192 



SCIENCE 



N. S. Vol. XXX. No. 762 



Social Science: The Work of the Woman's Asso- 

 ciation for the Betterment of Schools: Mrs. 

 Chaeles D. MoIvee, Field Secretary Woman's 

 Betterment Association of North Carolina, 

 Greensboro, N. C. 



Notes on the Petrography of the Granites of 

 Chapel Hill, N. C: H. N. Eaton, University 

 of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N. C. 



Some Results of Municipal Milk Inspection in 

 Raleigh, N. C: F. L. Ste\'ENS, North Carolina 

 Experiment Station, Ealeigh, N. C. 



E. W. GUDQEE, 



Secretary 



THE TOEREY BOTANICAL CLUB 



The meeting of May 26, 1909, was held at the 

 museum of the New York Botanical Garden and 

 was called to order at 3:30 P.M. by President 

 Kusby. Thirty-four persons were present. After 

 the reading and approval of the minutes of the 

 preceding meeting, the scientific program was pre- 

 sented, the first contribution being made by the 

 president. Dr. H. H. Rusby, who spoke of " The 

 Earliest Spring Flowers in the Vicinity of 

 Charleston, South Carolina." 



The speaker's remarks were based on observa- 

 tions made between March 16 and March 23, 1909, 

 at Summerville, which is about twenty-two miles 

 northwest of Charleston. By a careful compar- 

 ison of the state of vegetation there in March with 

 that of New York and vicinity in May, it was 

 concluded that there was a difference of eight or 

 nine weeks this year in the progress of the season, 

 though it is probable that in an ordinary year the 

 difference would be about seven or eight weeks. 



Summerville is noted for the existence there of 

 Dr. Shepard's tea-gardens, the only tea plantation 

 conducted on a commercial scale in this country. 

 There are now about 100 acres of plantation in 

 productive operation there, from which 12,000 to 

 15,000 pounds of tea are sold annually. Success 

 has been obtained through an extensive series of 

 experiments with all the known varieties of the 

 tea plant. No attempt is made to compete with 

 the Orient in the cheaper grades of tea, but in the 

 more highly prized grades the Summerville prod- 

 uct is already taking a leading rank. 



The plants collected at Summerville by Dr. 

 Rusby were then discussed and exhibited in 

 groups, arranged according to habitat and time of 

 flowering. 



Dr. Britton in discussing Dr. Rusby's paper re- 

 ferred to the popular belief among the fruit- 

 growers of Delaware that the spring advances 



northward at the rate of thirteen miles a day — 

 a belief that would seem to be supported by Dr. 

 Rusby's observation that there is a difference of 

 seven or eight weeks in the progress of the season 

 between Summerville, S. C, and New York. 



The second paper on the scientific program was 

 by Dr. J. A. Shafer on " Botanizing in Cuba." 

 Dr. Shafer was in northern Cuba from January 

 22 to May 6 of the present year in the interests 

 of the New York Botanical Garden. He gave a 

 popular account of his collecting experiences there 

 and of the general floral features of the regions 

 visited. Headquarters were established at La 

 Gloria, Nuevitas and Holguin, and shorter visits 

 were made to Gibara, Cacocum, Alto Cedro, Paso 

 Estancia and Antilla. 



One of the objects of the expedition was to 

 ascertain whether the flora of northern Cuba had 

 any relation to that of the adjoining Bahamas, 

 which islands have been the subject of extensive 

 floristic investigations by Dr. Britton and others; 

 but on the northern mainland of Cuba one notes 

 little relationship. 



Cayo Guajaba, one of the chain of outlying 

 northern islands, none of which seems to have 

 been visited by botanists heretofore, probably on 

 account of the difliculty of access, was examined 

 at several points and was found to possess a very 

 different flora from that of the mainland south of 

 it, many of the species being Bahamian. 



North of Nuevitas, the railroad to Camaguey 

 passes through many miles of rather barren palm- 

 covered savannas, through which an occasional 

 stream passes, whose winding course can readily 

 be made out by a fringe of green trees, overtopped 

 by the graceful heads of the royal palm. From 

 Camaguey to Holguin, a distance of about one 

 hundred and fifty miles, one passes alternately 

 through stretches of dry savannas, rich dense 

 woods and fertile pastures. 



Paso Estancia, towards Santiago, on the Cauto 

 River, was made the last place from which ex- 

 tensive explorations were carried on. The river, 

 which is the largest in Cuba, here passes between 

 high bluffs made up of stratified limestone and 

 clay or sand. It has many turns, with gravelly 

 bars and sandy or muddy banks, and many things 

 can be found there. The surrounding country is 

 a dense forest, with a great variety of species. 



After a discussion of Dr. Shafer's paper by Dr. 

 and Mrs. Britton, Dr. Rusby and others, adjourn- 

 ment followed. 



Mabshall a. Howe, 

 Secretary pro tem. 



