414 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. V., No. 120. 



world depends, now as formerly, mainly on 

 Germany for the progress it makes in the 

 knowledge of the functions of life. 



"It is one of the melancholy things con- 

 nected with publication in government reports," 

 writes one connected with the government, 

 ' ' that your work appears so many years after 

 it has been completed, that the author has in 

 the mean time quite outgrown it, and developed 

 into another stage of opinion and activity." 

 This is not a matter of months only, but of 

 years, and, though not so serious a difficulty as 

 formerly, is still a great drawback to efficient 

 and effective work. The administration of the 

 public printing-office is such that every thing 

 has to give way to congressional documents 

 which are often of the smallest value. Is 

 there no remedy for this uncomfortable state 

 of things ? 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



*** Correspondents are requested to be as brief as possible. The 

 writer's name is in all cases required as proof of good faith. 



Progress of vegetation in the Ohio valley. 



The spring of the present year has been very late 

 in the valley of the Ohio; so late, indeed, that nearly 

 every one has said that it has not been so long com- 

 ing for many years. A review, under these circum- 

 stances, of a record kept of the early-flowering plants 

 for eight years, may be of interest. The first appear- 

 ance of flowers is a more reliable indication of the 

 state of the weather than the thermometer. Plants 

 indicate the general average of climatic conditions; 

 and the species, appearing in much the same sequence, 



indicate the progress of spring. In the table of fif- 

 teen species here presented, of the first flowers which 

 generally appear, a number of facts are to be noted. 

 It is to be noticed that every alternate year is a cold 

 year, or one, at least, with a late spring. The years 

 1874, 1876, 1878, and 1884 are early ones, while 1875, 

 1877, 1883, and 1885 are late. 



In 1874 eleven out of the fifteen plants were observed 

 between March 19 and 26, a period of eight days ; in 

 1876 nine out of the fifteen were seen between Feb. 

 12 and March 14, just a month; in 1878 the eleven 

 of which there is record were found between March 3 

 and March 18, or sixteen days; while in 1884 the 

 thirteen were recorded between March 16 and 30, or 

 fifteen days. These were the early years. In 1875 

 fourteen out of the fifteen bloomed between March 30 

 and April 11, or in thirteen days; in 1877 two were 

 out on March 4, none others until April 1, and be- 

 tween that and the 12th twelve came out; in 1883 

 two were out on March 4, one on March 13, and ten 

 between April 6 and 12; lastly, in the present year 

 the first flower did not appear until April 1, and thir- 

 teen others bloomed up to the 20th. 



Account is here taken of only fifteen species. More 

 than this number appeared during the time between 

 the earliest and latest dates ; but the ones here con- 

 sidered may be regarded as the typical early flowers. 

 They represent eleven different orders. 



The earliest year of the eight is 1876. In that year 

 the spring cress (Cardamine rotundifolia) was in 

 bloom Feb. 12, and the dandelion (Taraxacum dens- 

 leonis), generally the earliest composite, on April 7. 

 In 1875 the first flower, red elm (Ulmus fulva), was 

 in bloom March 30, and the dandelion on April 29; 

 while in the present year, in many respects the coun- 

 terpart of it, the first flower, white maple (Acerdasy- 

 carpum), was out April 1, and the dandelion on the 

 26th. But even 1875, the latest of all, was, on an 

 average, six days in advance of this year. This season 

 is, then, nearly a week later than any in eight re- 

 corded years, and is seven weeks and two days behind 

 the earliest year (1876) of the same eight. 



In scanning the list, it is further found that three 

 out of these fifteen early flowers are trees ; nine of 

 the remainder are provided with bulbs, tubers, or 

 rhizomes, in which nourishment is stored up; one 

 (Anemone acutiloba) has persistent evergreen leaves ; 

 and only the remaining two (Capsella and Taraxacum) 

 seem to have no special fund upon which to draw. 

 The importance, then, to herbs, of a store of matter 



Species. 



1874. 



1875. 



1876. 



1877. 



1878. 



1883. 





4-4 



2-26 



4-1 



3-8 



3-4 



4-19* 



4-6 



2-13 



3-4 



3-3 



3-4 



3-26 



4-6 



2-13 



4-1 



3-3 



4-8 



3-19 



4-6 



4-2* 



4-1 



3-8 



4-6 



3-29 



4-8 



_ 



4-1 



_ 



4-12 



3-22 



4-4 



2-27 



4-1 



3-8 



4-6 



3-19 



3-30 



2-27 



4-1 



3-10 



4-6 



3-22 



4-7 



2-12 



3-4 



3-8 



3-13 



3-26 



4-8 



3-14 



4-12 



3-18 



4-12 



3-22 



4-6 



2-13 



4-1 



3-8 



4-8 



3-22 



4-7 



4-2* 



4-2 



3-10 



4-13 



3-22 



4-7 



3-12 



4-1 



3-10 



4-6 



4-6 



4-11 



4-2* 



4-7 



_ 



4-12 



4-20 



4-11 



_ 



4-8 



_ 



- 



4-19 



4-29 



4-7 



4-15 



- 



■ 



1884. 



1885. 



Acer dasycarpum . . 

 Symplocarpus foetidus 

 Erigenia bulbosa . . 

 Anemone acutiloba . . 

 Sanguinaria Canadensis 

 Ulmus Americana . . 

 Ulmus fulva .... 

 Cardamine rotundifolia 

 Erythronium albidum . 

 Claytonia Virginica . . 

 Capsella bursa-pastoris 

 Anemone tbalictroides 

 Dentaria laciniata . . 

 Jeffersonia diphylla . 

 Taraxacum dens-leonis 



3-23 

 3-18 

 3-16 

 3-23 

 3-24 

 3-16 

 3-28 

 3-23 

 3-23 

 3-24 

 3-30 

 3-27 

 3-30 



4-1 



4-5 



4-5 



4-12 



4-12 



4-6 



4-10 



4-18 



4-18 



4-18 



4-19 



4-19 



4-20 



4-20 



* Tbese were probably in bloom at an earlier date than this; but they are so recorded in my note-books, and were seen first on 

 the dates given. 



