652 General Notes. [August, 
and produce a new set of the plants. But this did not occur, and 
in many meadows where the clover had been thickest, there were 
bare patches of ground all summer long. As clover is usually 
sown with timothy (Phleum pratense), this last species thickened 
up and largely supplied its place, so that the hay crop was gener- 
ally a fine one. During the spring of 1$80 there was less than 
the usual amount of moisture in the soil, while the summer and 
early autumn were excessively dry. This diminution of moisture 
no doubt kept the clover seeds from germinating until this spring, 
when the ground is full of moisture. To the surprise of most 
people now, after the seeds have lain upon the ground two win- 
ters and one summer, they have germinated, and promise to 
make our meadows as luxuriant with clover as they were in 1879, 
and previous years! The little plants have sprung up by millions, 
simultaneously with that sown only a few weeks ago. They are 
so numerous that probably not one in a score will live. But 
through the unerring processes of “natural selection,” only the 
fittest will survive; and what is of more practical moment, this 
unlooked for result will gladden the hearts of our farmers, who 
were sorely disappointed in the spring of 1880, to find that their 
clover did not wake up from its long winter sleep.— Charles Ald- 
rich, Webster City, lowa, May 17, 1881. 
Sets or NortH AmMERrIcAN Arca.—Several years ago Dr. 
Farlow, Dr. Anderson and Professor Eaton began the publication 
of sets of the marine algz of the eastern and western coasts 0 
North America. The first fasciculus of fifty species appeared in 
1877; the second also containing fifty species in 1878; the third 
containing thirty species in 1879. The fourth fasciculus has just 
been issued (June), and like the first and second, it.-includes fifty 
species. It may well be said that it is impossible for any one t0 
get anywhere more satisfactory representatives of the one hun- 
dred and eighty species already included in this important distri- 
bution, Not only are the specimens all that can be desired, but 
the eminent qualifications of the editors for this work, give an Uh 
usual value and high authenticity to the sets. We are glad to 
learn that this work has been fully appreciated by botanists, an 
botanists in charge of college herbaria could hardly do better than 
to secure one or more of them, especially Fasciculus 111, which 
2 or mainly of the larger species, such as Sargassum ” 
ts alles, 
