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Mr. H. A. Caparn, consulting landscape architect of the Garden 
staff, was in Alabama during August and the first part of Sep- 
tember, in connection with the town planning of three “nitrate 
towns,” Florence, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. ‘In Florence and 
Sheffield are located the two great plants for making nitrogen 
from the atmosphere by the cyanamid process. This particular 
location has been chosen mainly because, by the construction of 
an enormous dam across the Tennessee River, it is possible to 
create water-power greater than any in the States except that of 
Niagara. The work on the dam itself has been suspended until 
the close of the war because of the great need for men in other 
vocations, but will be resumed after the war, and meantime the 
plants get their power from the Alabama Power Co. for making 
the nitrogen so much needed for explosives and fertilizers. The 
undertaking has brought an increase of population much greater 
than the three towns can shelter, and the Housing Bureau is doing 
its best with the appropriation available to provide the best 
planned and constructed small towns for the workers possible 
under the circumstances. On each of these ‘ Projects’ there are 
three designers, an architect, a town planner, and an engineer.” 
Mr. Caparn has been appointed to the second of these positions. 

Dr. Orland E. White, curator of plant breeding on the Garden 
staff, has been granted a leave of absence of three or four months, 
beginning August 1, 1918, for the purpose of codperating with 
the National Research Council in the study of various problems 
connected with the growth and utilization of the castor oil bean. 
Dr. White has already visited castor bean plantations in Tennes- 
see, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, and Texas. The castor bean 
industry has become one of considerable importance, owing to 
the effort of the Government to have them produced in large 
volume primarily for the purpose of securing oil from the castor 
bean for use as a lubricant for air-planes. According to the offi- 
cial “U. S. Bulletin” it is proposed to use the stems and hulls 
of the plants as an ingredient for fertilizers, and Director Gen- 
eral McAdoo has announced that publication has been authorized 
of new rates on castor bean hulls and stems in both carload and 
less than carload quantities the same as the rates on fertilizers 
