2IO BOTANICAL GAZETTE. [ August, 



The American Association meets in Toronto August 27. The Bo- 

 tanical Club will hold a meeting on the same day in the room of Section 

 F, University Buildings. The President of the club is Prof. T.J. Burrill, 

 Champaign, 111. Communications should be sent to the Secretary, Doug- 

 las H. Campbell, 91 Alfred street, Detroit, Mich. The Vice-President of 

 Section F is Dr. George L. Goodale. A large attendance of botanists is 

 expected, and no pleasanter place of meeting than Toronto can be found. 



The will of the late Professor Reichenbach is about the most aston- 

 ishing thing in botanical history. It seals up an enormous amount of 

 orchid material that the botanical fraternity had a right to expect would 

 be open for study. The herbarium and library go to the Imperial Hof 

 Museum in Vienna, " under the condition that the preserved orchids and 

 drawings of orchids shall not be exhibited before twenty-five years from 

 the date of my death have elapsed." This is " in order that the inevitable 

 destruction of the costly collection, resulting from the present craze for 

 orchids, may be avoided." The Imperial Hof Museum has accepted the 

 trust. 



A " national flower " seems to be wanted, something to stir up our 

 patriotic feeling like the flag and the eagle. The public press has gone 

 to work in a cold-blooded way to put the thing to a popular vote, with 

 very small chance of being decided. A national flower must come from 

 the accident of some association, or it will never arouse the feeblest emo- 

 tion. About the best suggestion from the artistic standpoint comes from 

 M. G. Van Rensselaer in Garden and Forest (July 10), who favors the 

 mountain laurel (Kalmia), and argues for it well. If utility, along with 

 beauty, can be taken into the count, what more characteristic and widely 

 known A merican plant than Indian corn ? It can be " conventionalized " 



to heart's content, and furnishes both food and drink — to many 



Prof. Joseph Bornmueller, director of the Botanical Garden at 

 Belgrade, Servia, has started for a twelve months journey through Asia 

 Minor. Beginning at Amasia, he will travel through the country between 

 the course of the Kisil Irmak, Euphrates, south to the completely unex- 

 plored Mountains Ak-dagh. This territory has only once been explored, 

 thirty five years ago, by the Russian botanist, Wiedemann, and not dili- 

 gently by any means. Prof. Bornmueller is a young and very successful 

 explorer, with a great deal of experience, especially from his long journey 

 in 1886, through Dalmatia, Montenegro, Greece, Turkey, East Bulgaria 

 and Asia Minor. His original collection will be transferred to Weimar, 

 where Prof. Haussknecht will devote his time to the scientific sorting of 

 the specimens. The latter will be prepared in the most careful manner, 

 and he will be able to accept a few more orders for duplicates. Muse- 

 ums, herbariums, or private persons, desiring a collection are asked to 

 address themselves to George Hansen, Agr. Exp. Station, Jackson, Ama- 

 ador county, California. 



