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nish the greater part of the large showy orchids so much used 
for decorative purposes. As the species vary in their time of 
flowering, it is possible, by judicious selection, to have some of 
these showy flowers in evidence at all times of the year. 
GrorGE V. Nasu. 
NOTES, NEWS AND COMMENT. 
Dr. N. L. Britton attended the special summer meeting of the 
American Association for the Advancement of Science at Han- 
over, New Hampshire, and the annual botanical field “sym- 
posium”’ at Georgetown, Delaware 
Professor G. W. Wilson, of Upper Iowa University, Fayette, 
Iowa, has been cialis a research scholarship at the Garden for 
two months, beginning July 
Dr. W. A. Murrill visited he State Museum at Albany in June 
to examine the collection of fungi of the family Boletaceae, which 
probably contains more original specimens than any other col- 
lection of its kind in America. 
Signs have been placed at the principal entrances to the hem- 
lock grove with the following instructions: ‘This grove is situ- 
ated near the southern limit of the region in which hemlock trees 
grow naturally near the coast, and its preservation is a matter of 
special interest. As the roots of the hemlock trees are near the 
surface of the ground and the soil is thin, trampling over the 
ground may cause the death of the trees. Visitors are therefore 
requested to keep to the paths and trails and to abstain from 
injuring the trees in any way. If this caution is not observed 
the use of the forest will have to be materially restricted.” 
Following the extremely wet weather of May, a drought of 
unusual duration and severity has been experienced which can- 
not fail to be of considerable injury to vegetation. The rain- 
fall of June was just one inch at the Garden, and no rain has 
fallen during July up to the fourteenth of the month. Not alone 
the damage to vegetation is to be regretted, but the driveways 
have suffered severely. Lawns have been browned in many 
places, but this will not be permanent because a few inches of 
