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region. On motion the application was endorsed as requested, 

 and ordered forwarded to the secretary of the Scientific Alliance. 



The first paper of the scientific program was by Dr. W. A. 

 Cannon, " Notes on the Vegetation of Roan Mountain." It was 

 illustrated by numerous herbarium specimens and by a black- 

 board chart of the region showing the position and relative size 

 of the different plant formations. Of these the author recognizes 

 four : First, the deciduous forests, occupying the lower slopes of 

 the. mountains; second, the coniferous forests, balsam and spruce, 

 mostly confined to northern exposures at an elevation of 5,500 

 feet and above ; third, the frutescent or shrub formation lying 

 above the conifers and occupying part of the higher summits ; 

 and fourth, the meadows or "balds" covered with grasses and 

 herbaceous plants that occupy the remainder of the high summits. 



Roan mountain is situated in extreme western North Carolina, 

 between the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains. Its 

 highest elevation is 6,400 feet. It seems to be a meeting place 

 for mists and storms, the summit being veiled in masses of clouds 

 for a considerable part of the time. During the summer of Dr. 

 Cannon's stay on the mountain, there were only eleven entirely 

 clear days during July and but seven during August. This 

 ensures a very moist atmosphere and a cool comparatively even 

 temperature, the average daily range being only 15°. These 

 conditions seem particularly favorable to plant growth, since none 

 of the dwarfing effect on vegetation usually found at high alti- 

 tudes was observed except on a few areas of very sterile soil. 

 As a rule the plants were as large and vigorous as those found 

 at lower levels. 



Extensive lists of the plants characteristic of the different 

 formations were given. It was noted that the rare Gray's lily 

 has become almost extinct and that only a few scattered clumps 

 remain of the local Scdwn Roancnsc. 



The second paper was by S. H. Burnham, entitled " Observa- 

 tions on Some of the Plants of the Yosemite Valley and 

 Vicinity." The author described a vacation camping trip under- 

 taken by himself and four others, during the summer of 1894. 

 Starting from Stanford University, they crossed parts of the 



