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Vol. V AUGUST, 1904 No. 56 JOURNAL The New York Botanical Garden EDITOR DANIEL TREMBLY MACDOUGAL Assistant Director CONTENTS PAGB Report upon Further Exploration of Southern Florida 157 Collections of Marine Algae from Florida and the Bahamas 164 The Summer Meeting of the Horticultural Society of New York 166 Notes, News and Comment » 68 PUBLISHED FOR THE GARDEN AT 41 NORTH QUEBN STREET, LANCASTER, PA. BV THB NEW ERA PRINTING COMPANY O K K i e K R S . 1 9 0 4 . PRESIDENT— D. O. MILLS, VICE- PRESIDENT— ANDREW CARNEGIE, TREASURER— CHARLES F. COX, SECRETARY— N. L. BRITTON. B O A R D O R M A N A G E R S . 1. E L E C T E D MANAGERS. ANDREW CARNEGIE, J. PIERPONT MORGAN, W. BAYARD CUTTING, GEORGE W. PERKINS, ROBERT W. DE FOREST, JAMES A. SCRYMSER, JOHN I. KANE, SAMUEL SLOAN, D. O. MILLS, W. GILMAN THOMPSON, SAMUEL THORNE. 2. E X - O F F I C I O MANAGERS. T H E PRESIDENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC PARKS, HON. JOHN J. PALLAS. THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, HON. GEORGE B. McCLELLAN. 3. SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORS PROF. L. M. UNDERWOOD, Chairman. HON. ADDISON BROWN, PROF. J. F. KEMP, DR. NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER, PROF. FREDERIC S. LEE, PROF. C. F. CHANDLER, HON. HENRY A ROGERS, CHARLES F. COX, PROF. H. H. RUSBY G A R D E N S T A F F . DR. N. L. BRITTON, Director- in- Chief. DR. D. T. MACDOUGAL, Assistant Director. DR. JOHN K. SMALL, Curator of the Museums. DR. P. A. RYDBERG, Assistant Curator. DR. ARTHUR HOLLICK, Assistant Curator. DR. MARSHALL A. HOWE, Assistant Curator. GEORGE V. NASH, Head Gardener. ANNA MURRAY VML, Librarian. DR. H. H. RUSBY, Curator of the Economic Collections. DR. WM. J. GIES, Consulting Chemist. COL. F. A. SCHILLING, Superintendent. JOHN R. BRINLEY, Landscape Engineer. WALTER S. GROESBECK, Clerk and Accountant. DR. JOHN HENDLEY BARNHART, Editorial Assistant. JOHN A. SHAFER, Museum Custodian. JOURNAL OF The New York Botanical Garden VOL. V. August, 1904. No. 56. REPORT UPON FURTHER EXPLORATION OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA. DR. N. L. BRITTON, DIRECTOR- IN- CHIEF. Sir: I submit the following report on botanical explorations in southern peninsular Florida, during a period of twenty days last May. By your permission Mr. Percy Wilson, Administrative Assistant, and the writer, left New York City for the field on May 2nd. We reached Miami the following Wednesday night. At tlie invitation of Professor Rolfs, who is in charge of the Subtropical Laboratory of the U. S. Department of Agriculture at Miami, we established our headquarters in the laboratory building of that institution on Thursday morning, and I wish here to express our thanks to Professor Rolfs and his associates for their hospitality and for the assistance generously given for furthering our plans. I also take this occasion to thank Mr. J. S. Frederick, Civil Engineer, of Miami, for tracings of maps of lately surveyed portions of the Homestead country, which greatly facilitated our investigations. Immediately after establishing our headquarters we secured provisions and a team of horses. During the afternoon of the same day we set out for the field and at ten o'clock that night pitched camp in the heart of the Homestead country. We planned to divide our time principally between two points of special interest, the one Long Key, an isolated portion of pineland and hammock formation surrounded by the Everglades, the 157 158 other Camp Longview and vicinity, situated several miles farther north on the edge of the Everglades. Our field work was inaugurated by a spell of heat and rainy weather probably the most severe of the year. Both these conditions added greatly to our discomfort in the field, and interfered to some extent with our prearranged plans. In that region the heat is markedly intensified by the peculiar growth of the pine trees which form a generally unbroken forest; the trees grow in too spindling a manner to afford shade and the innumerable trunks are so thickly set that they prevent the circulation of air in any manner suggestive of a breeze. The rain fell so continuously and in such torrents that we were forced to reduce our bivouacs to from three to six hours, in order to cover the territory selected for investigation before the intervening portions of the Everglades became filled with water and consequently impassable. An early start on the morning of May 6, and continuous traveling through a drenching rain during the day, enabled us to reach Camp Jackson, an abandoned survey camp consisting of a single log cabin, situated on the edge of the Everglades, about forty- five miles by trail southwest of Miami, before sunset. The eastern end of Long Key is situated three miles directly west of Camp Jackson. Structurally, Long Key may be described as a repetition of the elevated ridge of coral sandrock extending from Miami to Camp Jackson, but on a smaller scale, and with its long axis running directly east and west, instead of north and south. Like the larger reef referred to, it is oblong in shape and is intersected by narrow arms of the Everglades at right angles to the long axis and has its greatest hammock development at its eastern end, as the other reef has at the corresponding northern end. It is more rugged than the larger reef and the vegetation, especially in the case of the trees, is of a more stunted and ragged character. Our first attempt to reach the Key was rendered unsuccessful by encountering a slough * just * One mile below this point the slough forks and runs on either side of a hammock called Paradise Key which was visited in 1903 by Mr. A. A. Eaton and earlier during this year by Dr. Britton and Professor Rolfs. Before reaching the field it was part of 159 east of the Key filled with six feet or more of water and mud, in addition to being the home of alligators and water moccasins. These conditions and the weight of our camp outfit, rendered wading and swimming not only inadvisable, but out of the question. We were thus forced to retrace our steps to Camp Jackson for the purpose of securing the remains of a disintegrating steel boat abandoned there by surveyors. After carrying the boat over a ragged coral reef and dragging it over the partially submerged everglades for the distance of three miles, there was sufficient of the craft left to enable us to cross the above- mentioned slough in safety, and thus reach our objective point. We found the eastern end of the Key surrounded by an exceedingly dense hammock growth; in fact the vegetation there is penetrable only by the vigorous use of an axe. The hammock formation extends for a considerable distance from the margin of the Key, and instead of ending abruptly on a line where the growth of pine trees begins, the hardwood trees of the hammock and the pine trees grow intermingled, the former giving way only gradually to the latter until the pines finally predominate, and the typical rocky pineland is reached. The pinelands were too parched to yield much of interest, not yet having been brought back to their normal condition by the rains, but the hammocks, less seriously affected by the drought, yielded rare and interesting ferns, orchids and bromeliads. The hammocks of Long Key differ conspicuously from all the others investigated in the neighboring region, on account of the copious growth of the long moss which is noticeable on the trees at a distance of two or three miles. This tract may be explored advantageously in the autumn only. The latter portion of the time at our disposal was devoted to an investigation of the lower portion of the Homestead trail and our plans to go to Cape Sable by way of Long Key, but on reaching Miami we learned that the character of the country and the great distance forbade us to attempt to carry out that part of our plan with the field equipment we had at our disposal. Cape Sable ( Middle Cape) is 38 miles in a direct line from the eastern end of Long Key or from Paradise Key and 46 miles by the survey, and not 15 miles as lately recorded by Mr. Oakes Ames ( Contributions from the Ames Botanical Laboratory, No. I, page 9. 