ERIGERON IN NORTH DAKOTA 253 
times out of many trials, showing that generally the successful 
double staining by the above method is accidental, yet anticipating 
practical success, should we find the exact proportion according 
to which the stains should be mixed, even going so far as to insure 
success by the shortened process, recommended by the above 
experiments, in the case of the Magdala Red. 
As to the reagents, an apparent objection to the use of fused 
zinc chloride instead of calcium chloride may be that the former 
on being fused again after absorption of alcohol seems to allow 
this to come off with great difficulty, so that the mass chars to a 
blackish substance, because of separation of carbon. After second 
fusion the zinc chloride does not seem to reabsorb alcohol as 
well as before, possibly because basic zinc chlorides are formed 
and some of the chlorine goes off as ethyl chloride (C,H,Cl). 
Addition of hydrochloric acid to decompose these basic com- 
pounds supposed to be found does not improve matters much. 
The fused mixture of zine chloride and calcium chloride in 
equal parts does not behave in this way; no charring whatever 
is noticed no matter how high the temperature is raised in fusion. 
Since moreover, the mixture is also more active we may conclude 
that it is the best dealcoholizer of them all. Whichever of these 
salts or mixtures of them is used, the fusion after the first absorp- 
tion of alcohol may be made in either an iron or a porcelain vessel. 
Zinc chloride and mixtures of it show a tendency to absorb iron 
from the vessel during fusion, this iron appearing to be held in the 
colloidal form. This however does not deteriorate the absorptive 
power, though the fused mass appears to be steel gray in color. 
Care should be exercised to prevent the escaping alcohol vapors 
from catching fire in fusion, as charcoal is deposited, giving the 
preparation an unsightly appearance. 
ERIGERON IN NORTH DAKOTA. 
By J. LUNELL. 
In the year 1818 Nuttall published in Vol. II. of “The. 
Genera of North American Plants’’ on p. 147 and 148 two new 
Erigeron species, E. asper and E. glabellus. During the last 25 
years there has been considerable confusion as to what plants 
