98 



from statements in geological literature that a rock similar to 

 the Altamaha Grit occurs in several places in Louisiana (possibly 

 also in Texas), and it is in just such places that the plant should 

 be sought. 



Its eastern limit may be placed at the Ohoopee River in Geor- 

 gia, at least until the mystery of the type-locality is solved. 

 Now it happens that Nuttall was in all probability the first 

 botanist who ever saw an outcrop of Altamaha Grit;* and know- 

 ing this, one might jump to the conclusion that he really found 

 the plant in Georgia, and ascribed it to New Jersey through a 

 mixture of labels or an error of his printers. But unfortunately 

 for this theory, the supposed date of his exploration of the 

 Altamaha Grit country is several years subsequent to the 

 publication of his "Genera"; although it would appear from 

 statements in this book (i : 231, for instance) that he had already 

 visited Augusta and Savannah. 



University, Alabama. 



NEWS ITEMS 



The old house in which Asa Gray lived for forty years, in the 

 botanic garden of Harvard University, is to be taken down to 

 avoid the danger from fire to the adjacent Gray Herbarium. 

 This building, for many years the home of the university herba- 

 rium and of Dr. Gray's collections, is to be rebuilt elsewhere 

 without much change in its form. 



Dr. and Mrs. N. L. Britton have returned from a collecting 

 trip to Cuba where explorations have been carried on in connec- 

 tion with the studies on the West Indian flora. Most of the 

 collections were made in the western end of the island. 



Mr. Lowell M. Palmer has given the Brooklyn Botanic Garden 

 a collection of evergreens consisting of over five hundred plants. 

 Many of these are rare forms in cultivation and their acquirement 

 through the generosity of Mr. Palmer, will materially increase 

 the beauty and educational value of the new garden's collections. 



*See Torreya 4: 138-141. 1904. 



