Mr. F. Scribner read a paper upon and discussed the genus Andropogon. Prof. V. M. Spaulding contributed a paper on "Changes Produced in the Host Plant by Puccinia graminis." The author being absent, the paper was read by Mr. D. H. Campbell.

Prof. M. B. Waite contributed a paper on "Changes in the Local Fungus Flora of Champaign, Ill.” In the absence of the author, the paper was read by Mr. Scribner.

Prof. W. J. Beal read a paper entitled "Notes on some Flowering Plants of Michigan."

At the conclusion of the meeting the Club adjourned to meet next year in Toronto, Canada.

Besides the papers read before the Botanical Club, the following botanical papers were read in Section F of the Association: "A Plea for Uniformity in Biological Nomenclature," N. L. Britton; "A Study of Hydrangea as to the Objects of Cross-Fertilization," Thos. Meehan; "A Phase of Evolution,” E. L. Sturtevant; “Notes on the Inflorescence of Callitriche,” Jos. Schrenk; "Hygroscopic Movements in the Cone-Scales of Abietineæ," A. N. Prentiss ; "Some New Facts in the Life-History of Yucca and the Yucca Moth," Thos. Meehan; "On the Cause and Significance of Dichogamy in Flowers," Thos. Meehan; "Adaptation in the Honeysuckle and Insect Visitors," Thos. Meehan; "Comparison of the Flora of Eastern and Western Michigan in the latitude of 44° 40'," W. J. Beal; "Observations on the Succession of Forests in Northern Michigan," W. J. Beal; "The Systematic Position of the Rhizocarpeæ," Douglas H. Campbell; "Pollen Germination and Pollen Measurements," Byron D. Halsted.

The following botanical papers were read before the Society for the Promotion of Agricultural Science: "Peculiarities of the Plants of Northern Michigan," W. J. Beal; "Notes on Flowering Plants of Ohio," W. R. Lazenby; "Potato Flowers and Fruit," Byron D. Halsted; "Tomato Flowers and Fruit," Byron D. Halsted; "A Further Study of the Dandelion," E. L. Sturtevant; "Successful Treatment of Black Rot," F. L. Scrib

ner.

DOUGLAS H. CAMPBELL.

1 Printed in Bulletin Torrey Botanical Club, Oct., 1888.

EXECUTIVE PROCEEDINGS.

REPORT OF THE GENERAL SECRETARY.

THE THIRTY-SEVENTH MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE WAS HELD IN THE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING, CLEVELAND, OHIO.

AT ten o'clock on Wednesday morning, August 15, the Association met in GENERAL SESSION in the large hall of the High School, and was called to order by President S. P. LANGLEY of Washington who invited the Rev. Dr. C S. BATES of Cleveland to open the session with a prayer, which was offered as follows:

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

We thank Thee, our Heavenly Father, for every revelation of truth which Thou hast made to the children of men. We pray that Thy blessing may rest upon every one who is seeking to know more clearly the meaning of any word of any of those revelations. But especially do we pray that Thou wilt bless the members of this Association and the work in which they are engaged. May the fruit of their labor be full of ministration to the needs of men; giving to their bodies fuller life and larger power, and to their souls a clearer vision of the greatness of Thy wisdom, and the glory of Thy love.

Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings, with Thy most gracious favour, and further us with Thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in Thee, we may glorify Thy holy Name, and finally, by Thy mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

PRESIDENT LANGLEY, with a few graceful remarks, resigned the chair to the President elect, Major J. W. POWELL of Washington, who on accepting it said:

Over this society you have called me to preside. For the honor you have conferred upon me I am most profoundly grateful. When I remember the great men who have presided over this body I am deeply sensible of the magnitude of the trust imposed upon me, and would gladly be relieved from its duties and would surrender its honors to purchase immu(401)

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nity from the ordeal through which I must pass, for I feel that I am very inadequately prepared to fill the position. It is with this feeling that I invoke your charitable assistance to secure for the deliberations of this meeting that wisdom and harmony which will make the society for another year an effective agency for the advancement of science.

