, September 13, 1845. 



The Committee to whom was referred the propriety of bestowing Medals 

 instead of money as premiums and gratuities, ask leave to Report : — 



Your Committee believe that nearly all similar societies have adopted 

 the system of awarding medals to meritorious members, instead of money, 

 as practised by this Society. 



Your Committee recommend to this Society, to obtain suitable dies for 

 gold and silver medals, to be called the Society's medal, and that it be 

 awarded, by a vote of the Society, to such persons as shall have merited 

 distinction. That it shall be the duty of the several standing committees 

 to include medals of gold and silver in their annua) list of prizes to be 

 awarded. 



