July 12, 1901.] 



SCIENCE. 



69 



aiul Johu K. Prather, tellers, Presideut Har- 

 per announced that the following persons 

 had been duly elected oflScers of the Academy 

 for the year 1901-1902 : President, Professor 

 James C. Nagle of the Agricultural and Me- 

 chanical College of Texas, College Station ; 

 Vice-President, Dr. Henry Winston Harper, of 

 the University of Texas ; Treasurer, Mr. E. A. 

 Thompson, Engineer to the State Railroad Com- 

 mission ; Secretarj^, Dr. Frederic W. Simonds, 

 of the University of Texas; Librarian, Dr. 

 William L. Bray, of the University of Texas ; 

 Other Members of the Council, Hon. Arthur 

 Lefevre, State Superintendent of Public In- 

 struction, and Professors Taylor and Wheeler, 

 of the University. 



Frederic W. Simonds, 



Secretary. 



THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. 



At the meeting of the Club on May 24, 1901, 

 the scientific program consisted of a paper by 

 Dr. H. M. Richards on ' The Botanical Estab- 

 lishments at Buiteuzorg and Tjibodas in Java,' 

 illustrated by numerous photographs, including 

 views of the entrance to the botanic garden and 

 of species growing within, of large lianas afoot 

 in diameter, of the nutmeg, jackfruit, etc., of a 

 tapioca plantation, beautiful treefern groves 

 with alsophilas40 feet high, etc. Dr. Richards 

 described his journey by train from Batavia 40 

 miles to Buitenzorg among the foothills of the 

 western mountains. The Botanical Garden of 

 Buitenzorg is at an elevation of over 900 feet, 

 and therefore much cooler than the coast low- 

 lands, the thermometer rarely going below 80° 

 or above 90° F. ; rain falls almost every day 

 and almost uniformly through the year ; the 

 forenoon is bright and clear ; the conditions for 

 plant growth are very much as in a hothouse. 

 A smoldering volcano rises on one side and an 

 extinct one on the other, with a very variable 

 river between. 



The history of the Garden dates from Sir 

 Stamford Raffles, British governor, who made a 

 picturesque park about 1811 about his palace, 

 of which the Garden shows some remnants. 

 The Rafflesia, which perpetuates his name, is 

 but occasionally to be seen, and although the 

 Garden endeavors to maintain examples of 



growth, none were to be had at the time of Dr. 

 Richards' visit. Since the present directorship, 

 about 1880, the Garden has been greatly stimu- 

 lated. Dr. Lotze, formerly at the Johns Hop- 

 kins University, is now one of the staff there. 

 The eight laboratory tables for foreign workers 

 were well filled. Much valuable work has 

 been done of immediate agricultural utility ; it 

 is here that the Cinchona was acclimated from 

 South America to replace the coffee industry, 

 the coffee plants having been destroyed by a 

 fungus. Experiments toward finding a new 

 rubber supply are in progress, and others to im- 

 prove vanilla and cocaine production. The 

 Malay workmen who fertilize the vanilla plant 

 by hand prove very skilful. About 30 Euro- 

 peans and 200 natives form the garden force. 

 In the Botanical Garden proper the orders are 

 not grown in exact sequence, but are grouped 

 and marked off by letters ; two specimens of 

 each species are grown ; one at least of these is 

 labeled; if grown away from its congeners that 

 fact is indicated by use of a red label. Many 

 screwpines which belong to the salt or brackish 

 water of the coast grow well here in the garden 

 soil. The palm collection is one of the largest 

 in the world ; notable features are its specimens 

 ofAj-eca and of Livistona. Down by a brook is a 

 fine Casuarina collection, the Javanese species 

 of which forms large foi-ests on the upper hills 

 resembling northern larch forests. The Ficus 

 group is abundant and supplies the favorite 

 shade tree for Javanese streets. Orchids hang 

 especially from trees of the leguminous type, as 

 Amherstia, Csesalpinia, etc. These trees are 

 very like candelabra in direction and so ex- 

 pose a reduced surface to the excess of light. 



The mountain-garden at Tjibodas, at an ele- 

 vation of about 4,500 feet, affords the neces- 

 sary complement to the botanical garden 

 proper. Dr. Richards found it cool enough 

 after the afternoon rain to make a fire very 

 welcome. Good potatoes are raised there, and 

 on the journey up one passes paddy-fields and 

 tea-plantations, including that from which 

 came the Javanese villagers at the Chicago 

 fair. A great jungle of 700 acres extends up 

 to the mountain- top, through which the ascent 

 was taken at 3 A. m. by torchlight, to get the 

 sunrise view. Here tropical oaks develop 



