﻿38 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  The 
  James 
  Hall 
  Memorial 
  Tablet 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  seemed 
  appropriate 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Prof. 
  James 
  Hall's 
  

   active 
  associates 
  on 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  this 
  State 
  to 
  com- 
  

   memorate 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  his 
  important 
  work 
  by 
  the 
  erection 
  

   of 
  an 
  appropriate 
  if 
  modest 
  memorial. 
  Professor 
  Hall, 
  on 
  the 
  or- 
  

   g-anization 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  in 
  1836, 
  was 
  designated 
  as 
  

   assistant 
  to 
  Dr 
  Ebenezer 
  Emmons 
  in 
  the 
  latter's 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  

   second 
  or 
  northern 
  district 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  following 
  year 
  how- 
  

   ever 
  he 
  was 
  appointed 
  geologist 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  fourth 
  or 
  western 
  

   district. 
  Here 
  he 
  laid 
  the 
  foundation 
  not 
  alone 
  of 
  his 
  later 
  achieve- 
  

   ments 
  but 
  of 
  the 
  classification 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  series 
  

   of 
  geological 
  formations. 
  His 
  final 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  fourth 
  district 
  

   issued 
  in 
  1843 
  has 
  from 
  that 
  date 
  been 
  a 
  compendium 
  and 
  standard 
  

   exposition 
  of 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  on 
  this 
  foun- 
  

   dation 
  was 
  reared 
  the 
  superstructure 
  of 
  his 
  still 
  greater 
  accomp- 
  

   lishments 
  in 
  the 
  paleontology' 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  It 
  was 
  from 
  the 
  

   rocky 
  gorg-e 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  that 
  the 
  geologist 
  was 
  best 
  able 
  to 
  

   decipher 
  the 
  succession 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  strata 
  and 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  rock 
  

   cliffs 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  amid 
  the 
  very 
  picturesque 
  surround- 
  

   ings 
  of 
  Glen 
  Iris, 
  a 
  bronze 
  tablet 
  commemorative 
  of 
  these 
  facts 
  has 
  

   been 
  erected 
  with 
  the 
  approval 
  of 
  the 
  State's 
  trustees 
  of 
  Letch- 
  

   worth 
  Park, 
  The 
  American 
  Scenic 
  and 
  Historic 
  Preservation 
  

   Society. 
  

  

  Ill 
  

  

  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  BOTANIST 
  

   The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Botanist 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  has 
  been 
  chiefly 
  a 
  

   continuation 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  preceding 
  year. 
  It 
  has 
  consisted 
  

   of 
  the 
  collection 
  and 
  preparation 
  of 
  specimens 
  of 
  plants 
  for 
  the 
  

   herbarium, 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  descriptions 
  of 
  such 
  as 
  do 
  not 
  ap- 
  

   pear 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  described, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  

   colored 
  illustrations 
  of 
  them, 
  the 
  testing 
  of 
  the 
  edible 
  qualities 
  of 
  

   promising 
  species 
  and 
  the 
  identification 
  of 
  specimens 
  of 
  plants 
  

   brought 
  or 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  office 
  by 
  correspondents 
  and 
  others 
  who 
  have 
  

   desired 
  information 
  concerning 
  them. 
  A 
  constant 
  outlook 
  has 
  

   been 
  kept 
  for 
  indications 
  of 
  the 
  chestnut 
  disease 
  that 
  has 
  recently 
  

   attacked 
  chestnut 
  trees 
  with 
  destructive 
  consequence 
  in 
  the 
  parks 
  of 
  

   New 
  York 
  city 
  and 
  Brooklyn 
  and 
  their 
  vicinity. 
  A 
  special 
  trip 
  of 
  

   investigation 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  Dutchess 
  county, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  reported 
  

   as 
  the 
  most 
  northern 
  limit 
  known 
  of 
  its 
  occurrence. 
  No 
  indica- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  disease 
  was 
  found 
  there, 
  nor 
  in 
  the 
  counties 
  of 
  Albany, 
  

  

  