160 the vicinity of Camp Longview which is situated about four miles north of Camp Jackson. We revisited several of the more interesting hammocks investigated last year, and found that the fears expressed in a previous report* concerning the probable destruction of these hammocks were in several cases well founded. The larger trees of a few of the more important hammocks have been cut out; thus by letting in the direct sunlight, several men have destroyed in a few days, the results which it took nature thousands of years to accomplish. However, in these ruins we were rewarded by finding species of West Indian flowering plants not previously collected on the North American mainland as well as considerable cryptogamic material which had not yet been wholly parched by the sun. Our recent explorations in that previously little known portion of Florida have acquainted us with many interesting and useful facts connected with plant relationships and distribution in addition to enriching the collections of the museums, herbarium and conservatories of the Garden. Some of the facts seem to be of sufficient general interest to record here. In considering this region one should remember that it consists of a slightly elevated ridge scarcely over 40 miles in length and from two to six miles in width, bounded on the east by Biscayne Bay and on the west by the Everglades. Compared with the 59,268 square miles of the state the area of this ridge is insignificant and up to the present only portions of less than 75 square miles have been botanically explored ; but this restricted area has yielded nearly 800 species of flowering plants, or fully one fourth of the 3,000 species of flowering plants known to grow naturally within the state. The flora is strikingly different from that of the rest of the state, even from that of the contiguous territory, and is to some extent endemic. For example, such relatively large families both well represented and generally distributed in the state, as Melanthaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Ranunculaceae and Ericaceas are wholly wanting or represented by a single species. Such widely distributed genera as Ranunculus with 9 species in the other parts of the state, Cratcegus with 47 * Jour. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 5 : No. 51, 1904. 161 species, Baptisia with 11 species, Oxalis with 9 species, Viola with 12 species, Rhexia with 12 species, Phlox with 10 species, and Plantago with 7 species are here wholly unrepresented. On the other hand such families as Orchidaceae, Fabaceae, Convolvulaceae and Rubiaceae are strongly represented both as to the number of the genera and species. The actual and comparative distribution of the plants inhabiting the coral sandrock ridge under consideration, brings out sev- FlG. 24. PINELAND. — This formation greatly predominates on the coral sand-rock ridge. The characteristic plant is Pinus Elliotlii, and with it are abundantly associated several species of palms and a species of Zamia. Here occur the great majority of endemic species of flowering plants, while fungi, hepatics, mosses and ferns are relatively scarce. About 43 per cent, of the species of flowering plants known to grow naturally in the region under consideration occur in the pinelands. eral points of interest. To illustrate this more clearly I have introduced cuts * of the three main factors of plant distribution on the reef, namely, the Pineland, the Hammock and the Everglades, f The area occupied by the Hammock formation is in- * From photographs furnished by Prof. Rolfs and Mr. L. H. McCullough. f These formations were described in a previous report on exploration in Florida. Journ. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 3 : No. 26. 1902. 162 significant as compared with that of the pineland, yet there are nearly as many species of flowering plants growing within the bounds of these small scattered hammocks as there are in the vast pinelands. The intersecting arms of the Everglades maintain less than one- half as many species as either the hammocks or the pinelands. The comparative distribution of the species of • CSKB^ H syfiSuJB IS Wm £ ES ""-^ w KJUi &^ WWm • 4w* jP EM fines VinHBRj xM Jjfwfi mm Wd iteffij/ LU •^£ 9 ^ JffiB sS311li SKJJISKJ ^ n 9 tffnPibM jmranvrl fpaflyl HMf'- Jifl (> Ka HUP FIG. 25. HAMMOCK. — The total area of this formation is relatively insignificant when compared with the pinelands. The hammocks consist of isolated groups of hardwood trees, shrubs, vines and herbaceous plants in the pinelands. The dense, often almost impenetrable, growth excludes the direct sunlight and maintains a high degree of moisture, both conditions being favorable to the development of fungi, hepatics, mosses and ferns, representatives of which occur in great abundance. Here occur the great majority of the flowering plants, now known to be common both to the West Indies and the mainland of North America, while nearly as great a percentage ( 42 per cent.) of species occur in this formation as in the much more extensive pinelands. flowering plants in the three formations is as follows : Pinelands, 43 per cent. ; Hammocks, 42 per cent.; contiguous portions of the Everglades, 15 per cent. To one not acquainted with that region this statement made long ago by Dr. Perrine, " the sterility of the soil is made up for 163 by the fertility of the air" is of course unintelligible; but a glance at the epiphytic flora and jagged rock of the surface of the ridge at once brings out the force of Dr. Perrine's statement. In the case of most of the hammocks the epiphytic flora reaches a considerable or even an excessive development. It consists chiefly of representatives of the fern- plants, bromeliads and orchids. About 30 per cent, of the 28 species of fern- plants now known to occur in that region inhabit trees, all the 13 species of bromeliads are epiphytic and nearly 50 per cent, of the 30 species of orchids are tree- inhabiting. We encountered one hammock of about an acre in extent that is actually being destroyed FIG. 26. EVERGLADES.— This formation partially surrounds and intersects the coral sandrock ridge. Structurally it consists of a. marsh with scattered hammock-islands, while its flora consists of plants mainly of a different character from those found in either the pinelands or the hammocks. The more conspicuous elements of the flora are grasses and sedges, and among these occur many aquatic and mud- inhabiting plants ; the vegetation is of a more northern character. About 15 per cent, of the species of the flowering plants now known to grow naturally on the coral sandrock ridge including the intersecting and contiguous portions of the Everglades occur in this formation, or less than one half as many as in either the pinelands or in the hammocks. by the excessive development of the epiphytes. r The hammock has the appearance of being choked. The plants of the epiphytic bromeliads and orchids, having taken possession of every available bit of surface of trunks and branches of the larger trees, have prepared the way for the ready development of wood- 164 destroying species of fungi which in turn have caused the trees to rot and fall to pieces. The epiphytes thus brought to the ground have completely covered the floor of the hammock and have now taken possession of the smaller trees which appear to be doomed to the same fate which overtook the larger ones. J. K. SMALL. Curator of the Museums and Herbarium. COLLECTIONS OF MARINE ALGAE FROM FLORIDA AND THE BAHAMAS. DR. N. L. BRITTON, DIRECTOR- IN- CHIEF : As a supplement to your report relating to our expedition to southern Florida and the Bahamas in March and April, I would respectfully submit a brief account of my special work in connection with collecting and studying the marine algae of that region. I was in Miami, Florida, for a single day, on October 22, 1902, on my way to Key West, and when we reached this point on March 17, 1904, it was of interest to note that several species of algae, notably two species of Acetabulum and one of Coccocladus which were very abundant on the former visit, were now — six months earlier in the year — equally abundant and in practically the same stages of development. Very little is definitely known about the life- periods and seasonal variations of the marine algae of our