—94— 
1914. this material having been grown from specimens sent from Austin, Texas, 
by Dr. M. S. Young, in February, 1914. A photograph of sterile specimens from, 
the same culture was published in the former number of The Bryologist ( 17 : 
72). 
New York Botanical Garden. 
NOTES ON THE SURVIVAL OF EXTREME DROUGHT BY CERTAIN 
MOSSES 
F. L. Pickett 
Bloomington is in the middle southern portion of Indiana, in the limestone 
region. For three or more miles in any direction the town is surrounded by 
rough country, hills and valleys and many narrow ravines, where the under- 
lying stone is only partly hidden by a light layer of clay. This area was formerly 
covered with hardwood timber, but this has mostly been cut away, and the por- 
tions not fit for cultivation and grazing are covered with second growth timber 
and underbrush. These partly sheltered hillsides are favorite fields for many 
of the common mosses, especially those growing on soil and exposed stone. The 
following forms are found in abundance, especially on south and southwest ex- 
posures: Polytrichum commune, P. Ohioense, Dicranum scoparium, Dicranella 
heteromalla. A little more under the timber Catharinaea undulata and Leuco- 
bryum glaucum are common. On the exposed rocky points may always be found 
Grimmia apocarpa, Orthotricum Lescurii, Rhytidium rugosum and Hedwigia albi- 
cans. Common on trees in the same localities are Leucodon julaceous, L. brachy- 
pus, Forsstroemia trichomitria and Drummondia clavellata. On . the bases of the 
same trees the familiar mats of Anomodon attenuatus and Thelia hirtella are 
common. In moister, shaded places on the hill-sides Bartramia pomiformis and 
Aulacomnium heterostichum are abundant. All these forms except Leucobryum 
glaucum and Rhytidium rugosum are regularly found freely fruiting in season. 
The summer of 1913 was marked by unusually severe weather conditions. 
March 23-27 was a flood period with 9.2 in. of rainfall. Then up to April 30 
further rainfall amounting to 5.14 in. kept things in good condition. But from 
May 1 to September 11 only 8.7 in. of precipitation was recorded. During this 
time periods of specially severe conditions should be noted. There was but .53 
in. of rainfall during May, 2.14 in. between May 28 and July 11, and 1.25 in. 
between July 25 and August 21. The slight rainfall of the summer was scattered 
through many short showers, mostly less than .5 in. and many between .1 in. 
and .15 in., leaving scarcely a trace of moisture when they had passed. Along 
with the drought high temperatures prevailed, as shown by the following abstract 
from the record of the U. S. W. B. station at Bloomington. 
Maximum 
Mean 
maximum 
May 
95° F. 
77- 9° F. 
June 
103° 
89.7° 
July 
107-5° 
94° 
August 
101° 
91.8° 
September, up to 12 
102° 
95° 
