586 The American Naturalist. [July, 
The second set is published by G. V. Nash, of Washington, D. C., 
and includes the same number of specimens. A glance at the list 
shows it to include many rare and a considerable number of new spe- 
cies. Either set would be a valuable acquisition to any college herba- 
rium.—CHARLES E. Bessey. 
Botany in Buffalo.—The Secretary of the Section of Botany (G) 
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Professor 
George F. Atkinson, of Ithaca, N. Y., is making an effort to provide a 
good programme for the meeting in August (24 to 28). Titles and 
abstracts of papers are to be sent to the Secretary not later than July 
1, in order that they may be arranged and forwarded to the Permanent 
Secretary of the Association for printing and distribution. It is the 
purpose of the Association to issue such a list of Section programmes 
not less than a month preceding the meeting. Let every botanist who 
has something of importance send in his title and abstract on or before 
the first day of July. 
The second annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America 
which will be held on August 21 and 22, in connection with the Asso- 
ciation, should attract a good number of the more advanced men in 
the science. Dr. Trelease, the retiring president, will deliver his ad- 
dress on “ Botanical Opportunity ” at 8 P. M. of the 21st. On the 22d 
there will be forenoon and afternoon sessions for the reading of papers 
and discussions—Caar.es E. Bessey 
Blanks for ‘‘ Plant Analysis.’’—For some time there has been 
an encouraging decrease in the annual crop of blanks for “ plant analy- 
sis,” and we hoped to be able soon to announce the complete extinction 
of the species. It appears, however, that there are certain intellectual 
soils in which they still thrive, in spite of the fact that, like the Rus- 
sian Thistle, they are outlawed in most communities. We have before 
us two which bear the date 1896, one from U. O. Cox, of Mankato, 
Minnesota, and the other from H. J. Harnly, of McPherson, Kansas. 
If one may distinguish between things which are necessarily bad, it 
may be said that the first is the better of the two. Its fault (which is 
fatal) is that it enables the pupil to “analyze” a plant with the least 
possible thinking: he does not have to remember anything ; he merely 
reads the question, looks at his plant, and makes his entry on the proper 
line. The second blank (which is “copyrighted ”) adds to the fore- 
going much which is confusing and scientifically vicious. Thus the 
pupil finds the questions “ Flowers, Regular or Irregular? Why?” 
which he is expected to answer in a line just two and a half inches long! 
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