subtropical waters and the opportunity of comparing the marine flora of this locality in spring and autumn was a valued one. An impressive feature of the marine vegetation of the mainland shore of Biscayne Bay is the profusion in which the graceful Acetabulum crenulatum occurs. When I have met with this species elsewhere — in Bermuda, Key West, Porto Rico, and the Bahamas — it has been rather sporadic and in limited quantity. Here, it often covers areas twenty feet or more in diameter to the exclusion of nearly everything else, mostly in water that is from one to six feet deep at low tide. The visit of three or four days to Cutler, fifteen miles south of Miami, did not result in the collection of much that was different 16.5 from what occurs in the immediate vicinity of Miami, but the expeditions to Virginia Key and later to Biscayne Key, Soldiers' Key, Sand's Key, and Elliott's Key, brought us into closer relations with the open ocean and the Gulf Stream and yielded results of much interest. Caesar's Creek, south of Elliott's Key, proved to be a particularly rich collecting ground. Five days were spent on the island of New Providence, Bahamas. The south shore of this island, with its wide stretches of shallow water, was the most interesting of any part visited and I regret that only one day was given to it. On April n , Dr. Millspaugh and I having chartered at Nassau the sloop- rigged yacht " Cynosure," began a westward voyage of exploration with Miami, about one hundred and eighty miles away, as the prospective terminus. Our first stop was at West End Bight, New Providence; afterwards, we touched and made collections at Joulter's Cays, Gun Cay, North Cat Cay, and the Bimini Cays, returning then to South Cat Cay, from which we took our course across the Gulf Stream to Miami. In the Bimini harbor, a feature of special interest was the development of the genera Penicillus and Rhipocephalus, which include the so- called " merman's shaving brushes." Four species of Penicillus and two of Rhipocephalus were found growing in this harbor. Extending eastward from the harbor proper are extensive sand flats which are widely exposed at low water ; the portion which lies between the tide- lines is almost destitute of plant- life, but the region from low water mark down to a depth of six feet seems particularly well adapted to the members of the Penicillus group. Ten days were occupied in the cruise from Nassau to Miami. The only misadventure, if it may be called such, of the voyage was our meeting with two or three dead calms at sea, which delayed our schedule by about three days. One almost breathless day on the deep waters of the Gulf Stream resulted in carrying us forty or fifty miles north of our course. These experiences served to emphasize the superior value, for future expeditions, of a sailing craft with an auxiliary engine. However, a dead calm on a Bahaman bank covered with only ten or fifteen feet of water is not without its compensations to any one who is inter- 166 ested in the animal or vegetable life of the sea- bottom. There are considerable stretches of these banks that consist of almost barren white sand, but there are other wide areas that are rich in varied forms of plant and animal life. The crystal- clearness of the water permits one, on a calm day, to diagnose from the deck of a boat with some degree of certainty, the larger species of algae that are to be seen at the bottom, and with a long- handled rake or a sponge- hook it is a • simple matter to secure them for specimens. The dominant algae of the banks, or at least of those parts of the banks that came under our observation, are species of Penicillus, Rhipocephalus, Sargassum, Laurencia, Udotea conglutinata and Microdictyon crassum. The algae obtained on the trip as a whole are represented by 616 collection numbers, many of these including fluid- preserved as well as dried material. Respectfully submitted, MARSHALL A. HOWE. Assistant Curator. THE SUMMER MEETING OF THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. The June meeting of the Horticultural Society of New York on Wednesday and Thursday of the second week in June was an unqualified success. The display was not only large, but remarkably representative and also of high quality ; the attendance was good, and a large number of prominent horticulturists and amateurs were seen during the two days. The exhibits of peonies, which are referred to in more detail in the notice concerning the Peony Society, were large and fully representative of the varieties in cultivation. That the peony is rapidly growing into public favor is very evident. Collections of herbaceous perennial plants made a fine showing, in which the honors went easily to a highly meritorious collection sent by the Blue Hill Nurseries, South Braintree, Mass. It is the first time that we can recall that this firm has attended a New York show. Roses were but poorly represented, it being a 167 pretty hard matter to strike the exact day for them. The collection of H. Nichols, gardener to Mrs. J. B. Trevor, Yonkers, N. Y., received the first prize for general quality, although the competing collection had a larger number of varieties. The schedule called for hybrid perpetuals and hybrid teas, but both exhibitors erred in including varieties which cannot be classed in either of these groups. The moss roses are members of the Provence group ; and a polyantha rose in the second prize collection was inexcusably included. The exhibitors should certainly pay closer attention to the actual demands of the schedule. Madame Plantier exhibited in the other is hybrid noisette, and is very doubtfully to be included under the term of hybrid tea. Siebrecht & Son, New Rochelle, N. Y., who received the second prize in the foregoing class were the only exhibitors of rugosa roses, showing six varieties. Remarkably fine were the collections of native plants from the Bedford Agassiz Association which time and again produces at these shows such exhaustive collections of native plants ; grasses, flowering plants, and ferns were all represented in great numbers. They had the field to themselves for the native flowers, but would have been hard to eclipse. They came second to Siebrecht & Son in the display of ferns, both exhibitors showing about thirty species. Collections of hybrid rhododendrons and azaleas from F. R. Pierson Co., Tarrytown, N. Y., and James Wood, Mt. Kisco, N. Y., attracted considerable attention, and prizes were awarded in the order named. Messrs. Pierson's exhibit was interesting for its range of variety, especially in the Azaleas and for the fact that everything had its name attached. The prizes for strawberries were won by H. Nichols, who showed Marshall as the best berry for home use and Nick Ohmer as the market variety. The same exhibitor also led in the collection of vegetables with a very clean lot well finished, James Wood being a close second. A number of miscellaneous exhibits unclassified were staged by Mr. Wood. These included native azaleas, sweet peas, a few flowering shrubs, etc., all of which added to the interest of the show. F. Weinberg had a collection of dwarf Japanese plants 168 and a rich crimson- colored Phyllocactus, and Siebrecht & Son staged a chaste collection of cut orchids. The next regular meeting of the society takes place the second Wednesday in October. ( Extracted from American Gardening, 25 : 488, pp. 387- 388.) NOTES, NEWS AND COMMENT. Work has recently been commenced by the Borough Department of Highways in the construction of the Southern Boulevard, from the southern entrance of the Garden to the Zoolog-cal Park and beyond. The desirability of this improvement was pointed out in this Journal last year, and its completion will be a great boom to both business traffic and pleasure driving, the old roadway having been in bad condition for several years, Its sidewalks will furnish additional paths for pedestrians between the Zoological Park and the Garden. Under a contract of the Department of Parks with Springsted and Adamson, two commodious public comfort stations at the approach to the Elevated Railroad Station were completed and opened on July 1. The structures were designed by Mr. R. W. Gibson, architect, and are of the most approved modern