OFFTCEHS’ REPORTS EOH 1950 
27 
OFFICERS’ REPORTS FOR 1950 
HONORARY GENERAL SECRETARY’S REPORT FOR 1950. 
(This report covers the period January to March, 1950, when Miss 
M. S. Campbell was Hon. General Secretary, in addition to the re- 
mainder of the year during which T served in that capacity.) 
During the first quarter of 1950 the outstanding activity of the 
Society was preparation for the Conference on “ Aims and Methods in 
the Study of the Distribution of British Plants ” which was held on 
March 31st and April 1st. This, our second Conference, was attended 
by some 140 members and guests and the papers and discussions attained 
a high standard. A Report has been edited with a view to early publica- 
tion. Professor A. R. Clapham’s proposal that consideration should be 
given to the preparation and publication of a series of distributioji 
maps of the British Flora was discussed by the Council at their meet- 
ing on May 11th and a Committee was appointed to consider how it 
coiild be implemented. A particularly pleasing feature of the Confer- 
ence was the participation of foreign botanists. We are grateful to all 
those who assisted with the arrangements and especially to Dr J. G. 
Dony who carried out the general organisation and to Mr W. R. Price 
who undertook much of the laborious secretarial work. 
The same two officers were mainly responsible for the very success- 
ful Exhibition Meeting which was attended by 110 members and friends 
on November 25th. At both functions it was evident that the propor- 
tion of young botanists attending our meetings is increasing — a ten- 
dency which augurs well for the future of the Society. 
A very gratifying aspect of our affairs in 1950 has been an increase 
in membership unprecedented in the history of the Society. During 
tlie year our membership increased from 498* to 602. As we had taken 
the opportunity of correcting a long standing anomaly which resulted 
in a deduction of 6 from the membership total (see Assistant Secre- 
tary’s Report below), this was an actual net gain of 110 — which com- 
pares with 12 for 1949, and 22 for 1948. A substantial part of this very 
satisfactory increase is due to the activities of the Advertising Com- 
mittee appointed in May. They have sent out a total of 1568 circulars 
(706 to individuals and 862 to institutions) and in addition over 15(X) 
leaflets have been circulated with copies of the Museums Journal and 
I rn7isacfio7is of the Hritish Hryological Society, for which we must ex- 
pre.ss our appreciation of the kind co-operation of their editors. Be- 
sides the increase in mejubership this campaign has resulted in 12 addi- 
tional standing orders for our publications through booksellers. It is 
still much too early to judge what the total response will be, but there 
^Correctert from 497 in the 1949 Report, 
