The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-11-12
DOINGS AT BROWN
Prof. Bailey Lectures Before a
Large Audience -Co||sgs Notes

Last night Professor William Whitman
Bailey, L. L. d., OF the botany depart
ment delivered the FIRST lecture In this
falrs series to an audience that filed
Manning hall. His subject was Some
Curious Relations OF Insects to Flowers. :"
President W. II. p. Faunce introduced
the speaker and said that the present
course Of faculty lectures was arranged
because Of the hearty response they met
with last year. He also touched upon the
rela tion Of the college 10 the city and ex-
tended an invitation to the public to at
tend the enire series OF talks.
Upon rising to speak Professor Bailey
called attention to the diagrams on the
wall. stating that some OF them were lent
by the Harvard department of botany
He went on to say:
In 1898 a German botanist Sprengel.
issued a book entitled The Secret OF
Nature Discovered" Sprengel noticed
that the flowers secreted pollen, which
they protected carefully from cold and
wet. but to which they gave Insects free
access.
As In the pansy, some plants even had
guide lines leading TO the honey. and as
the insects TOOK fhes honey they had 10
backs. The value of insects visits TO
plants is the transferring OF pollen. Very
few plants are meant to be fertilized by
their own pollen. The whole object OF
flowers existence Is the perpetuation of
species and the insects assistance Is
needed.
In South America scarlet flowers
abound for humming birds are common
there and are greatly attracted by II.
Our bees in the north avoid scarlet, so
that color is not often seen When the
insect visits the flower for honey he must
take away pollen. for. as Professor Gray
once said: There are no free lunches In
botany"
In some flowers. as In the English
primrose. one flower has long stamens
and a short pistil. and another has short
stamens and long pistil. Fertilization
cannot take place unless insects transfer
pollen from the short stamens TO the
short -pistfi and from the hong stamens
to the long pistil.
In the laurel there are ten stamens
which are twisted like an elastic, and
when a bee rubs against and discharges
them they throw their pollen. some OF IL
falling on the bee and some falling d.
rectly on other flowers of the same
bush.
In these and countless other instances
II is evident that the results are not
brought about by accident. Some of the
forms OF both flowers and insects have
been modified through thousands OF years
so that each is exactly adapted to the
other.
The next lecture-next Tuesday night
will be delivered by Professor Albert
knight Potter on George Borrow and
the Gypsies."
Several old documents have been Sc
lected from the archives OF the Univer-
sity library which are to he framed in
order TO preserve them They will soon
be placed on exhibition. One is a diplo-
ma of William williams. member OF
the first class in Rhode Island college.
which was graduated at Warren In 1863
II bears the first seal adopted by the
college, which contains medallion por-
traits OF King George III and Queen
Charlotte.
Another is the diploma OF Robert
Rogers. a member of the class OF 1775.
There are three catalogues appearing in
1s0S, 1872 and 1918 respectively. In 1905
there were los strdents enrolled Of which
only IL came from Providence. Beside
the president. two professors and two
tutors composed the faculty.
Tonight DIR. w l.. Fergurson of Rama
potaim, India, will speak on Work
Y. NJ. G. A. meeting. DIR. Ferguson Is at
present In this country on furlough,
and comes here from Boston.
The sophomore cane committee has
placed the order for the class canes with
the Tslden-Thurber company. The canes
are Of plain dark wood with sterling
silver tipped handles.
Arrangements were made TO begin play
this noon In the proposed golf tourna-
ment on the links of the Metacomet Golf
club, East Providence. Entries will be
received from any one connected with
the university. and should be handed
TO some member of the committee imme-
diately. The following have already en-
tered: q. A. Bullock CSC. ID. Mercer Os
#. Davis 'o4, II. Anthony '05. s. r. Ames
0e, h. p. Taft '@. A. Brown '6. ". L.
Wilson 'o6. III. A. Baker o3. j. II. Cady
'03. A. X. Potter, @. w. Benedict The
committee are J. II. Csdy. c. ID. Mercer
G. w. Benedict.