construction throughout. Paths leading to them have been finished and the surroundings partially planted ; additional planting here may be carried out in the autumn. The completion of these public comfort stations, of the steam subway from them to the power house, and of their sewage and water- supply connections has made it practicable during the last few weeks to complete the grading, drainage, roads and paths about the power house, and of the space between that building and the Elevated Railroad station. Satisfactory progress is being made in the construction of the stone bridge across the valley of the Bronx River on the line of the new driveway which will cross the Garden from west to east north of the museum building and the hemlock forest. The rubble masonry of this work is well advanced towards comple- 169 tion ; the stone used here is the surplus from excavations east of the public conservatories made necessary by grading operations for paths and plantations. The foundations of this bridge rest immediately upon the stratum of gravel which underlies the valley. The contract of the Park Department for this bridge is with Mr. M. J. Leahy ; its design is by Mr. John R. Brinley, landscape engineer. Progress may also be reported in the work of building the cut granite steps at six points along the terrace of the public conservatories and of the two large concrete- steel tanks for aquatic plants in the court of those structures, both works under the contract of the Park Department with Guidone and Galardi; the path approaches to this terrace are being completed as rapidly as the contract work on the steps permits ; the paths within the court, which will surround the tanks, may be commenced in a few weeks, and their completion will conclude all heavy construction work about these conservatories. A contract of the Park Department with Hitchings and Co. for the construction of the greenhouse needed to complete the range of propagating houses at the nurseries is nearly completed, and the building will be ready for operation early in August. Members of the Garden staff took part in the field meeting of botanists arranged by the Philadelphia Botanical Club at McCall's Ferry, on the Susquehanna River, in southeastern Pennsylvania, during the week of July 4, and considerable collections of both herbarium specimens and living plants were obtained. The occasion was a very enjoyable one and may form the basis of an annual event, different regions being visited each year. About twenty- five botanists were present at the meeting at one time or another during the week, and much mutual advantage was gained by the discussion of various topics, short meetings being held in the evening for the formal consideration of observations made during the day. The total precipitation in the Garden for July, 1904, amounted to 3.59 inches. Maximum temperatures of 820 on the 1st, 93" on the 5th, 85.5° on the 17th, 930 on the 19th and 84° on the 31st 170 were recorded ; also minima of 520 on the 3rd, 56° on the 9th, 53.5° on the 14th, 58° on the 25th, and 50° on the 30th. The temperature of the soil at a depth of 3 inches ranged from 540 to 81° ; at a depth of 1 foot from 65" to 73". The first shipment of the collections being made by Mr. R. S. Williams in the Philippine Islands, consisting of two large cases of herbarium specimens and seeds, reached the Garden in good order a few weeks ago, and is now being studied, in connection with collections sent by the Forestry Bureau at Manila, by Mr. C. B. Robinson, under the direction of Dr. Britton. The specimens were all obtained on the Island of Luzon. Mr. Williams is continuing his work on that island, and writes that he has shipped another box of specimens. He proposes to move to one of the southern islands within a few months. Mr. John A. Shafer, Ph. G., Custodian of the Museum, received the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy ( Phar. D.) from the University of Western Pennsylvania, at the commencement held in Carnegie Hall, Pittsburg, June 16, 1904. Prof. E. Burgess, of Normal College, was given the degree of D. Sc, by Hamilton College at its last commencement in recognition of his extensive botanical investigations. flBembers of tbe Corporation. PROF. N. L. BRITTON, HON. ADDISON BROWN, WM. L. BROWN, ANDREW CARNEGIE, PROF. CHAS. F. CHANDLER, WM. G. CHOATE, HON. EDWARD COOPER, CHAS. F. COX, JOHN J. CROOKE, W. BAYARD CUTTING, ROBERT W. DE FOREST, CLEVELAND H. DODGE, SAMUEL W. FAIRCHILD, GEN. LOUIS FITZGERALD, RICHARD W. GILDER, HON. THOMAS F. GILROY, HON. HUGH J. GRANT, HENRY P. HOYT, ADRIAN ISELIN, JR., MORRIS K. JESUP, JOHN I. KANE, EUGENE KELLY, JR., PROF. JAMES F. KEMP, JOHN S. KENNEDY, PROF. FREDERIC S. LEE, HON. SETH LOW, DAVID LYDIG, EDGAR L. MARSTON, D. 0. MILLS, J. PIERPONT MORGAN, TIIEO. W. MYERS, GEO. M. OLCOTT, PROF. HENRY F. OSBOR? J, LOWELL M. PALMER, GEORGE W. PERKINS, JAMES R. PITCHER, RT. REV. HENRY C. POTTBK PERCY R. PYNE, JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, WM. ROCKEFELLER, HON. HENRY A. ROGERS, PROF. H. H. RUSBY, JAMES A. SCRYMSER, HENRY A. SIEBRECHT, SAMUEL SLOAN, WM. D. SLOANE, NELSON SMITH, DR. W. GILMAN THOMPSON, LOUIS C. TIFFANY, SAMUEL THORNE, PROF. L. M. UNDERWOOD, GEO. W. VANDERBILT, WILLIAM H. S. WOOD. P U B L I C A T I O N S The New York Botanical Garden Journal ol the New York Botanical Garden, monthly, illustrated, containing notes, news and non- technical articles of general interest. Free to all members of the Garden. Toothers, IO cents a copy; $ 1.00 a year. [ Not offered in exchange.] Vol. I, 1900, viii - f- 213 pp. Vol. II, 1901, viii -(- 204 pp. Vol. Ill, 1902, viii - j- 244 pp. Vol. IV, 1903, viii - f 238 pp. Bulletin of the New York Botanical Garden, containing the annual reports of the Director- in- Chief and other official documents, and technical articles embodying the results of investigations carried out in the Garden. Free to all members of the Garden; toothers, $ 3.00 per volume. Vol. I, Nos. 1- 5, 449 pp., 3 maps, and 12 plates, 1896- 1900. Vol. II, Nos. 6- 8, 518 pp., 30 plates, 1901- 1903. Vol. I l l, No. 9, 174 pp., 15 plates, 1903. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. Price to members of the Gatden, $ 1.00 per volume. To others, $ 2.00. [ Not offered in exchange.] Vol. I. An Annotated Catalogue of the Flora of Montana and the Yellowstone Park, by Dr. Per Axel Rydberg, assistant curator of the museums. An arrangement and critical discussion of the Pteridophytes and Phanerogams of the region with notes from the author's field book and including descriptions of 163 new species, ix -\- 492 pp. Roy. 8vo, with detailed map. Vol. II. The Influence of Light and Darkness upon Growth and Development, by Dr. D. T. MacDougal, assistant director. An account of the author's extensive researches together with a general consideration of the relation of light to plants. The principal morphological features are illustrated, xvi -|- 320 pp. Roy. 8vo, with 176 figures. Contributions from the New York Botanical Garden. A series of technical papers written by students or members of the staff, and reprinted from journals other than above. Price, 25 cents each. $ 5'°° Per volume. Vol. I. Inclusive of Nos. 1- 25, vi -(- 400 pp. 35 figures in the text and 34 plates. Vol. II. Nos. 26- 50, vi - f 340 pp. 55 figures in tbe text and 18 plates. RECENT NUMBERS 25 CENTS EACH. No. 50. The spines of Fouquieria, by Miss \ V. J. Robinson. No. 51. Notes on Bahaman algae, by Dr. M. A. Howe. No. 52. The Polyporaceae of North America— VII. Tbe genera Hexagona, Coltricia, and Coltriciella, by Dr. \ V. A. Murrill. No. 53. Delta and desert vegetation, by Dr. D. T. MacDougal. All subscriptions and remittances should be sent to NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN BRONX PARK, NEW YORK CITY
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Contributor | New York Botanical Garden |
Date | 1904-08 |
Description-Table Of Contents | Report upon Further Exploration of Southern Florida; Collections of Marine Algae from Florida and the Bahamas; The Summer Meeting of the Horticultural Society of New York; Notes, News and Comment. |
Format | application/pdf |
Format-Extent | 51 v. : ill. ; 25 cm |
Identifier | 0885-4165 |
Language | eng |
