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Mr. Thomas Howell, the well-known Oregon botanist, died 

 December 3, 1912. He was born in Missouri on October 9, 1842, 

 and was consequently in his 71st year at the time of his death. 

 He was a pioneer of Oregon, moving there in 1850. He devoted 

 many years of his life to the study of the flora of Oregon, tramping 

 over nearly every portion of the State. His knowledge of the 

 northwestern flora is embodied in the work entitled The Flora 

 of Northwestern America. Perhaps the most noteworthy dis- 

 covery of Mr. Howell was the finding of Picea Breweriana, a 

 very local tree and the last of the Pacific Coast conifers to be 

 discovered. 



The Philadelphia Natural History Society announces the 

 following lectures of interest to botanists: February 20, "The 

 Arum Family," by Lydia P. Borden; April 17, "Fresh Water 

 Algae," by George B. Kaiser; May 15, "Mountain Plants," by 

 Lillie M. Jenkins; September 18, "Chemistry of Plant Life," 

 by Charles H. La Wall. The lectures will be held at the Wagner 

 Free Institute of Science, 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue, 

 Philadelphia. Dr. John W. Harshberger is president of the 

 society. 



Professor A. S. Hitchcock, systematic agrostologist, U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture has returned from the West Indies. 

 He visited Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago and, incidentally, Carti- 

 gena and Puerto de Columbia. In Jamaica, 643 numbers of 

 grasses were obtained, representing about 168 species, and in- 

 cluding all except four of the species known from this island, and 

 many species not hitherto recorded. From Trinidad 337 

 numbers were collected, representing 140 species, and from 

 Tobago 90 numbers representing 65 species. Mr. Hitchcock 

 was successful in re-collecting nearly all the species whose type 

 localities are in these islands. 



Mr. James E. Weaver, instructor in botany in the State 

 College of Washington, by act of the Board of Regents, has been 

 advanced to the position of assistant professor of plant physiology 

 and ecology. 



