umbrageous coverings of which, loaded with fruit-clusters of varied tint, called forth many opinions and questions. Memories of the old Bartram Garden, with its 118 named varieties of European wine grapes, its 24 varieties of imported table grapes, and its six native unimproved grapes, rose before Friend William's eye. The sight surrounding him now represented a bare century of progress in the selection, amelioration and hybridization of one of the above six, the purple Catawba or Foxgrape, though hybrids like Lindley and Agawam shown in the collection, were a blending of the ancient European with the American species, a true marriage of grape vines from the old world and the new, with happy and beneficial result. Friend William's closing remark to the whole discussion was: "If so much has been accomplished in the past century, what may we not expect in that now with us." To this his companions heartily agreed.

Ushered thereafter into three modern graperies with their large and luscious pendent fruit-masses, our visitor scarcely knew whether most to praise the light airy structures, their skillful mechanical adjustments, the successful cultural methods employed, or the evident results secured. But in brief words Botanicus recalled the fearful fight that had been waged, with the grape mildews and the Phylloxera insect in Europe, during the half century that had then closed, as proof that human skill and investigation can solve many difficult problems, even in plant diseases. "In truth" said he "in this one department, now called plant pathology, Botanical Science had achieved some of its greatest victories.'

But the Japanese Chrysanthemums in an adjoining planthouse furnished the climax to the visit. For Friend William was puzzled to know whether most to praise the pompon, the incurved, the reflexed, or the softly plumose types, when all seemed to rival each other in size, beauty and original effect. The sight around him he was told was due to Robert Fortune's introduction from Japan in 1862, of the forerunners of the new race, that gave the needed stimulus to western growers and hybridizers that they have fully profited by.

Seated now at the hospitable board of the entertainer all three of the dreamland party engaged in animated discourse. Friend William declared he was much pleased that the gardeners had achieved so greatly in the evolution of new Azaleas, new Rhododendrons, new Roses, new Orchids, Irids, Apples, Pears, Dahlias, Morning Glories, "new everything in attractive flowers," as he laughingly condensed into a sentence his seething thoughts. Botanicus willingly assented to this, and acknowledged that botanists had too long looked askance on the splendid achievements of the garden breeders and hybridizers. For some at least of the botanists regretted much to see their dearly loved "true species" all jumbled together. But the very possibility of this and its recognition had given wider and truer views than had ever before been entertained regarding plant life. He recalled however that in the days of the Bartram activities the opening up of South Africa and Australia had greatly enriched Science as well as garden collections with "heath house" types, that in their beauty and novelty stimulated to further effort.

To this William agreed, at the same time adding that one great charm of the old gardens was their varied and successional assemblage of hardy perennial plants, that gave never failing interest to each garden possessor from late March to closing November. He congratulated his two entertainers that this feature had not only been retained, but much extended in character. "For I have noticed" said he "that your beautiful herbaceous borders contain many treasures that are novelties to me, while the appropriate massing of all of them tell of an artistic sense that we seldom exercised.

"So my benediction is, that humankind may advance to ever new triumphs in the evolution of flowers and fruits; that such efforts and achievements may aid in further conquering and truly civilizing the still savage side of man's being; that the greed and selfishness of his lower nature may before the century's close, become replaced by co-operative effort and social harmony the world over; and that then the world may become a great garden of beauties that both of you can explore

every nook of in your improved flying machines, and bring back vegetable treasures that you can experiment with and improve."

As the words fell from his lips Friend William faded from their view, the entire scene suddenly seemed to change, Botanicus mused alone, and rubbing his eyes he saw only some of the fair flowers and fruits that dreamland fancy had woven together into a picture of varied coloring but truthful detail. That picture we have attempted to put before you to-day.

THE WORK OF THE HEART'

BY ALFRED N. RICHARDS,

Professor of Pharmacology

The subject which I am to present for your consideration is set down as the Work of the Heart. In the hour which is available to me, I can do no more than present superficially certain phases of the heart's activity and have therefore chosen one in which I have been particularly interested, viz. the sequence of the heart's contractions.

Any such discussion of the heart's activity as this should, I think, begin with some statement, however brief, of the work and thought of that greatest of contributors to our understanding of the heart, William Harvey, an English physician of the seventeenth century. In 1628, he published the results of some years of study and experimentation in a little volume entitled "De Motu Cordis et Sanguinis" which was epochmaking in that for the first time a correct view of the function of the heart in relation to the movement of the blood in the vessels was set forth, together with ample evidence to support it. When one reads this account nearly three hundred years later, one is struck by the modernity of his views; in fact it is Harvey's teachings which we all learn in the

1 This lecture was illustrated by moving pictures of the heart's action made by the Clinical Film Corporation of New York. The experiments which were photographed were made on completely anæsthetized animals in the Laboratory of Pharmacology of this University. The expense of the pictures was borne in large part by Mr. Walter E. Hering of Philadelphia, to whom grateful acknowledgment is made.

Lantern slides were also shown of the various structures which make up the cardiac mechanism. The expense of reproducing them has necessitated their omission from this volume. The imagination of the reader is invoked to supply this omission: Most of the standard text books of anatomy and physiology contain these or similar pictures.