The Botanical Laboratory of the Michigan Agricultural College burned on the night of March 21, the fire originating in the top story by a defective flue. This was the first building erected in this country for the express and sole purpose of a botanical laboratory. It was built in 1880 at a cost of $6,000. It was one of the handsomest buildings among the many at this famous institution, and its equipment was large and invaluable. The lower floor was devoted to a large class and microscope room, office and herbarium cases. The second and third floors contained a very large and unique museum, especially rich in instructive features of our native flora and general agriculture. Very large collections of native woods, in novel shapes and arrangement, were particularly prominent. This department was more than the ordinary exhibit of woods, for it comprised manufactured articles, samples of lumber and many things of direct economic value. The museum also contained one of the best collections of Indian corn in existence. This museum had been a life work with Dr. Beal, the professor of botany. It was partially saved, however, and all the microscopes and most of the collections upon the first floor were saved.

One of the most lamentable features of the loss was the burning of the entire Wheeler Herbarium, an immense collection of Michigan plants. This herbarium represented twenty-five years of unremitting toil by C. F. Wheeler, of Hub-bardstown, Michigan, the senior author of Wheeler and Smith's Flora of Michigan. Mr. Wheeler was last fall called to the college as assistant in the botanical department, and he gave his collection to the institution. He had just spent eight weeks in overhauling it. and a few days before the fire it was carried to the upper floor to be permanently mounted. It was therefore impossible to save any of it. The loss of this herbarium is one which can not be replaced. The accompanying cut is a good illustration of the building.