10 The American Geologist. January, 1894 
scatter little cases or sacks, filled with little grains called 
spores, which, if they light in favorable places, grow and be- 
come mould again. The little grains of pollen, of the higher 
orders, are thus shown to be specialized forms of the lower 
orders in their maturity. 
Dr. Lapham's botanical collection, gathered mostty between 
1830 and 1855, embraced, according to Prof. J. C. Arthur. 
24,000 specimens, representing the whole range of the vege- 
table kingdom in 8,000 species, and was tastefully arranged in 
the most approved style in genus and species covers, and care- 
fulhy labelled. After his death it was purchased by the State 
of Wisconsin and deposited in the University at Madison. 
2. Climatological Work. 
One of the great accomplishments and triumphs of Lap- 
ham's life was the establishment of the Weather Service bu- 
reau. From the time of his earliest scientific work he had 
observed the weather. He became familiar with the move- 
ments of storms and the changes of the clouds. He recorded 
the barometric pressure at Milwaukee for many years, and 
from the record of observations on the level of the lake made 
every three hours, day and night, during August, 18-19, he as- 
certained and published the fact that there is a slight daily 
lunar tide in lake Michigan, a fact which was fully estab- 
lished later by the record of the self-registering tide gauge, 
and still better by the United States engineer corps.* (See 
Report of the Secretary of War for 1861.) He fully believed 
that storms could be foretold. The desirableness of such pre- 
dictions was most apparent. The disasters that resulted from 
the sudden outbreaks of storms from the west were brought 
home vividly to all who resided on the western shore of 
lake Michigan. He corresponded with Dr. Caswell, of Prov- 
idence, R. I., with Cleveland Abbe, of Cincinnati, and Dr. 
Asa Horr, of Dubuque, Iowa, in connection with whom he 
carried on a miniature "weather bureau," each aiding the 
other in determining the course of storms for his locality. He 
labored in vain for several years. His correspondence with 
insurance companies and boards of trade and his appeals 
through the daily press to the general public served only to 
*Col. J. D. Graham, U. S. Engineers, made the same discovery at Chi- 
cago ten years later. Message and documents, L861-62, pp. 404-5. 
