Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1896-07-23
MAINE BOTANISTS.
Annual Meeting of the Josselyn Bo-
tanical Society.


botanical society OF Maine was organized.
The society is named for John Josselyn,
who, for period of years in the seven
teenth century, lived at Black Point
(now ScarboroD and was the first person
to critically examine the flora of our
State.
The second annual meeting OF this
society, which now numbers between
eighty and ninety members, was held re-
Gently at Pennington. The sessions be-
gan Tuesday morning and were held in
the normal school building. A most
attractive programme had been arranged
by the committee and it was carried out
very nearly as planned.
The society is very fortunate in its
president, Prof. A. l.. Lane, Of Coburn
| classical institute, Waterville, who called
the meeting to order, and in a short
address upon "Nature Study" empha
sized the value to everyone Of an in
innate acquaintance with nature; and
then for few minutes he spoke upon the
subject "How Much Botany Should be
Taught in our Grammar Schools"
a discussion followed in which many
helpful suggestions were offered. In re-
gard to teaching children the Latin names
of plants, it was the unanimous opinion
that it was the most desirable thing to
do; for the Latin names of plant is the
same the world over, while local names
are applied to one plant in one place and
to an entirely different one at another.
And, again, one plant may be known by
various names in the different places
where it is found. An example is fur
nished by one small plant with which we
are all familiar. Its true name is gaul
liberia, which is quite as easy to speak as
checkerberry, or wintergreen, or ivy
leaves, or johnny -jump-up, or any OF the
many names which are applied to it.
] We have another instance in our fall
| dandelion, which grows so profusely in
this region and which very many people
call arnica; and consider, because they
| have made tincture from it which they
have used as arnica, that they are sure OF
| the plant. 1t is a case of mistaken iden-
tty. The tincture of the dandelion may
! be good remedy for disease, but it is not
arnica.
The meanings of many Of the Latin
names are easily understood, and very
many OF them have pleasing myths con-
nected with them, which il told to chill
| dren would add to their interest and help
] fix the name in their memories.
Miss Merrill, of the normal school, had
fine paper upon Glow to Teach Botany
| in the Grammar Schools" and Edward
| Dinsmore, OF Auburn, upon academic
/ Botany" Bright and interesting dis
cussons followed both these subjects. 1t
was. strongly urged that all our high
schools establish herbariums. The
value OF them in proving the existence OF
t plants in their region cannot be over
! estimated.
/ The report OF the committee upon plant
/ distribution showed that the existence in
/ Maine of at least fifty plants, which one
! yearIago were not known to grow here,
! has been proven since the formation Of
/ this society. During the meeting at
| Pennington two or three plants We're
| found (which had not before been re-
I ported from that vicinity. One OF them
! had not previously been reported from
! the State. Among these so-called new
/ plants is a sandwo rt, previously found
/ only in Oregon; a hawkweed, recorded
/ only in New York state. Sassafras ha,
/ been found, which has not been known
/ for many years, though the early colonial
reports counted it rs one of the valuable
plants OF Maine. A new 9andelion has
/ been found in the western part of the
State having tiney-cut leaves and red
seeds.
Merritt Lyndon F,rnald of the Gray
fferbarium, Cambridge. read a deeply
scientific paper upon The Influence OF
the Physical Features OF Maine upon the
Ranges OF Flowering Plants" Mr.. Fer
maid is a son of the former president OF
our Maine State college at Orono, and is
already, though a very young man, the
recognized authority upon the plants of
/ Maine. Mr.. Fernald finds in Maine rep
resentatives ofthree different lloras Arc
+ tic, Rocky mountains and Lake Ontario
The plants of the Arctic fora are found in
/ isolated colonies upon high mountain
I tops, river Danks ana the sea Coasl VI tHc
East; Rocky mountain plants are found
along the upper st. John and the rivers of
the Madawaska region; while in the val
leys OF the Aroostook are deciduous end
nut bearing trees such rs are found in the
Lake Ontario region.
1t is an interesting fact that nearly all
of the introduced species are trouble
some weeds which have been brought
from Europe, where they have been harm
I less plants.
Tuesday evening Prof. Lane delivered
an address upon "The Year Circle"
considered from the standpoint of the
botanist He recommends beginning he