Record. Xxxi 
by artificial cooling or by a narcosis. Consequently the 
growing season can be secured much earlier than usual. 
Far more interesting is the influence of man upon species, 
depending upon fluctuating variability and mutation. While 
selection cannot produce a constant species, it helps us to 
keep up the standard. 
The most wonderful achievements have been obtained by 
hybridization. As a result of crossing, flowers and fruits 
with which we are familiar, are very different from the wild 
varieties; so changed, in fact, that we do not recognize them 
unless trained botanists. 
Among the living botanists, who have been successful in 
producing hybrids, is Burbank of California. His aim is to 
produce plants with shipping qualities and such as can be 
grown in regions which are now little used for cultivation. 
One of the things he has worked out is the ‘* Thornless 
Cactus,’’ which can be grown on the deserts of Arizona and 
New Mexico and forms excellent cattle food for dairies. This 
hybrid Burbank obtained by crossing a certain species of 
Mexican cactus with a certain species from South Africa. 
Hybridization is not successful, however, if the two plants 
taken are too widely separated in their characteristics. Either 
no seed is formed, or hybrids are produced, which are not 
fertile; strawberries, when crossed with blackberries, produce 
a variety with flowers but no fruit. The best results are 
obtained by combination. 
May 15, 1905, 
President A. Alt in the chair; attendance fourteen. 
The President announced the death, on May 13th, of Mr. 
Edwin Harrison, a patron and former president of the 
Academy. Prof. F. E. Nipher, Dr. G. Hambach and Mr. 
E. P. Olshausen were appointed a committee to prepare reso- 
lutions commemorative of the deceased. On motion of Dr. 
Hambach the Secretary was instructed to request Prof. G. C. 
Broadhead of Columbia, Mo., to write a biography of Mr. 
Harrison for publication in the Proceedings of the Academy. 
