*J0 Joint BULLETINS 4 and 5 



reported that this fern grows always in the vicinity of butternut trees 

 and at a high elevation. The picnic table, decorated in patriotic colors 

 and filled with tempting and experimental delicacies, was not the least 

 of the attractions of this meeting. 



The September and October meetings were combined, and by in- 

 vitation met with Mrs. W. H. Moore of Woodstock. Mrs. A. B. Morgan 

 read a paper on "Definite Ecological Studies," which gave a careful ' 

 exposition of the plants, animals and insects with their inter-relations 

 as observed at "The Highlands" for the past nine years. Fully illus- 

 trated by fresh and mounted specimens, it conveyed a clear idea of 

 ecology. 



Mrs. W. E. Mack, who has a large herb garden, made her paper on 

 "Garden Herbs: Their Culture and Use'' highly instructive by an ac- 

 count of actual experiences, and a basket heaped high with bunches 

 of fragment herbs caused exclamations of wonder and pleasure. Con- 

 tributions by members included Mithridates paste, a compound of rue, 

 juniper berries, figs and walnuts, rose conserve, rose drops and mint 

 recipes. These gave spice to the occasion, which was one of the most 

 delightful ever held by the club. 



A WORD CONCERNING XANTHIUMS 



Nellie F. Flynn 



The Xanthiums, or clotburrs are the subject of a monograph by 

 Dr. Millspaugh and Mr. Sheriff of Chicago, which is now in the hands 

 of the printer. 



I collected a bundle of the plants early in September, 1918, in re- 

 sponse to an inquiry of Dr. Brainerd for information regarding a cer- 

 tain species which had been collected by him and Prof. L. R. Jones 

 on the shore of Lake Champlain in Burlington. My specimens, except 

 a few collected in another locality, were all growing in a space of less 

 than a mile and the monographers reported that I had five good 

 species, a surprisingly large number for one locality. 



They mentioned X. leptoearpum* X. cnrvescens and X. chinense. 

 It will be interesting for the members of the club to oe on the lookout 

 for different forms of this genus in order that it may be given critical 

 study in Vermont. The plants may be found on the shores of lakes, 

 ponds and rivers and in waste places. 



