900 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIH. No. 990 



"The Chestnut Blight Disease," by Dr. Haven 

 Metealf. 



"Photographs of Buekthorn Acaeias, " by Mr. 

 W. E. Safford. 



The ninety-first regular meeting of the Botanical 

 Society of Washington was held in the assembly 

 room of the Cosmos Club at 8 o' clock p.m., Tues- 

 day, November 4, 1913, with forty-six members 

 and five guests present. 



Dr. Harry B. Humphreys and Messrs. G. C. 

 Husmann and K. J. J. Lotsy were elected to mem- 

 bership. 



The action of the retiring executive committee 

 relative to giving a dinner in honor of the seven- 

 tieth birthday of Dr. Edward L. Greene was called 

 to the attention of the Society by the President, 

 and a committee was appointed to arrange the de- 

 tails. 



The following scientific program was presented: 



Abbreviations used in the Citation of Botanical 

 Literature: Professor A. S. Hitchcock. 

 Professor Hitchcock pointed out the different 

 methods used for abbreviating citations, the ex- 

 treme contraction on the one hand, such as 

 "O B Z" (Oesterreiehische Botanische Zeit- 

 sehrift), and on the other the elaborate citations 

 used by some authors in the Pflanzenreich. Ab- 

 breviations should be brief as possible consistent 

 with clearness, but should follow a definite system. 

 The speaker described the system followed in ab- 

 breviating citations used in the Contributions from 

 the U. S. National Herbarium. The record of au- 

 thorized abbreviations of authors and titles is in- 

 dexed in a card catalogue. Authors consult this 

 record when preparing manuscript for publication, 

 thus aiding the editor in securing uniformity. 



Non-parasitic Foliage Injury: Me. Cakl P. Hart- 

 ley. 



Notes were given on the effects of drouth and 

 storm on leaves of ornamental trees at Washing- 

 ton, D. C, for the past season. June and July 

 were hot and dry, with but 35 per cent, of normal 

 rainfall. Norway maple, especially in street 

 planting, suffered most from drouth, the margins 

 of leav'es being killed; in the worst cases whole 

 leaves except parts immediately adjoiaing the 

 veins died. Most other trees, including Acer rub- 

 rum, escaped serious leaf injury. A northeast 

 storm with hail and a 66-mile wind at the end of 

 July injured many species, especially sugar maple 

 and American basswood. The storm injury to 

 maple resulted in the death of large parts of 

 leaves at the margins and between the veins, with- 



out laceration or other external indication of me- 

 chanical injury. These storm-injured maple 

 leaves could be distinguished from those hurt by 

 drouth only by their limitation to parts of trees 

 especially exposed to the northeast storm. 



Pitfalls in Plant Pathology: Dr. H. W. Wollen- 



VTEBEK (with lantern). 



A revision of the hundreds of species of Fiisa- 

 rium in literature has led the writer to believe 

 that the genus Fusarium contains only 30 to 50 

 different forms. To convince himself of this fact 

 he intends to compare his pure culture strains with 

 species of the important exsiccata collections of 

 the old world. 



A sharp criticism was given to mycologists who 

 send unreliable specimens to the international 

 " Pilzcentrale " in Amsterdam. Many errors are 

 caused by the earlier opinion that Fusaria, as a 

 rule, are adapted to one particular host.i 



Sections of a Fossil Wood from Asphalt Lake 

 near Los Angeles, Cal. {specimens) : De. Albert 

 Mann. 



Thin sections of the petrified wood were exhib- 

 ited under a microscope which showed fungus 

 hyphee. Brief notes were given as to the apparent 

 method of the growth of the fungus and the pos- 

 sible identification of the tree was discussed. 



P. L. RiCKEE, 



Corresponding Secretary 



THE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETT, UNIVEESITY OF VIR- 

 GINIA, MATHEMATICAL AND SCIENTIFIC 

 SECTION 



The first- meeting of the session of 1913-14 of 

 the Mathematical and Scientific Section was held 

 October 20. 



The following ofiicers were elected to serve for 

 the session: Chairman, Professor W. S. Rodman; 

 Secretary, Professor L. G. Hoxton; Publication 

 Committee, Professor W. H. Echols, Professor Thos. 

 L. Watson, Professor Wm. A. Kepner. 



Professor W. H. Echols read a paper "On the 

 Expansion of a Function in Terms of Rational 

 Fimctions. ' ' 



Professor S. A. Mitchell presented a report of 

 work done on an eclipse expedition to Spain. 



L. G. Hoxton, 



Secretary 



UNIVEESITY OF VIRGINIA 



1 Lantern slides were shown to illustrate the 

 difficulties the taxonomist meets, and these were 

 explained and discussed. 



