70 



A strongly marked characteristic of the natural Japanese 

 forest is the great diversity of species found in the same area, 

 due perhaps to the intermingHng of forms from both the north- 

 ern and the southern mainland. The most luxuriant forest 

 growth is seen towards the north. 



At the end of the talk a number of pictures were shown 

 with the epidiascope. They were mainly taken from Professor 

 Miyoshi's plates illustrating the flora of Japan, being supple- 

 mented by photographs and some of the old color prints of 

 Hiroshige. 



Marshall A. Howe 

 Secretary. 



Meeting of April 26, 1922 



The meeting was held under the joint auspices of the Torrey 

 Botanical Club, the New York Bird and Tree Club, and the 

 Wild Flower Preservation Society of America. Some of the 

 members of these organizations met at the Museum of the New 

 York Botanical Garden at 11 A. M. and viewed birds, trees, 

 and flowers on the Garden grounds under the guidance of Dr. 

 G. Clyde Fisher, Dr. W. A. Murrill, and Mr. Percy Wilson. 

 The meetings were held in the afternoon in the Mansion of the 

 New York Botanical Garden, beginning at 2 :30. 



The first part of the program consisted of an illustrated 

 lecture on "Woodland Wild Flowers" by Dr. Edgar T. Wherry 

 of Washington, D. C. 



The wild flowers found in woods may grow there because of 

 favorable conditions of shade, climate or moisture, but the re- 

 action of the soil i's also an important factor. The leaves, 

 twigs and bark of trees are often slightly acid in their living 

 condition. When they fall to the ground, they are attacked by 

 micro-organisms, some of which change the cellulose and other 

 carbohydrates into acids, while others produce only carbon 

 dioxide and water which escape leaving behind the alkaline ash 

 constituents of the vegetable matter. Whether the forest litter 

 in a given locality shall become acid or alkaline depends, ac- 

 cordingly, on which type of organism chances to predominate 

 there. The mineral soil beneath may also have a modifying 

 influence. The fixation of atmospheric nitrogen and the ren- 



