The new division of Agrostology, established during the current fiscal 

 year has for its special work the scientific and economic study of the 

 grasses and others forage plants. In connection with this work it is 

 the purpose of the officers of the Division to establish " Experimental 

 Grass Stations " in which the study of particular species may be more 

 readily pursued. 



The division of Vegetable Pathology " has been broadened during 

 the year to include plant physiology," and the Secretary adds, " It is 

 believed that this will add materially to the value of the investiga- 



The abolition of the " Division of Microscopy " is announced. When 

 first established, twenty years ago microscopy "was considered a sepa- 

 rate branch of technology, but since that time the microscope has come 

 into daily, almost hourly, use in nearly all scientific laboratories." 

 The Secretary very properly concludes that a separate division is now 

 " an absurdity."— Charles E. Bessey. 



Notes on Recent Botanical Publications.— From the Divi- 

 sion of Botany of the TJ. S. Department of Agriculture we have John 

 M. Holzinger's " Report on a collection of Plants made by J. H. Sand- 

 berg and Assistants in Northern Idaho in the year 1892." Some new 

 species are described, viz., Cardamine leibergii (figured in Plate III as 

 C. sandbergii), Peueeda < contermina, 



Orthotrichum hokingerii, Bryum sandbergii, and Peronospora gilice. — 

 Another contribution from the same source is the "Report on Mexican 

 Umbellifera, mostly from the State of Oaxaca, recently collected by 

 C. C. Pringle and E. W. Nelson," by John M. Coulter and J. N. Rose. 

 As was to be expected, many new species were found in the collection. 

 — With the preceding paper is a smaller one by J. N. Rose, entitled 

 " Descriptions of plants, mostly new, from Mexico and the United 

 States" the new species from the United States are Ligusticum east- 

 woodce, from the La Plata Mts., Colorado; Vloea glauca, from Ore- 

 gon; and Thtirovia triflora, a curious Texan composite for which 

 a new genus had to be erected. — From the Field Columbian Mu- 

 seum we have C. F. Millspaugh's " Contribution to the Flora of 

 Yucatan," which is marked " Botanical Series, Vol. I, No. 1," of 

 the publications of this new centre of scientific activity. It includes 

 the results of an expedition to Yucatan made in January, 1895, to 

 which the author has added species compiled from Hemsley's Biologia 

 Centr alt- Americana.— M. E. Jones's "Contributions to Western 

 Botany," published in the Proceedings of the California Academy of 



