932 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIV. No. 887 



mos Club, Tuesday, December 5, 1911, at eight 

 o'clock. President W. A. Orton presided. Thirty- 

 three members trere present. 



The following papers were read: : 

 Thrips as Pollinators of Beets: Harry B. Shaw. 



Thrips tataci were observed to be numerous on 

 seed beets in Utah. They were always abundant 

 on flowering racemes, as many as 190 being col- 

 lected from one small branched raceme. They 

 were not observed to interfere with seed produc- 

 tion. On the contrary, it appeared more probable 

 that they acted as agents of pollination. An ex- 

 amination showed them to bear numerous pollen 

 grains scattered about their bodies, as many as 

 140 beet pollen grains being counted on one adult 

 thrips. An experiment, started August 7 and 8, 

 1911, under carefully arranged isolation conditions 

 on emasculated beet flowers, resulted in 17.2 per 

 cent, of the flowers to which thrips had been 

 introduced being fertilized and producing seed. 

 All the controls remained sterile. The conclusions 

 are that thrips are probably important beet pol- 

 linators; that they may act similarly with other 

 plants; that their absence or too small number 

 may account for the non-fertilization of flowers 

 in some localities and seasons; that they may 

 fertilize flowers under supposedly isolated condi- 

 tions and may even cross plants not regarded as 

 capable of being crossed by insects, e. g., barley; 

 and that they may also spread fungus spores and 

 bacteria. 

 Forest Types: Raphael Zon. 



A study , of Idaho forest types revealed three 

 main factors: (1) yellow pine-Douglas fir, (2) 

 cedar-hemlock, both climax types, and (3) pine- 

 larch, a transitory type. The first formation is 

 both a pioneer and climax type; the second is a 

 ■climax type preceded by the transition type, the 

 order of succession being first the larch (Larix 

 occidentalis) , then the white pine (Finns monti- 

 cola), and lastly the cedar {Thuja plicata), hem- 

 lock (Tsuga heterophylla) , and white fir (Abies 

 concolor) . 

 Phytochemical Studies on Cyanogen: Dr. C. L. 



Alsberg and O. F. Black (by invitation). 

 W. W. Stockbergee, 

 Corresponding Secretary 



THE TOEKEY BOTANICAL CLUB 



The meeting of October 10, 1911, was held at 

 the American Museum of Natural History at 8:15 

 P.M., President Eusby presiding. Forty persons 

 were present. 



The miDutes of the meetings of May 8 and May 

 31 were read and approved. Professor R. A. 

 Harper, Columbia University; Dr. C. W. Ballard, 

 115 W. 68th Street; F. D. Fromme, Columbia 

 University; A. B. Stout, New York Botanical 

 Garden, and Miss C. Eabinowitz, New York City, 

 were then proposed for membership. 



The report of the secretary on the method of 

 changing the day of a regular meeting was ac- 

 cepted. Dr. E. B. Southwick, chairman of the 

 field committee, reported progress. A similar re- 

 port was offered by Dr. Rusby, acting for the 

 committee to revise the constitution. 



Professor E. A. Harper, Dr. C. W. Ballard, F. 

 D. Fromme, A. B. Stout and Miss C. Rabinowitz 

 were elected to membership. 



The scientific program consisted of a lecture on 

 ' ' Some Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms, ' ' by 

 Dr. W. A. Murrill. The lecture was illustrated 

 with lantern slides which had been made from 

 photographs of specimens recently collected in the 

 vicinity of New York City and colored while the 

 specimens were in a fresh condition, thus enabling 

 the artists to reproduce the natural coloration of 

 the specimens photographed. The speaker stated 

 that the exceptionally large number of recent 

 deaths due to poisonous species of mushrooms was 

 no doubt attributable to the abundant crops of 

 Amanita phalloides and Amanita muscaria which 

 have followed the copious rainfall of this season. 

 Slides showing the poisonous species in several 

 stages of growtli were exhibited and the special 

 marks of identification were pointed out. Follow- 

 ing these were shown slides of some of the edible 

 mushrooms easily confused with the poisonous 

 varieties. The two most characteristic features 

 of the poisonous mushroom are the ' ' death cup ' ' 

 or volvas and the "ring" or annulus. The care- 

 less mushroom hunter may pull up a specimen, 

 leaving the volva still buried in the earth, or the 

 annulus, which is a more or less fragile structure, 

 may have already disappeared, and serious conse- 

 quences result from the oversight. 



Dr. Murrill wished to emphasize the fact that 

 there were no rules or tests that could be applied 

 with certainty. It is necessary that one gathering 

 mushrooms for eating purposes should confine hie 

 operations to such species as he knows intimately 

 in all their various forms. 



The lecture was discussed by Dr. H. H. Rusby, 

 Dr. Thomas, E. B. Southwick and E. C. Edwards. 

 B. O. Dodge, 



Secretary 



