187 



Miss Mary E. S. Davidson reported observations when at 

 Wood's Hole this summer, upon an interesting green fungus, new 

 to that region, a Lactarius. 



Miss Catharine Murray spoke of her visit to the botanical 

 gardens at Kew, Brussels, Paris, etc. 



Mr. Eugene Smith, Miss L. K. Lawall, and others, spoke of 

 a number of localities for the fringed gentian near New York, 

 and of an increased attendance upon the summer excursions. 



Dr. MacDougal remarked upon the dissimilarity of the alpine 

 conditions of the Rockies from those of the White Mountains. 

 Tracts which in July in the rains of the White Mountains are 

 covered merely with green would have been blazing with flowers 

 if in the Rockies. 



Dr. Underwood spoke of the recognition among farmers about 

 Redding, Ct., of two types of the sweet flag, Acorns Calamus L., 

 that with a white root being in favor, that with a red root being 

 smaller and somewhat bitter, and with young leaves of a different 

 tone of color. 



Dr. Underwood also mentioned his finding young plants of the 

 date-palm coming up in railway rubble at South Norwalk, Ct. ; 

 similarly observed on garbage-heaps about New York by Mr. 

 Eugene Smith. He spoke also of the successful cultivation on 

 a lawn at Danbury, Ct., of our native orchid Cypripedium reginae 

 Walt., where in four years a cluster of three or four plants has 

 increased to forty. 



Dr. Underwood also referred to the Torrey Club's Fourth of 

 July excursion, when the Botanical Club of Syracuse provided 

 generous entertainment. The saline plants about Onondaga 

 Lake are disappearing and the refuse from the soda-ash process 

 is gradually filling up the lake. Where such plants as Salicornia 

 once occurred by the acre, there are now but few plants remaining. 



He referred also to his finding that BotrycJiium neglectnm and 

 B. lanceolatum still survive in the original locality where he first 

 found these small species some twenty-five years ago. 



Mrs. Britton reported upon observations on an interesting Vit- 

 taria brought by Dr. Evans from Porto Rico ; and upon forms 

 of Stachys found by her on Hempstead Plains in Long Island. 