Publisher | Bronx : New York Botanical Garden, 1900-1950 |
Relation-Is Part Of | Journal of the New York Botanical Garden : v. 1, no. 1-v. 51, no. 612 |
Relation-IsVersionOfURI | http://opac.nybg.org/record=b1104879 |
Rights | http://www.nybg.org/library/ |
Subject | Plants--Periodicals; Gardening--Periodicals; Plants, Cultivated--Periodicals; New York Botanical Garden--Periodicals. |
Title | Journal of the New York Botanical Garden |
Volume, Number | Vol. 5, no. 56 |
Type | text |
Transcript | Vol. V AUGUST, 1904 No. 56 JOURNAL The New York Botanical Garden EDITOR DANIEL TREMBLY MACDOUGAL Assistant Director CONTENTS PAGB Report upon Further Exploration of Southern Florida 157 Collections of Marine Algae from Florida and the Bahamas 164 The Summer Meeting of the Horticultural Society of New York 166 Notes, News and Comment » 68 PUBLISHED FOR THE GARDEN AT 41 NORTH QUEBN STREET, LANCASTER, PA. BV THB NEW ERA PRINTING COMPANY O K K i e K R S . 1 9 0 4 . PRESIDENT— D. O. MILLS, VICE- PRESIDENT— ANDREW CARNEGIE, TREASURER— CHARLES F. COX, SECRETARY— N. L. BRITTON. B O A R D O R M A N A G E R S . 1. E L E C T E D MANAGERS. ANDREW CARNEGIE, J. PIERPONT MORGAN, W. BAYARD CUTTING, GEORGE W. PERKINS, ROBERT W. DE FOREST, JAMES A. SCRYMSER, JOHN I. KANE, SAMUEL SLOAN, D. O. MILLS, W. GILMAN THOMPSON, SAMUEL THORNE. 2. E X - O F F I C I O MANAGERS. T H E PRESIDENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC PARKS, HON. JOHN J. PALLAS. THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, HON. GEORGE B. McCLELLAN. 3. SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORS PROF. L. M. UNDERWOOD, Chairman. HON. ADDISON BROWN, PROF. J. F. KEMP, DR. NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER, PROF. FREDERIC S. LEE, PROF. C. F. CHANDLER, HON. HENRY A ROGERS, CHARLES F. COX, PROF. H. H. RUSBY G A R D E N S T A F F . DR. N. L. BRITTON, Director- in- Chief. DR. D. T. MACDOUGAL, Assistant Director. DR. JOHN K. SMALL, Curator of the Museums. DR. P. A. RYDBERG, Assistant Curator. DR. ARTHUR HOLLICK, Assistant Curator. DR. MARSHALL A. HOWE, Assistant Curator. GEORGE V. NASH, Head Gardener. ANNA MURRAY VML, Librarian. DR. H. H. RUSBY, Curator of the Economic Collections. DR. WM. J. GIES, Consulting Chemist. COL. F. A. SCHILLING, Superintendent. JOHN R. BRINLEY, Landscape Engineer. WALTER S. GROESBECK, Clerk and Accountant. DR. JOHN HENDLEY BARNHART, Editorial Assistant. JOHN A. SHAFER, Museum Custodian. JOURNAL OF The New York Botanical Garden VOL. V. August, 1904. No. 56. REPORT UPON FURTHER EXPLORATION OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA. DR. N. L. BRITTON, DIRECTOR- IN- CHIEF. Sir: I submit the following report on botanical explorations in southern peninsular Florida, during a period of twenty days last May. By your permission Mr. Percy Wilson, Administrative Assistant, and the writer, left New York City for the field on May 2nd. We reached Miami the following Wednesday night. At tlie invitation of Professor Rolfs, who is in charge of the Subtropical Laboratory of the U. S. Department of Agriculture at Miami, we established our headquarters in the laboratory building of that institution on Thursday morning, and I wish here to express our thanks to Professor Rolfs and his associates for their hospitality and for the assistance generously given for furthering our plans. I also take this occasion to thank Mr. J. S. Frederick, Civil Engineer, of Miami, for tracings of maps of lately surveyed portions of the Homestead country, which greatly facilitated our investigations. Immediately after establishing our headquarters we secured provisions and a team of horses. During the afternoon of the same day we set out for the field and at ten o'clock that night pitched camp in the heart of the Homestead country. We planned to divide our time principally between two points of special interest, the one Long Key, an isolated portion of pineland and hammock formation surrounded by the Everglades, the 157 158 other Camp Longview and vicinity, situated several miles farther north on the edge of the Everglades. Our field work was inaugurated by a spell of heat and rainy weather probably the most severe of the year. Both these conditions added greatly to our discomfort in the field, and interfered to some extent with our prearranged plans. In that region the heat is markedly intensified by the peculiar growth of the pine trees which form a generally unbroken forest; the trees grow in too spindling a manner to afford shade and the innumerable trunks are so thickly set that they prevent the circulation of air in any manner suggestive of a breeze. The rain fell so continuously and in such torrents that we were forced to reduce our bivouacs to from three to six hours, in order to cover the territory selected for investigation before the intervening portions of the Everglades became filled with water and consequently impassable. An early start on the morning of May 6, and continuous traveling through a drenching rain during the day, enabled us to reach Camp Jackson, an abandoned survey camp consisting of a single log cabin, situated on the edge of the Everglades, about forty- five miles by trail southwest of Miami, before sunset. The eastern end of Long Key is situated three miles directly west of Camp Jackson. Structurally, Long Key may be described as a repetition of the elevated ridge of coral sandrock extending from Miami to Camp Jackson, but on a smaller scale, and with its long axis running directly east and west, instead of north and south. Like the larger reef referred to, it is oblong in shape and is intersected by narrow arms of the Everglades at right angles to the long axis and has its greatest hammock development at its eastern end, as the other reef has at the corresponding northern end. It is more rugged than the larger reef and the vegetation, especially in the case of the trees, is of a more stunted and ragged character. Our first attempt to reach the Key was rendered unsuccessful by encountering a slough * just * One mile below this point the slough forks and runs on either side of a hammock called Paradise Key which was visited in 1903 by Mr. A. A. Eaton and earlier during this year by Dr. Britton and Professor Rolfs. Before reaching the field it was part of 159 east of the Key filled with six feet or more of water and mud, in addition to being the home of alligators and water moccasins. These conditions and the weight of our camp outfit, rendered wading and swimming not only inadvisable, but out of the question. We were thus forced to retrace our steps to Camp Jackson for the purpose of securing the remains of a disintegrating steel boat abandoned there by surveyors. After carrying the boat over a ragged coral reef and dragging it over the partially submerged everglades for the distance of three miles, there was sufficient of the craft left to enable us to cross the above- mentioned slough in safety, and thus reach our objective point. We found the eastern end of the Key surrounded by an exceedingly dense hammock growth; in fact the vegetation there is penetrable only by the vigorous use of an axe. The hammock formation extends for a considerable distance from the margin of the Key, and instead of ending abruptly on a line where the growth of pine trees begins, the hardwood trees of the hammock and the pine trees grow intermingled, the former giving way only gradually to the latter until the pines finally predominate, and the typical rocky pineland is reached. The pinelands were too parched to yield much of interest, not yet having been brought back to their normal condition by the rains, but the hammocks, less seriously affected by the drought, yielded rare and interesting ferns, orchids and bromeliads. The hammocks of Long Key differ conspicuously from all the others investigated in the neighboring region, on account of the copious growth of the long moss which is noticeable on the trees at a distance of two or three miles. This tract may be explored advantageously in the autumn only. The latter portion of the time at our disposal was devoted to an investigation of the lower portion of the Homestead trail and our plans to go to Cape Sable by way of Long Key, but on reaching Miami we learned that the character of the country and the great distance forbade us to attempt to carry out that part of our plan with the field equipment we had at our disposal. Cape Sable ( Middle Cape) is 38 miles in a direct line from the eastern end of Long Key or from Paradise Key and 46 miles by the survey, and not 15 miles as lately recorded by Mr. Oakes Ames ( Contributions from the Ames Botanical Laboratory, No. I, page 9. 