NO. 12 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I917 29 



vail for 260 days per year, and skies not more than i/io cloudy 

 prevail over 300 days per year, at an elevation above 8,000 feet, with 

 sky of the deepest blue, the conditions are believed to be far the best 

 in the world for the study of the variability of the sun. 



It is now known that large fluctuations of the earth's temperature 

 and of barometric pressure, changes of the intensity of terrestrial 

 magnetism, variation of the numbers of sun spots and of the dis- 

 tribution of light over the sun's disk are all closely associated with 

 variations of the intensity of solar radiation. Even our understanding" 

 of the variability of the stars is likely to be improved by the study of 

 solar changes. All these and other probable applications of its results 

 enhance the interest and value of the proposed Chilean expedition. 



GRASSES OF THE ADIRONDACK AXD WHITE MOUNTAINS 



During the month of August, 191 7. Mr. A. S. Hitchcock, sys- 

 tematic agrostologist in the Department of Agriculture and custodian 

 of the section of grasses of the division of Plants in the U. S. National 

 JNIuseum. visited the Adirondacks in Xew York and the \\'hite Moun- 

 tains in New Hampshire for the purpose of studying" their flora, 

 especially the grasses of the alpine summits. In the Adirondacks his 

 headquarters were at Lake Placid from which point excursions were 

 made to the summits of W'hiteface and Mclntyre. the highest peaks in 

 the group with the exception of "Sli. ]\Iarcy. It was impracticable 

 to reach Mt. Marcy without the use of a camp outfit. This i)eak rises 

 to a height of 5,344 feet but Mt. ]\lclntyre is nearly as high (5,11.2 

 feet). Both !\lclntyre and W'hiteface extend above the timber line 

 and support at the summit an alpine flora. 



The White Mountains reach a somewhat greater altitude than the 

 Adirondacks, Mt. Washington, the highest ])eak. l)eing 6,2<}3 feet. 

 In the Mt. Washington grouj) there are several j^eaks whose summits 

 are aljove the timljer line. The al])ine flora of these i)eaks and of the 

 peaks of the .Xdirondacks are similar, and include i)lants that farther 

 north are tdund at a lower altitude or, in iht- Arciic regions, e\'en at 

 sea level. 



I'our days were spent investigating the llora of the peaks. The 

 ascent was commenced at Crystal Casc-adc on llic cast side, wlience 

 the trail led up 'i'uckerman l\a\inc to the summit of .Ml. W a>hiiigton, 

 thence down tf) Lakes-of-the-C jonils wlurc tlierc is an Appal.icliian 

 Mountain ( Inb hut tor the ari-oinnio(lalion of climbers. I'roni hrre 

 the head ol ( )akes (iulf was exploicd, '\'\\v -.croud da\ wa^ -]nnl 

 along the trail from Lakes-of-the-t loiids to the .\ll. .Madison Imt, 