DR. CADY STALEY, president of the Case School of Applied Science, Cleveland, was introduced and delivered the address of welcome on behalf of the LOCAL COMMITTEE as follows:

It is thirty-five years since our citizens have had the privilege of welcoming to Cleveland the American Association for the Advancement of Science. During those years the advancement of science has been marvellous. The discoveries and inventions within that time have exceeded the dreams of the wildest visionary who met with the society at its last meeting in this city. For this rapid advance of science, in both theory and practice, the world is greatly indebted to the members of this Association. If there are any here of that company who met with the Association in '53 they will testify that the growth and development of the city have not been less marvellous than has the advance of science in the same period. Then there were in the city about 26,000 inhabitants. To-day there are about ten times that number, and to a large extent the city owes its magical growth and wonderful prosperity to the advance of science, and its application in the arts and in manufactures. It would be difficult to find a city in which a larger proportion of the inhabitants are interested, directly or indirectly, in pursuits which depend upon scientific methods and processes.

It is peculiarly fitting that this association of scientists should meet in Cleveland-a city which owes so much to the practical application of science in various fields.

No guests can be more welcome than those whose time and talents are employed in forwarding interests of such paramount importance to this city. To our own citizens this meeting is an event of no slight importance. The value of such meetings in any community, in creating an interest in science and in scientific research, is not easily overestimated.

On the other hand, we trust that to the members of the Association, their coming to this city may not be altogether without profit. While the work of deducing scientific laws is of itself of intense interest, and purely theoretical results are worth all that they cost in time and labor, still the practical application of scientific laws and theories has, for a large majority of even scientific men, the greater charm. I doubt if there is another city in this broad land where applied science in its various fields can be so advantageously studied.

To simply name the establishments which depend upon scientific methods and processes for their administration would weary your patience. I have often thought of what an opportunity there is here for some one with the gift of story-telling to write a modern version of the "Arabian Nights" in which shall be told more marvellous things than Scheherazade recited for

the amusement of the bloodthirsty Sultan, and yet all strictly true. The most wonderful story in that book full of wonders is that of "Aladdin and his Lamp." According to the story, Aladdin had but to rub the lamp to summon the genie, who-to use the phrase of the old story teller- was "ready to obey him as his slave, the slave of all who hold the lamp in their hands." In short, the genie would do whatever Aladdin told him to. Aladdin had only to draw on his imagination.

And now having cut loose from all pretence of adhering to plain, unromantic facts, the story teller gives rein to his imagination, to see to what lengths his untrammelled fancy can carry him. In his wildest flights the genie of the lamp builds for Aladdin a splendid palace and furnishes it gorgeously; provides him with magnificent apparel and sumptuous banquets; brings him vessels of gold and silver, and jewelry of rare workmanship, set with costly gems. Now the point in which the modern version surpasses the ancient one is that all this has actually come true in Cleveland.

You can see on our streets splendid palaces produced and furnished by the slave of the lamp; and this same slave has brought enormous wealth, not to one only but to several modern Aladdins. Aladdin could summon the genie only by rubbing one particular lamp, and if some one else secured that lamp Aladdin could no longer control the genie. But in these latter days we can summon the slave by rubbing other things besides a lamp, and we have found out many ways of commanding the presence and service of the wonder-working genie. One of our Cleveland Aladdins employs a windmill for that purpose. Aladdin stood much in awe of the slave of the lamp, and called for his services only upon rare and important occasions. But we have grown more familiar with him, and have made him generally useful. He draws wagons, drives machinery, melts refractory substances, combines and separates chemical elements, produces light and heat at our pleasure, runs errands, carries messages,-in fact we could hardly keep house without him.

I can imagine a traveller from Cleveland walking the streets of a Persian city and falling in with one of the professional story-tellers, who still amuse the people of the East by spinning marvellous yarns of the " Arabian Nights" variety. The traveller listens to one of the Persian's stories and then proposes to tell one himself. He begins by stating that what he will tell will be a plain unvarnished tale of what could be seen any day in his native town, and not the wild flights of Eastern fancy. Then he tells of the manipulation of iron at the rolling mills, the steel works and the forges; of the marvels of mechanism turned out by Warner & Swazey; of the ingenious contrivances employed in the various factories; of the wonders wrought by chemical processes; of the work of the modern slave of the lamp the electric lights and motors, the telephone and the phonograph. And, as the traveller proceeds, the expression on the old Persian's face changes from one of lively interest and astonishment to that of dejection and defeat. He feels himself completely outdone in narrating marvels. Then from the folds of his robe he draws and extends to the traveller an