160 the vicinity of Camp Longview which is situated about four miles north of Camp Jackson. We revisited several of the more interesting hammocks investigated last year, and found that the fears expressed in a previous report* concerning the probable destruction of these hammocks were in several cases well founded. The larger trees of a few of the more important hammocks have been cut out; thus by letting in the direct sunlight, several men have destroyed in a few days, the results which it took nature thousands of years to accomplish. However, in these ruins we were rewarded by finding species of West Indian flowering plants not previously collected on the North American mainland as well as considerable cryptogamic material which had not yet been wholly parched by the sun. Our recent explorations in that previously little known portion of Florida have acquainted us with many interesting and useful facts connected with plant relationships and distribution in addition to enriching the collections of the museums, herbarium and conservatories of the Garden. Some of the facts seem to be of sufficient general interest to record here. In considering this region one should remember that it consists of a slightly elevated ridge scarcely over 40 miles in length and from two to six miles in width, bounded on the east by Biscayne Bay and on the west by the Everglades. Compared with the 59,268 square miles of the state the area of this ridge is insignificant and up to the present only portions of less than 75 square miles have been botanically explored ; but this restricted area has yielded nearly 800 species of flowering plants, or fully one fourth of the 3,000 species of flowering plants known to grow naturally within the state. The flora is strikingly different from that of the rest of the state, even from that of the contiguous territory, and is to some extent endemic. For example, such relatively large families both well represented and generally distributed in the state, as Melanthaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Ranunculaceae and Ericaceas are wholly wanting or represented by a single species. Such widely distributed genera as Ranunculus with 9 species in the other parts of the state, Cratcegus with 47 * Jour. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 5 : No. 51, 1904. 161 species, Baptisia with 11 species, Oxalis with 9 species, Viola with 12 species, Rhexia with 12 species, Phlox with 10 species, and Plantago with 7 species are here wholly unrepresented. On the other hand such families as Orchidaceae, Fabaceae, Convolvulaceae and Rubiaceae are strongly represented both as to the number of the genera and species. The actual and comparative distribution of the plants inhabiting the coral sandrock ridge under consideration, brings out sev- FlG. 24. PINELAND. — This formation greatly predominates on the coral sand-rock ridge. The characteristic plant is Pinus Elliotlii, and with it are abundantly associated several species of palms and a species of Zamia. Here occur the great majority of endemic species of flowering plants, while fungi, hepatics, mosses and ferns are relatively scarce. About 43 per cent, of the species of flowering plants known to grow naturally in the region under consideration occur in the pinelands. eral points of interest. To illustrate this more clearly I have introduced cuts * of the three main factors of plant distribution on the reef, namely, the Pineland, the Hammock and the Everglades, f The area occupied by the Hammock formation is in- * From photographs furnished by Prof. Rolfs and Mr. L. H. McCullough. f These formations were described in a previous report on exploration in Florida. Journ. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 3 : No. 26. 1902. 162 significant as compared with that of the pineland, yet there are nearly as many species of flowering plants growing within the bounds of these small scattered hammocks as there are in the vast pinelands. The intersecting arms of the Everglades maintain less than one- half as many species as either the hammocks or the pinelands. The comparative distribution of the species of • CSKB^ H syfiSuJB IS Wm £ ES ""-^ w KJUi &^ WWm • 4w* jP EM fines VinHBRj xM Jjfwfi mm Wd iteffij/ LU •^£ 9 ^ JffiB sS311li SKJJISKJ ^ n 9 tffnPibM jmranvrl fpaflyl HMf'- Jifl (> Ka HUP FIG. 25. HAMMOCK. — The total area of this formation is relatively insignificant when compared with the pinelands. The hammocks consist of isolated groups of hardwood trees, shrubs, vines and herbaceous plants in the pinelands. The dense, often almost impenetrable, growth excludes the direct sunlight and maintains a high degree of moisture, both conditions being favorable to the development of fungi, hepatics, mosses and ferns, representatives of which occur in great abundance. Here occur the great majority of the flowering plants, now known to be common both to the West Indies and the mainland of North America, while nearly as great a percentage ( 42 per cent.) of species occur in this formation as in the much more extensive pinelands. flowering plants in the three formations is as follows : Pinelands, 43 per cent. ; Hammocks, 42 per cent.; contiguous portions of the Everglades, 15 per cent. To one not acquainted with that region this statement made long ago by Dr. Perrine, " the sterility of the soil is made up for 163 by the fertility of the air" is of course unintelligible; but a glance at the epiphytic flora and jagged rock of the surface of the ridge at once brings out the force of Dr. Perrine's statement. In the case of most of the hammocks the epiphytic flora reaches a considerable or even an excessive development. It consists chiefly of representatives of the fern- plants, bromeliads and orchids. About 30 per cent, of the 28 species of fern- plants now known to occur in that region inhabit trees, all the 13 species of bromeliads are epiphytic and nearly 50 per cent, of the 30 species of orchids are tree- inhabiting. We encountered one hammock of about an acre in extent that is actually being destroyed FIG. 26. EVERGLADES.— This formation partially surrounds and intersects the coral sandrock ridge. Structurally it consists of a. marsh with scattered hammock-islands, while its flora consists of plants mainly of a different character from those found in either the pinelands or the hammocks. The more conspicuous elements of the flora are grasses and sedges, and among these occur many aquatic and mud- inhabiting plants ; the vegetation is of a more northern character. About 15 per cent, of the species of the flowering plants now known to grow naturally on the coral sandrock ridge including the intersecting and contiguous portions of the Everglades occur in this formation, or less than one half as many as in either the pinelands or in the hammocks. by the excessive development of the epiphytes. r The hammock has the appearance of being choked. The plants of the epiphytic bromeliads and orchids, having taken possession of every available bit of surface of trunks and branches of the larger trees, have prepared the way for the ready development of wood- 164 destroying species of fungi which in turn have caused the trees to rot and fall to pieces. The epiphytes thus brought to the ground have completely covered the floor of the hammock and have now taken possession of the smaller trees which appear to be doomed to the same fate which overtook the larger ones. J. K. SMALL. Curator of the Museums and Herbarium. COLLECTIONS OF MARINE ALGAE FROM FLORIDA AND THE BAHAMAS. DR. N. L. BRITTON, DIRECTOR- IN- CHIEF : As a supplement to your report relating to our expedition to southern Florida and the Bahamas in March and April, I would respectfully submit a brief account of my special work in connection with collecting and studying the marine algae of that region. I was in Miami, Florida, for a single day, on October 22, 1902, on my way to Key West, and when