824 The American Naturalist. [September, 
The session opened on Thursday, August 17, with the address of the 
Vice-President on “Evolution and Classification,” the burden of 
which was that in the present classification, of the higher plants espe- 
cially, the facts of evolution are practically ignored. 
On Friday papers as follows were read : 
G. F. Arxrnson, Photography as a means for recording the macro- 
scopic characters of micro-organisms in artificial cultures. The author 
detailed his method of securing good photographs by means of oblique 
light in connection with a black card interposed between the object 
and the source of light. 
G. F. ArkiNsoN, Symbiosis in the roots of Ophioglosses. A fun- 
gus appears to be present in the cortical tissues of the roots of all the 
species examined. 
B. T. GALLoway, Observations on a rust affecting the leaves of the 
Jersey or Scrub Pine. This was a discussion of the structure of the 
normal and diseased leaves, and an account of the mode of infection 
by the parasite, Coleosporium pini. 
W. J. Beat, Prophylla of Graminex. Illustrated by drawings and 
sketches. % 
CnanLrs R. Barnes, On the food of green plants. This was one 
of the most carefully written papers presented during the meetings. 
The author proposed a sharper separation of the operations concerned 
in the nutrition of plants, as follows: (1) Photosyntaz, for the fixa- 
tion of carbon by chlororphyll; (2) Digestion and (3) Assimilation. 
The publication of this paper will be looked for with interest. 
J. CHRISTIAN Bay, A new infection needle for the study of lower 
plants. Illustrated by sketches and examples. 
G. F. Arkryson, Comparative study of the structure and function 
of the sporangia of ferns in the dispersion of spores. Illustrated by 
a number of large drawings. 
Byron D. HarsrEDp, The Solandi printing applied to botanical 
work. By the use of sensitive photographer's paper the author is able 
to obtain fine negatives directly from leaves, and from these he prints 
very useful photographs. Many specimens of this process were shown. 
N. L. BnrrTON, Present aspects of the nomenclature question. 
Analyzing the subject asit presents itself to-day. There are (1) the 
pre-Linnzans, who would go back in nomenclature to authors earlier 
than Linné; (2) those who would begin with the Systema Nature of 
Linné, 1735; (3) those who would begin with Linné's Genera Planta- 
rum, 1737; and (4) those who with most botanists would begin with 
Linné’s Species Plantarum, 1753. To these may be added (5) a few 
who would select a date still more recent. 
