MEETING OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 3 
"Philippine Micromycetous Fungi," by Professor Paul Weide- 
meyer Graff. (Read by title in absence of the author.) 
“А method of teaching economic botany," by Professor Edward 
S. Burgess. (Read by title in absence of the author.) 
After the presentation of the above, papers, adjournment was 
made to the Columbia University Faculty Club, where dinner was 
served to thirty-seven persons. Following the dinner, there was 
an informal discussion of the proposal to establish in America a 
Botanical Abstract Journal. 
Dr. W. A. MurRILL, editor of Mycologia, introduced the sub- 
ject of the evening by referring to correspondence with Dr. 
Donald Reddick, editor of Phytopathology, and by outlining vari- 
ous phases of the subject that seemed to need discussion at this 
time. He spoke of the work already done by the Bulletin of the 
Torrey Botanical Club, Mycologia, and Phytopathology, in con- 
nection with the indexing and abstracting of botanical literature. 
Applied botany, according to Dr. Murrill, is now looked after 
pretty well by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, but the Gov- 
.ernment's work in this line could hardly be extended to include 
purely scientific articles. Original articles are now going begging, 
especially costly illustrated ones. It might be possible to reduce 
the pressure on existing journals by greatly condensing some of 
these articles and preventing the duplication of material in various 
publications. To make a new abstract journal a success would 
require a paid board of editors, and a prompt, complete, and ac- 
curate account of all botanical publications. This would be a 
very expensive and arduous undertaking and such a journal would 
have to compete with the Botanisches Centralblatt when the war 
is over. 
Dr. C. Stuart GAGER, in emphasizing the need of such a pub- 
lication as “Botanical Abstracts," referred to the inadequacy of 
the botanical portion of Experiment Station Record, on account of 
its omissions, and its custom of translating all foreign-language 
titles into English, thereby making citations.difficult. Reference 
was also made to the recent enormous increase in the bulk of bo- 
tanical publication, rendering it practically impossible for any one 
to keep in touch with the literature by depending on original 
sources. The opinion was expressed that the “Abstracts” should 
not endeavor to be full enough to render the reading of the original 
papers unnecessary (as one speaker had suggested). Lack of 
funds seems to be the only obstacle to launching the enterprise, 
and no adequate source of funds seems to be in sight. 
Mr. Ховмах TAYLOR, editor of Torreya, made the suggestion: 
