Record. xxv 



November 21, 1898. 



President Engler in the chair, eleven persons present. 



Dr. G. Hambach presented an oral abstract of a paper en- 

 titled A Revision of the Morphology of the Blastoideae, 

 illustrating his remarks with numerous specimens and photo- 

 graphs. 



The following persons, resident in St. Louis, were elected 

 active members : Dr. Howard Carter, William H. Roever. 



December 5, 1898. 



President Engler in the chair, twenty-six persons present. 



Mr. H. von Schrenk presented by title a paper On the 

 Mode of Dissemination of Usnea barbata. 



Professor L. H. Pammel presented by title a paper on the 

 Histology of the Caryopsis and Endosperm of some Grasses. 



Dr. Theodore Kodis stated the results of some experiments 

 on overcooling animal and vegetable tissues, in which it was 

 shown that, as water may, under favorable conditions, be 

 cooled to some distance below zero, centigrade, without 

 freezing, — the temperature immediately rising to the freez- 

 ing point the moment that freezing begins, and remaining 

 there until the water is entirely solidified, then beginning once 

 more to drop, — so, when animal and vegetable tissues are 

 experimented on, they may be cooled to a temperature de- 

 cidedly lower than the freezing point, under favorable condi- 

 tions, before freezing begins, but that, when it begins, the 

 temperature at once rises to the freezing point (which is 

 always somewhat lower than that of pure water), remaining 

 there until the process of freezing is complete, when it once 

 more begins to fall. The speaker gave a short account of the 

 current theories as to the mechanical constitution of proto- 

 plasm, and discussed the bearing on them of the phenomena 

 when the solidification of overcooled tissues began. 



Professors Nipher, Budgett and Green were elected a com- 

 mittee for the nomination of officers for the year 1899. 



