896 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 388. 



ization was similar to that of the seminar, 

 but differed in having a corps of regular 

 officers. 



Dr. E. L. Greene was elected as the first 

 president and Mr. C. L. Pollard as the first 

 secretary, and they were retained in these 

 offices until the society disbanded, when the 

 Washington Botanical Society was organ- 

 ized. 



TheBotanical Seminar and Botanical Club 

 worked harmoniously and well for a few 

 years, but the rapidly increasing number 

 of botanists in Washington rendered it de- 

 sirable that a general society should be or- 

 ganized in which all of the botanists could 

 be brought together at least occasionally. 

 Private houses were in general found to be 

 too small to accommodate comfortably even 

 a membership of twenty-five, to which the 

 seminar was limited, and numerous botan- 

 ists of equal professional rank were ask- 

 ing for admission. 



The organization of the Botanical 

 Society of Washington was finally effected 

 by a resolution of the constituent societies 

 at a joint meeting held November 28, 1901. 

 The course of events leading up to this ac- 

 tion was as follows : 



As a result of the general sentiment in 

 favor of consolidation the Botanical Semi- 

 nar appointed a committee consisting of 

 Messrs. H. J. Webber, 0. F. Cook and M. B. 

 Waite, and the Botanical Club a committee 

 consisting of Messrs. C. L. Pollard, David 

 White and William R. Maxon, to consider 

 plans of organization. As a result of the 

 deliberation of the committee a plan of 

 organization was devised and a joint meet- 

 ing of the two societies was called at which 

 the organization was perfected and the 

 following constitution was adopted: 



CONSTITUTION. 



Article I. 

 The name of this Society shall be the Botanical 

 Society of Washington. 



Article II. 

 The object of this Society shall be the exposi- 

 tion and discussion of the results of botanical in- 

 vestigations, and the promotion of social inter- 

 course among the members. 



Article III. 

 The members of the Society shall be residents 

 of Washington or vicinity having a professional 

 interest in botanical science. 



Article IV. 



1. The officers of the Society shall consist of a 

 President, a Vice-President, a Recording Secre- 

 tary, a Corresponding (secretary and a Treasurer. 

 These officers shall constitute the Executive Com- 

 mittee. 



2. Officers shall be elected annually by ballot, 

 and shall hold office until their successors are 

 elected. The Executive Committee shall have 

 power to fill vacancies until the next annual elec- 

 tion. 



Article V. 



This Constitution may be amended at any regu- 

 lar meeting by a two thirds' vote of the total mem- 

 bership, written notice of the proposed amend- 

 ment having been submitted at the preceding regu- 

 lar meeting. Absent members may register their 

 votes by letter. 



The first officers of the society, elected at 

 the same meeting, were as follows: Presi- 

 dent, Albert P. Woods; Vice-President, F. 

 V. Coville ; Recording Secretary, C. L. Pol- 

 lard; Corresponding Secretary, Herbert J. 

 Webber; Treasurer, Walter H. Evans. 



One novel feature of the society is that 

 while the president presides at all business 

 meetings and represents the Society offi- 

 cially as in ordinary societies, spice is given 

 to the scientific programs by the by-law 

 which provides that 'the scientific program 

 of each regular meeting shall be conducted 

 by a Chairman of Program; and that the 

 same Chairman shall not preside over more 

 than one meeting during the year. ' 



Meetings are held monthly and each 

 meeting is preceded by an informal dinner 

 at the regular dinner hour, 5 :30 p.m. The 

 following is a list of the present members 

 of the Society : 



