THE THIRD ANNUAL REPORT 
OF THE 
Moss Exchange Club, 
1898 - 
The work of the Club has steadily progressed during the past 
year, and many members have testified to its usefulness. A large 
number of plants. 2953, was sent in to the 1898 Exchange, and 
there has been considerable improvement in the specimens, and in 
the way they were put up. Some of the specimens are still too 
small. A member who sends most liberal specimens himself writes : 
“ Some of them don't err on the side of too great liberality.” May 
we hope for an improvement in this respect next year. Scraps 
are most unsatisfactory, and seldom show the character of the 
plant. It should also be remembered that it is not by the number 
of packets alone but by the character generally, that the value 
of each member’s contribution is reckoned. 
A very pleasing feature of this year’s exchange has been the 
large number of Hepaticae, 80b, as compared with 104 last year. 
On the other hand, few plants have been sent to be named, only 46. 
The issue of the Club List of Desiderata led to a considerable 
amount of adverse criticism, as was anticipated, because members 
did not find all their own desiderata in the list, and were afraid that 
these commoner plants would not be sent in. In practice it has 
worked out fairly well, since a large number, in fact too many, of 
some common species have come in. 
In the case of a club circumstanced like ours a perfectly satis¬ 
factory list is an impossibility ; any list must be a compromise, as 
some members want nearly all, some very few out of the complete 
British list. 
For some years therefore, until most of the common species 
have been supplied, we can see no more practical way of working 
than the present. 
We hope to issue a further list of Exceptions for 1899, to add 
to the present list. 
Among the large number of plants distributed we fear many 
are not correctly named. Last year many were incorrect. More 
care should be exercised in attaching names, and if there is the 
slightest doubt a warning ? should be placed after the name. 
This is at present the chief disadvantage under which the Club 
labours, and for this reason we could not stamp our packets, as has 
been suggested, with the Club’s stamp. 
