18 
atianging the fern collections in connection with his work on 
“North American Flora.” 
Dr. C. F. Millspaugh, curator of botany at the Field Museum 
of Natural History, Chicago, recently spent a month at the Gar- 
den carrying on further investigations on the flora of the Baha- 
mas in coéperation with Dr. N. L. Britton 
G. V. Nash, head gardener, visited the National \[useum, 
Washington, and the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences 
during December to examine the collections of grasses at these 
institutions in connection with his work on ‘“ North American 
Flora.’ 
Dr. J. K. Small, head curator of the museums and herbarium, 
accompanied by Mr. J. J. Carter, of Pleasant Grove, Pa., left 
for South Fiorida on January 2, expecting to devote four or five 
weeks to botanical exploration and collecting on the everglade 
keys, in continuation of his previous work in that region and 
his studies of the plants of the southeastern United States. 
Dr. J. A. Shafer, museum custodian, sailed for Nuevitas, Cuba, 
on January 13. He has been commissioned to spend about three 
months collecting in the northeastern portion of that island, which 
has been little visited by botanists. 
The plant of Crassula portulacea in house number six of the 
large conservatories is in full flower. This plant is a South 
African representative of the Orpine family and it is one of 
the few plants of the family that have a woody trunk. The 
eae oe the roots of this under the vernacular name of 
“T’Kar 
Garden Memoirs, Vol. 4, “ Effects of the Rays of Radium on 
Plants,” by Dr. C. S. Gager, late director of the laboratories, was 
issued December 2, 1908; the volume is illustrated by 73 figures 
and 14 plates. 
Meteorology for December.—The total precipitation recorded 
for December was 2.32 inches. Maximum temperatures were 
recorded of 67.5° on the Ist, 54.7° on the 7th, 49.8° on the r4th, 
48.3" on the 2tst, and 49.7” on the 29th; also minimum tem- 
