824 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



plants formerly considered as mere varieties or forms of species pre- 

 viously reported, some that have been recently introduced into our 

 state and some that are considered and described as new species. 



A record of observations on certain previously reported species, 

 with remarks concerning them, and descriptions of newly discovered 

 varieties is marked D. 



On the east side of Lake Bonaparte in the northern part of Lewis 

 county is an extensive swamp. Its geographic position is such that it 

 seemed to me to be worth while to investigate its flora. A somewhat 

 limited exploration revealed 129 species of flowering plants and 

 ferns growing in it. Remarks concerning these and a list of their 

 names will be found in a part of the report marked E. 



The season of 1899 has been recognized as one specially unfavor- 

 able to the production of fleshy fungi in our state. The rainfall was 

 generally deficient, and such showers as came were for the most part 

 followed by high winds and low temperature, which counteracted 

 the favorable influence that otherwise might have been exerted by 

 them on this crop. Throughout the state the amount of rainfall as 

 reported in July was below the normal quantity. In Ulster county 

 and a limited region contiguous to it, the amount was slightly above 

 the normal. As an indication of the intimate connection between an 

 abundant rainfall and a plentiful crop of fleshy fungi, reports came 

 to me from this region, alone of all the state, that mushrooms were 

 abundant there. Mycologists at Minnewaska and Cragsmoor reaped 

 a rich harvest of them during July and August. Notwithstanding 

 their general scarcity, 18 species have been added to our state flora, 

 and 13 species have been tested and proved to be edible. 



One species, Agaricus silvicola, has been added to our list of 

 edible species on the attestation of others whose evidence is con- 

 sidered entirely reliable. Colored figures of these 14 species have 

 been prepared and placed on plates of the same size as those pre- 

 viously published. Plain and simple descriptions of them have been 

 prepared corresponding in plan to those in previous reports. This 

 matter, with the accompanying illustrations, is published apart from 

 this report, as Museum memoir 4. 



Four plates, illustrating 11 new species and varieties, have been 

 prepared. They are marked A, B, C and D respectively. 



There seems to be a tendency among scientists to discard entirely 

 the use of initial capital letters in writing specific names. In order 



