146 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



'IMiis latter is not likely to be long in appearing since the chem- 

 istry of the subject is not difficult. 



Cotton and the Weather. — In the great Cotton Ex- 

 change in New ^'()rk and in the primary cotton markets of 

 the South, the price of cotton has always fluctuated, from dav 

 to day during the growing season with the (hiilv reports of 

 the weather conditions in the Cotton Belt where the world's 

 su])ply of this staple is largely produced. But it has fluctua- 

 ted erratically and without any solid knowledge of the exact 

 amount of influence the weather may have ujjon the ^■ield. 

 Recently, however, a well-known American economist and 

 statistician has shown that lie can i)redict the total vield with 

 remarkal)le accuracy b)- mathematical anah'sis from a knowl- 

 etlge of the average weather conditions from Alav to August, 

 an accuracy greater than that of the estimates l)ased on the 

 condition figures of the Government crop re])orts. The faxor- 



* 



able weather conditions differ somewhat in the different sec- 

 tions of the Corn Belt extending from Texas to South Caro- 

 lina. ])ut tile most im])ortant rc(|uirements are that Ahu' shall 

 be dry, June both warm and drw and August cool and wet, a 

 cool and wet August being of the mo^t importance. Sitting 

 in his New ^'ork office, without e\er ha\ing seen a cotton 

 plant growing and without receiving an\' reports as to the ])ro- 

 gress ot the crop, the master of the newer statistics can at the 

 end of August insert these weather values in his formula and 

 tell how n.iuch cotton will be ginned in the South during the 

 lollowing autumn and winter. — Thomas .1. Hlair in Scirutific 

 Minithly 



Mi',.\xixc, oi' j'i-;\ XNKONAi,. — ^"onr derivation of ])enny- 

 royal seems perfectlv sound. It might add to the interest to 

 know that Pulcfi'niui is derived from tlie Latin word for "flea." 

 rnl(-(jiinii rc(/(ilc, the name given to the plant by the early her- 

 balists, would thus mean "roval fleabanc." We need not neces- 



