158 



have by human interference been brought back to or near the 

 starting point. In this connecction, some studies have been 

 made upon the stony summit of Dibble Mountain in the Cat- 

 skills and upon certain burned areas in the Adirondacks. The 

 sand barren vegetation of the Plattsburgh, Schenectady, Car- 

 thage and Oneida Lake districts is considered in this connection. 

 The so-called "plains" on the Oswegatchie south of Wanakena 

 are to be regarded as a heath-like aspect of sand barren vege- 

 tation. The suggestion is ventured that the abandoned or 

 deteriorated hill farms of Broome, Delaware and other counties 

 of southern New York with their covering of Polytrichum fern 

 or Comptonia are in effect heath-like aspects of vegetation 

 brought about first by the removal of the climax forest and its 

 humus ground cover and secondly by the method of farming 

 and the resulting puddled or acid soils. That is to say they are 

 a feature of xerarch succession which might be supposed to cul- 

 minate again ultimately in the climax forest type which within 

 fifty or a hundred years occupied those hill lands. 



Adjournment followed. 



B. O. Dodge, 



Secretary 

 March 31, 1915 



The meeting of March 31, 1915, was held in the morphological 

 laboratory of the New York Botanical Garden at 3:30 P.M., 

 with President Harper in the chair. Twenty-five persons were 

 present. 



The minutes of the meeting of February 24 were read and 

 approved. 



Dr. M. A. Graham, 127 Kensington Avenue, Jersey Heights, 

 N. J.; Miss Olga Hinsberg, 1285 Hoe Avenue, New York City, 

 and Mr. E. C. Wurzlow, Houma, Louisiana, were elected to 

 membership. 



The Chairman of the Budget Committee presented a report 

 summarizing the budget proposed for the current year, which 

 was adopted. 



A paper on "The Slime Moulds" was presented by Dr. Edgar 

 W. Olive, of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The group was 