we reached this point on March 17, 1904, it was of interest to note that several species of algae, notably two species of Acetabulum and one of Coccocladus which were very abundant on the former visit, were now — six months earlier in the year — equally abundant and in practically the same stages of development. Very little is definitely known about the life- periods and seasonal variations of the marine algae of our subtropical waters and the opportunity of comparing the marine flora of this locality in spring and autumn was a valued one. An impressive feature of the marine vegetation of the mainland shore of Biscayne Bay is the profusion in which the graceful Acetabulum crenulatum occurs. When I have met with this species elsewhere — in Bermuda, Key West, Porto Rico, and the Bahamas — it has been rather sporadic and in limited quantity. Here, it often covers areas twenty feet or more in diameter to the exclusion of nearly everything else, mostly in water that is from one to six feet deep at low tide. The visit of three or four days to Cutler, fifteen miles south of Miami, did not result in the collection of much that was different 16.5 from what occurs in the immediate vicinity of Miami, but the expeditions to Virginia Key and later to Biscayne Key, Soldiers' Key, Sand's Key, and Elliott's Key, brought us into closer relations with the open ocean and the Gulf Stream and yielded results of much interest. Caesar's Creek, south of Elliott's Key, proved to be a particularly rich collecting ground. Five days were spent on the island of New Providence, Bahamas. The south shore of this island, with its wide stretches of shallow water, was the most interesting of any part visited and I regret that only one day was given to it. On April n , Dr. Millspaugh and I having chartered at Nassau the sloop- rigged yacht " Cynosure," began a westward voyage of exploration with Miami, about one hundred and eighty miles away, as the prospective terminus. Our first stop was at West End Bight, New Providence; afterwards, we touched and made collections at Joulter's Cays, Gun Cay, North Cat Cay, and the Bimini Cays, returning then to South Cat Cay, from which we took our course across the Gulf Stream to Miami. In the Bimini harbor, a feature of special interest was the development of the genera Penicillus and Rhipocephalus, which include the so- called " merman's shaving brushes." Four species of Penicillus and two of Rhipocephalus were found growing in this harbor. Extending eastward from the harbor proper are extensive sand flats which are widely exposed at low water ; the portion which lies between the tide- lines is almost destitute of plant- life, but the region from low water mark down to a depth of six feet seems particularly well adapted to the members of the Penicillus group. Ten days were occupied in the cruise from Nassau to Miami. The only misadventure, if it may be called such, of the voyage was our meeting with two or three dead calms at sea, which delayed our schedule by about three days. One almost breathless day on the deep waters of the Gulf Stream resulted in carrying us forty or fifty miles north of our course. These experiences served to emphasize the superior value, for future expeditions, of a sailing craft with an auxiliary engine. However, a dead calm on a Bahaman bank covered with only ten or fifteen feet of water is not without its compensations to any one who is inter- 166 ested in the animal or vegetable life of the sea- bottom. There are considerable stretches of these banks that consist of almost barren white sand, but there are other wide areas that are rich in varied forms of plant and animal life. The crystal- clearness of the water permits one, on a calm day, to diagnose from the deck of a boat with some degree of certainty, the larger species of algae that are to be seen at the bottom, and with a long- handled rake or a sponge- hook it is a • simple matter to secure them for specimens. The dominant algae of the banks, or at least of those parts of the banks that came under our observation, are species of Penicillus, Rhipocephalus, Sargassum, Laurencia, Udotea conglutinata and Microdictyon crassum. The algae obtained on the trip as a whole are represented by 616 collection numbers, many of these including fluid- preserved as well as dried material. Respectfully submitted, MARSHALL A. HOWE. Assistant Curator. THE SUMMER MEETING OF THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. The June meeting of the Horticultural Society of New York on Wednesday and Thursday of the second week in June was an unqualified success. The display was not only large, but remarkably representative and also of high quality ; the attendance was good, and a large number of prominent horticulturists and amateurs were seen during the two days. The exhibits of peonies, which are referred to in more detail in the notice concerning the Peony Society, were large and fully representative of the varieties in cultivation. That the peony is rapidly growing into public favor is very evident. Collections of herbaceous perennial plants made a fine showing, in which the honors went easily to a highly meritorious collection sent by the Blue Hill Nurseries, South Braintree, Mass. It is the first time that we can recall that this firm has attended a New York show. Roses were but poorly represented, it being a 167 pretty hard matter to strike the exact day for them. The collection of H. Nichols, gardener to Mrs. J. B. Trevor, Yonkers, N. Y., received the first prize for general quality, although the competing collection had a larger number of varieties. The schedule called for hybrid perpetuals and hybrid teas, but both exhibitors erred in including varieties which cannot be classed in either of these groups. The moss roses are members of the Provence group ; and a polyantha rose in the second prize collection was inexcusably included. The exhibitors should certainly pay closer attention to the actual demands of the schedule. Madame Plantier exhibited in the other is hybrid noisette, and is very doubtfully to be included under the term of hybrid tea. Siebrecht & Son, New Rochelle, N. Y., who received the second prize in the foregoing class were the only exhibitors of rugosa roses, showing six varieties. Remarkably fine were the collections of native plants from the Bedford Agassiz Association which time and again produces at these shows such exhaustive collections of native plants ; grasses, flowering plants, and ferns were all represented in great numbers. They had the field to themselves for the native flowers, but would have been hard to eclipse. They came second to Siebrecht & Son in the display of ferns, both exhibitors showing about thirty species. Collections of hybrid rhododendrons and azaleas from F. R. Pierson Co., Tarrytown, N. Y., and James Wood, Mt. Kisco, N. Y., attracted considerable attention, and prizes were awarded in the order named. Messrs. Pierson's exhibit was interesting for its range of variety, especially in the Azaleas and for the fact that everything had its name attached. The prizes for strawberries were won by H. Nichols, who showed Marshall as the best berry for home use and Nick Ohmer as the market variety. The same exhibitor also led in the collection of vegetables with a very clean lot well finished, James Wood being a close second. A number of miscellaneous exhibits unclassified were staged by Mr. Wood. These included native azaleas, sweet peas, a few flowering shrubs, etc., all of which added to the interest of the show. F. Weinberg had a collection of dwarf Japanese plants 168 and a rich crimson- colored Phyllocactus, and Siebrecht & Son staged a chaste collection of cut orchids. The next regular meeting of the society takes place the second Wednesday in October. ( Extracted from American Gardening, 25 : 488, pp. 387- 388.) NOTES, NEWS AND COMMENT. Work has recently been commenced by the Borough Department of Highways in the construction of the Southern Boulevard, from the southern entrance of the Garden to the Zoolog-cal Park and beyond. The desirability of this improvement was pointed out in this Journal last year, and its completion will be a great boom to both business traffic and pleasure driving, the old roadway having been in bad