Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-02-05
VERMONT PLANTS AVID BIRDS
Annual Winter Meeting of Two
State Organizations.
Nature scientists Present Papers and
Discuss Topics of Interest nt Will
Iinms science UnIl--iccturc
by EN-rrcs. Braincrd.

The first day Of the Joint meeting Of the
Vermont Botanical club and the Vermont
Bird club was highly successful. \ large
1umhcr of people from all parts of the
state were present The many papers
road were pronounced excellent and most
instructive.
The meeting convened at ten O'Clock in
he morning in the Williams Science hall.
The first paper which was accompanied
by an exhibit of plants, was read by Prof
f. r. .'erlsins. This paper was entitled
"A Nature Student in Labrador" and was
10 have been read by the author. Miss
Edith VI. Estahrook Of Boston.
The second paper, which was a dcecrir-
tive and historical account Of medicinal
plants by Mrs. Evolinc D. Morgan Of
Woodstock, aroused great interest and
was followed by some discussion.
a paper on seed and Seeds" bv Prof
Henry NJ. Sceley of Middleburv was read
hv Prof. g. 2. Burns OF the university.
Relation Of Transportation to the
Amount of Mineral Matter Taken from
the Soil' was the title Of the next paper.
which was read by the author Prof G.
p. BurnS
"Aspidium Felix-mas in Western Yer
mont" was paper by George T. Kirk of
Rutland telling OF the discovery Of a fern
not found before in Vermont
Nesting of tho Short-billcd Marsh
Wren in Vermont" was the title of a
paper by Harold G. RugE of Hanover. the
assistant librarian Of Dartmouth Col
lege. A report on birds was delivered by
Mrs. A. r. Morgan OF Woodstock
Tho two remaining papers of the morn
Ing session We're "A Trip to the stan
'slaus Forest in California" by W. w.
Eggleston Of Washington, d. G.. which
was read by Mrs. Nellie r Flynn. ana
THE Long Trail of the Green Mountain
Cluh' by DR. Lewis ]. Paris
The afternoon session came together at
two O'Clock. Mrs. Nellie f Flynn re-
ported on The Summer Meeting of 1913
Next on the program came the proscnta-
ton of plan for doing Biological work by
local clubs on restricted areas. studying
all plants and birds appearing i'm those
areas for ono year This was done ver,.
clearly by Prof G. p. Burns.
"Graphic report of activities Of all local
nature clubs in Vermont during the cur
rent year was the next paper. I'm the
absence Of the author Jay G. Underwood
OF Hartland, this paper was read by Prof
II. f. Perkins Of the university
Next the relation of nature clubs to the
schools was discussed by Prof Perkins
paper on the Audubon society. which
was to have been given by DR.. =. f.
Lambert of Middlobury College. was post
poned to he given to-day. on account Of
DR.. 1ambert's absence
Duck Hawks in Rutland County" by
Duane .. Kent of Rutland was read bv
Prof. II. F. Perkins
The Habitat Brkd Groupc ILLUSTRATOR
by Miss Alice w. Wilcox of the Fairbanks
Museum, St. Johisbury came next.
\ supper was served It Grassmount,
followed by the annual roll call
AT the evening session eX-Presideut
Ezra Brainerd of Mddlebury gave a
lecture on Vermont blackberries, say
Ing i'm substance:
The blackberries as many other
plants in nature cross freely in the
field. In Vermont ono finds numerous
Kinds of blackberry hybrids along old
roads and especially along old stone
fences.
These hybrid plants have caused a
great deal Of confusion to students Of
botany during the past few years and
numerous classifications have been
proposed by various scientists. order
the discovery of the laws governing
the inheritance of the character of the
parents by the offspring.
DIR. Brainerd has been doing excel
lent work on the naturalization Of vio-
lets and blackberries and the work
presented gave the result of expert
lnent carried on during the past IA
wears. The speaker showed why by
applying the laws of hercdity that there
were essentially only nine distinct
species. y large number of excellent
specimens of each OF these species was
shown. These plants showed distinct
characters.
BY Il very clever diagram the speaker
showed that all other blackberries
found In the State were hybrids from
these, some of them crossing with all
of the other eight. In this way
thousands of hybrids plants are found.
DR.. Brainerd is a recognized uu-
thority in this field OF work. both this
country and in Europe and his work il
much appreciated especially by system
attic botanists, by students in plant and
animal breeding ana by all persons in
tcrested in the laws of heredity.