TWENTY-THIBD ANNUAL MEETING. 101 



"FEATHER ALUM" FROM COLORADO. 



BTT E. H. 8. BAILEY, LAWEENOE. 

 \_Abstracl.^ 

 This mineral, properly called Halotrichite, is rare in this country. The speci- 

 mens described were received for identification from F. J. Crippen, Esq., of Denver 

 and came from Pitkin county, Colo. The mineral is of a silky luster, nearly white, 

 quite soft, and soluble in water. It consists of minute capillary crystals, arranged 

 in parallel bundles. A complete analysis of the mineral shows that it consists essen- 

 tially of ferrous sulphate and alumina sulphate. It contains about 44 per cent, of 

 water, and 33 per cent, of this is driven ofiE below 100° C. 



SELECTIVE POWER OF THE SENSE OF TASTE, 



[Preliminary announcement.] 



BY E. H. S. BAILEY. 



The object of this work is to ascertain to what extent the sense of taste can dis- 

 tinguish several substances when mixed together in the same solution. For this 

 purpose a mixture was made containing a bitter, sweet, salt and sour substance, all 

 of the same "delicacy strength." This has been ascertained by a series of experi- 

 ments previously made, and published in Science, vol. XI. The tests thus far made 

 seem to show that in such a mixture the acid taste overcomes all others. These 

 tests, however, will be carried further, and others made upon the location of the or- 

 gans of taste for each substance, and upon the order in which the substances are 

 identified in the mixture. 



NOTE ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND RAVAGES OF THE HACKBERRY 



BRANCH KNOT. 



BY W. A. KELLEBMAN, PH. D. 



A full account of the branch knot occurring on hackberry (CeJfis occidentalis) was 

 given in the First Annual Report of the Kansas Experiment Station, for the year 

 1888. pp. 302-315. 



It was shown that the knot was caused by a gall mite {Phytoptus sp.?), or by 

 this insect and a fungus. The latter proved to be a new species, and was described 

 in the Journal of Mycology, vol. IV. (1888), p. 93, under the name Sphcerotheca phy- 

 toptophila, Kell. <fe Swing. 



When the report above referred to was published, the knot had been reported 

 in Brown, Riley, Clay, and Saline counties, Kansas. Its occurrence beyond the 

 limits of our State was not then known to the authors. 



The counties of Kansas where it is now known to occur are as follows: 



Labette; specimens collected by Arthur Cranston. 



Miami; specimens seen by the writer. 



Brown; collected by J. S. Hazen, 



Douglas; collected by the writer, 



Shawnee; collected by the writer. 



Lyon; seen by the writer. 



Riley; observed several years ago. 



Clay; reported by S. C. Mason. 



Sumner; seen by the writer. 



Saline; reported by S. C. Mason. 



Rooks; reported by E. Bartholomew, 