condition for several years, Its sidewalks will furnish additional paths for pedestrians between the Zoological Park and the Garden. Under a contract of the Department of Parks with Springsted and Adamson, two commodious public comfort stations at the approach to the Elevated Railroad Station were completed and opened on July 1. The structures were designed by Mr. R. W. Gibson, architect, and are of the most approved modern construction throughout. Paths leading to them have been finished and the surroundings partially planted ; additional planting here may be carried out in the autumn. The completion of these public comfort stations, of the steam subway from them to the power house, and of their sewage and water- supply connections has made it practicable during the last few weeks to complete the grading, drainage, roads and paths about the power house, and of the space between that building and the Elevated Railroad station. Satisfactory progress is being made in the construction of the stone bridge across the valley of the Bronx River on the line of the new driveway which will cross the Garden from west to east north of the museum building and the hemlock forest. The rubble masonry of this work is well advanced towards comple- 169 tion ; the stone used here is the surplus from excavations east of the public conservatories made necessary by grading operations for paths and plantations. The foundations of this bridge rest immediately upon the stratum of gravel which underlies the valley. The contract of the Park Department for this bridge is with Mr. M. J. Leahy ; its design is by Mr. John R. Brinley, landscape engineer. Progress may also be reported in the work of building the cut granite steps at six points along the terrace of the public conservatories and of the two large concrete- steel tanks for aquatic plants in the court of those structures, both works under the contract of the Park Department with Guidone and Galardi; the path approaches to this terrace are being completed as rapidly as the contract work on the steps permits ; the paths within the court, which will surround the tanks, may be commenced in a few weeks, and their completion will conclude all heavy construction work about these conservatories. A contract of the Park Department with Hitchings and Co. for the construction of the greenhouse needed to complete the range of propagating houses at the nurseries is nearly completed, and the building will be ready for operation early in August. Members of the Garden staff took part in the field meeting of botanists arranged by the Philadelphia Botanical Club at McCall's Ferry, on the Susquehanna River, in southeastern Pennsylvania, during the week of July 4, and considerable collections of both herbarium specimens and living plants were obtained. The occasion was a very enjoyable one and may form the basis of an annual event, different regions being visited each year. About twenty- five botanists were present at the meeting at one time or another during the week, and much mutual advantage was gained by the discussion of various topics, short meetings being held in the evening for the formal consideration of observations made during the day. The total precipitation in the Garden for July, 1904, amounted to 3.59 inches. Maximum temperatures of 820 on the 1st, 93" on the 5th, 85.5° on the 17th, 930 on the 19th and 84° on the 31st 170 were recorded ; also minima of 520 on the 3rd, 56° on the 9th, 53.5° on the 14th, 58° on the 25th, and 50° on the 30th. The temperature of the soil at a depth of 3 inches ranged from 540 to 81° ; at a depth of 1 foot from 65" to 73". The first shipment of the collections being made by Mr. R. S. Williams in the Philippine Islands, consisting of two large cases of herbarium specimens and seeds, reached the Garden in good order a few weeks ago, and is now being studied, in connection with collections sent by the Forestry Bureau at Manila, by Mr. C. B. Robinson, under the direction of Dr. Britton. The specimens were all obtained on the Island of Luzon. Mr. Williams is continuing his work on that island, and writes that he has shipped another box of specimens. He proposes to move to one of the southern islands within a few months. Mr. John A. Shafer, Ph. G., Custodian of the Museum, received the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy ( Phar. D.) from the University of Western Pennsylvania, at the commencement held in Carnegie Hall, Pittsburg, June 16, 1904. Prof. E. Burgess, of Normal College, was given the degree of D. Sc, by Hamilton College at its last commencement in recognition of his extensive botanical investigations. flBembers of tbe Corporation. PROF. N. L. BRITTON, HON. ADDISON BROWN, WM. L. BROWN, ANDREW CARNEGIE, PROF. CHAS. F. CHANDLER, WM. G. CHOATE, HON. EDWARD COOPER, CHAS. F. COX, JOHN J. CROOKE, W. BAYARD CUTTING, ROBERT W. DE FOREST, CLEVELAND H. DODGE, SAMUEL W. FAIRCHILD, GEN. LOUIS FITZGERALD, RICHARD W. GILDER, HON. THOMAS F. GILROY, HON. HUGH J. GRANT, HENRY P. HOYT, ADRIAN ISELIN, JR., MORRIS K. JESUP, JOHN I. KANE, EUGENE KELLY, JR., PROF. JAMES F. KEMP, JOHN S. KENNEDY, PROF. FREDERIC S. LEE, HON. SETH LOW, DAVID LYDIG, EDGAR L. MARSTON, D. 0. MILLS, J. PIERPONT MORGAN, TIIEO. W. MYERS, GEO. M. OLCOTT, PROF. HENRY F. OSBOR? J, LOWELL M. PALMER, GEORGE W. PERKINS, JAMES R. PITCHER, RT. REV. HENRY C. POTTBK PERCY R. PYNE, JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, WM. ROCKEFELLER, HON. HENRY A. ROGERS, PROF. H. H. RUSBY, JAMES A. SCRYMSER, HENRY A. SIEBRECHT, SAMUEL SLOAN, WM. D. SLOANE, NELSON SMITH, DR. W. GILMAN THOMPSON, LOUIS C. TIFFANY, SAMUEL THORNE, PROF. L. M. UNDERWOOD, GEO. W. VANDERBILT, WILLIAM H. S. WOOD. P U B L I C A T I O N S The New York Botanical Garden Journal ol the New York Botanical Garden, monthly, illustrated, containing notes, news and non- technical articles of general interest. Free to all members of the Garden. Toothers, IO cents a copy; $ 1.00 a year. [ Not offered in exchange.] Vol. I, 1900, viii - f- 213 pp. Vol. II, 1901, viii -(- 204 pp. Vol. Ill, 1902, viii - j- 244 pp. Vol. IV, 1903, viii - f 238 pp. Bulletin of the New York Botanical Garden, containing the annual reports of the Director- in- Chief and other official documents, and technical articles embodying the results of investigations carried out in the Garden. Free to all members of the Garden; toothers, $ 3.00 per volume. Vol. I, Nos. 1- 5, 449 pp., 3 maps, and 12 plates, 1896- 1900. Vol. II, Nos. 6- 8, 518 pp., 30 plates, 1901- 1903. Vol. I l l, No. 9, 174 pp., 15 plates, 1903. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. Price to members of the Gatden, $ 1.00 per volume. To others, $ 2.00. [ Not offered in exchange.] Vol. I. An Annotated Catalogue of the Flora of Montana and the Yellowstone Park, by Dr. Per Axel Rydberg, assistant curator of the museums. An arrangement and critical discussion of the Pteridophytes and Phanerogams of the region with notes from the author's field book and including descriptions of 163 new species, ix -\- 492 pp. Roy. 8vo, with detailed map. Vol. II. The Influence of Light and Darkness upon Growth and Development, by Dr. D. T. MacDougal, assistant director. An account of the author's extensive researches together with a general consideration of the relation of light to plants. The principal morphological features are illustrated, xvi -|- 320 pp. Roy. 8vo, with 176 figures. Contributions from the New York Botanical Garden. A series of technical papers written by students or members of the staff, and reprinted from journals other than above. Price, 25 cents each. $ 5'°° Per volume. Vol. I. Inclusive of Nos. 1- 25, vi -(- 400 pp. 35 figures in the text and 34 plates. Vol. II. Nos. 26- 50, vi - f 340 pp. 55 figures in tbe text and 18 plates. RECENT NUMBERS 25 CENTS EACH. No. 50. The spines of Fouquieria, by Miss \ V. J. Robinson. No. 51. Notes on Bahaman algae, by Dr. M. A. Howe. No. 52. The Polyporaceae of North America— VII. Tbe genera Hexagona, Coltricia, and Coltriciella, by Dr. \ V. A. Murrill. No. 53. Delta and desert vegetation, by Dr. D. T. MacDougal. All subscriptions and remittances should be sent to NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN BRONX PARK, NEW YORK CITY |
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