98 



mittee on arrangements for the celebration of the tenth anniver- 

 sary of the commencement of work in the development of the 

 New York Botanical Garden. 



President Rusby, in the absence of the chairman of the field 

 committee, briefly outlined the program for the spring excursions. 

 Dr. D. T. MacDougal was appointed by the president as second 

 representative of the Club at the coming celebration, at Philadel- 

 phia, of the birth of Benjamin Franklin. 



Mr. Percy Wilson was appointed chairman of the field com- 

 mittee in place of Mr. Eugene Smith, resigned. 



The Honorable Addison Brown w^as appointed one of the del- 

 egates to the Council of the Scientific Alliance, and Mrs. N. L. 

 Britton was appointed a member of the committee to arrange for 

 the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the commencement of 

 work in the development of the New York Botanical Garden, in 

 place of Dr. D. T. MacDougal, resigned. 



The scientific program was an illustrated lecture, by Dr. Henry 

 Kraemer, of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, on "An Ex- 

 periment in the Growing of Wild Plants, and a Plea for the Preser- 

 vation of our Native Woodlands." 



The experiments in the growing of wild plants were carried on 

 in what would usually be considered a very unfavorable situation 

 — namely, a narrow strip of ground about 60 feet long and 

 varying from 1 7 to 3 1 inches wide on the northern side of a city 

 house where the space between any two houses is not more than 

 8 feet in width, so that it receives very little direct sunlight. 

 Below the thin coating of sod the substratum is composed 

 mostly of debris from the building operations, such as pieces of 

 tin, bricks, slate and pebbles. For two years an attempt was 

 made to grow grass on this strip, but without success. 



In 1903 a number of wild plants, including diminutive trees, 

 small shrubs and perennial herbaceous plants, in all about a 

 hundred species, were added. The plants have been distributed 

 so as to give the best ornamental effect. At intervals of several 

 feet through the middle of the strip the small trees and shrubs 

 and larger herbaceous perennials, as blue cohosh and black 

 snake -root, are planted. Between these are the smaller plants, 



