August 31, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



269 



eussion of the future relations of the sec- 

 tion to the Botanical Society of America. 

 Professor George F. Atkinson was elected 

 secretary pro tempore in the absence of 

 Professor F. E. Lloyd. 



The principal feature of the meetings on 

 the following days were the splendid excur- 

 sions which had been arranged by the local 

 committee. Adequate transportation, well- 

 appointed lunches, and the presence of the 

 botanists of the botanical department of 

 Cornell University, who were familiar with 

 the flora, made these outings a very profit- 

 able feature, and called out an attendance 

 as large as that customarily seen at tech- 

 nical sessions. 



On Saturday, June 30, a party of twenty- 

 three visited the atoll moor near Chicago, 

 eighteen miles from Ithaca. For a distance 

 of twelve or fifteen miles on the route the 

 glacial 'dumps' or terminal moraines were 

 visible to the party, showing in many cases 

 the 'kettles' or 'pot holes' or 'cat holes,' 

 as they are variously termed, many of 

 which support characteristic moor vegeta- 

 tion. The atoll moor which was first visit- 

 ed was the site of a former large glacial 

 pond which is now nearly filled by the 

 growth of vegetation, there being a deep 

 central small pond and an outer moat con- 

 taining water at the shore of the original 

 pond. 



After lunch on the west bank of the moor 

 Professor Atkinson gave a brief talk de- 

 scribing the topography of the moor and 

 outlining the different theories which have 

 been suggested in explanation of the pe- 

 culiar topography which has been formed 

 by the vegetation filling in. Dr. Wiegand 

 called attention to the principal species of 

 plants and plant formations, pointing out 

 the work of each in moor formation. 



The party then explored the vegetation 

 of the border along one side, which is made 

 up of grasses, sedges and herbs. Here a 



large number of Uredinege were found 

 among which were five or six heteroecious 

 species with the ^cidial stage and the uredo 

 stage growing on adjacent hosts, as pointed 

 out by Dr. Arthur. The Cassandra forma- 

 tion, which covers the larger part of the 

 moor inside of the moat, was then explored. 

 In reaching this it was necessary to cross 

 the water in the outer moat and also a nar- 

 row elevated ridge just inside of this, which 

 for a great distance is covered by Spircea 

 saliccefolia. Among the Cassandra were 

 quantities of Sphagnum, and many other 

 plants lesser in number, as Andromeda 

 polifolia, Vaccinium, macrocarpon (cran- 

 berry), etc. 



From this moor the party was led to one 

 of the smaller and deep kettles, which con- 

 tains at this season but little water. The 

 zonal formation of the vegetation is also 

 characteristic here: the center is a sedge 

 and grass formation, the border an Isoetes 

 formation, which at this time was partly 

 submerged and partly on dry land. Be- 

 tween this and the central grass formation 

 were partially submerged aquatic plants. 



The party next drove to Malloryville 

 moor. On one of the banks of this moor is 

 a bed of Pteris aquUina (brake) which 

 every year presents numerous cases of 

 apospory, though the season was a little 

 early for good examples. This moor is a 

 high moor. The center is occupied with 

 Andromeda polifolia and scattering Cas- 

 sandra, with a deep bed of sphagnum. 

 Pitcher plants, orchids, etc., were observed. 

 Upon one side (south) the Andromeda is 

 each year attacked by a parasitic fungus, 

 Exohasidium, which causes a regular hyper- 

 trophy of the leaves. The affected shoots 

 are colored a bright red, and the leaves 

 instead of being thick, narrow and with 

 inroUed edges, are thinner, broadly ellip- 

 tical and flat, taking on exactly the shape 

 of the Cassandra leaves, so that but for the 



