NEWS NOTES 



Mr. T. G. Harbison, curator of the herbarium of the Uni- 

 versity of North Carolina, died in January, He had collected 

 extensivel>' in the southeastern states, especially in the moun- 

 tains of North Carolina, where he had made his home for 

 nearly fifty years, and had published several articles in the 

 Biltmore Botanical Studies and elsewhere. He described sev- 

 eral new species, and had a few named for him. 



The Allegany School of Natural History, in addition to the 

 four regular seven- week college credit courses offered, plan a new 

 popular course, "Afield With Plants and Animals," in units 

 a week long for those with short vacations. This latter course 

 will be given by Dr. Albert E. Shadle, of the University of 

 Buffalo and Prof. William P. Alexander of the Buffalo Society 

 of Natural Sciences. 



The cypress swamp near Bucksville, Alabama, described by 

 Dr. Roland AL Harper in Torreya of October-November 1934, 

 has been recently lumbered and the best trees cut out. In his 

 article Dr. Harper expressed the fear that lumbermen might 

 invade this swamp. The fears have been realized sooner than 

 expected. 



During the latter half of April an exhibit of Colonial Folk 

 Arts and Customs Pertaining to Plants was held by the Na- 

 tional Committee on Folk Arts in the United States. The exhibit 

 was arranged by Mrs. Alice Earle Hyde. It included 175 speci- 

 mens of seeds of medicinal plants, pot-herbs and sweet herbs, 

 each with an attractive painting of the flower and fruit. Among 

 these are pure white closed gentian, Canadian thistle, and 

 cardinal flower, each of which had been seen for several succes- 

 sive years by Airs. Hyde. Other exhibits were a series of home- 

 made wines — cherry, blackberry, grape, strawberry and elder- 

 berry; medicinal "herb-teas" from boneset, sassafras, Joe Pye- 

 weed, wormwood, pumpkin seeds, etc.; "Aleeting seed and Sab- 

 bath day nibblins," — roots and seeds carried to church and nib- 

 bled during the long and often dreary sermons; sweet fern and 

 cornsilk "smokings"; divining rods of apple, witch hazel and 

 other woods; home made valentines of pressed flowers; and a 

 variety of others. 



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