164 



jReport on Botany. 



wonderful are the variations in the honey agaric, Agaricus 

 melleus. In these plants, favorable conditions seem to 

 transform pigmies into giants. 



Another difficulty is found in that singular phase of life 

 called dimorphism. It is by no means of rare occurrence 

 among fungi, yet it is not always easy to trace the connec- 

 tion between the dissimilar forms. Especially is this the 

 case when the two forms are developed on different sup- 

 porting plants or when they are increased to three or four 

 distinct conditions. In many instances these dimorphic 

 forms were at first described as distinct genera and species, 

 but more recent investigations are tracing their specific 

 union and rapidly reducing the number of so called species. 

 It is manifest therefore that the science of mycology is to 

 a certain extent unsettled and as it were in a transitional 

 state. What is needed is the elimination of these super- 

 fluous genera and species as soon as possible or rather their 

 incorporation with and union in permanent ones. This 

 will go far toward simplifying and systematizing the 

 science. Such work might be hastened by a series of ex- 

 periments, but, owing to the extreme tenuity of the spores 

 and the invisible manner in which they are disseminated 

 everywhere by air and wind, experiments are difficult and 

 very liable to error. It is for this reason that some eminent 

 mycologists receive with hesitation and evident distrust 

 the conclusions drawn from the inoculating experiments 

 of Prof. OErsted, Hoffman and others. 



In flowering plants there is a certain degree of perma- 

 nency of existence and location that enables us to make 

 repeated observations on them if desirable. A rare flower- 

 ing plant may be discovered in some distant locality but 

 the opportunity may be wanting for learning its whole 

 history immediately. The next season we may repair to 

 the locality at the proper season with a reasonable hope of 

 finding the plant and completing our observations. But 



