72 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [ JANUARY 
engaged in a special study of the flora of New Mexico, having made extensive 
collections in that territory during his five years’ residence there. He is 
expecting to spend considerable time during next summer in additional field 
work in that region. 
Dr. B. D. HALSTED has printed a syllabus of six extension lectures upon 
the subject of fungous diseases of cultivated plants. As the selection of sub- 
jects for such courses is sometimes a puzzling question it is of interest to know 
that the subjects of this syllabus are Fungi injurious to (1) field and root 
crops, (2) orchard crops, (3) small fruits, (4) vegetable fruits, (5) vegetables, 
(6) ornamental plants. 
PROFESSOR Kocu, by direction of the German government, has gone to 
South Africa to investigate the rinderpest, an exceedingly contagious disease 
affecting cattle. An investigation of this disease was made in 1868 by the 
British, but no result of scientific value was obtained. With the far better 
bacteriological methods of today it is to be hoped that Professor Koch may 
obtain more definite resulis. 
Mr. JoHN C, WILLIE, who has succeeded the late Dr. Trimen as Director 
of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, Ceylon, is desirous of develop- 
ing scientific research in connection with his laboratory. The gardens are 
very large, and the flora is as rich and probably less “worked” than that at 
Buitenzorg. Mr. Willie hopes to call the favorable attention of students to 
the cgewae somes offered by Peradeniya. 
_ AT THE MEETING of the Academy of Science of St. Louis, held December 
21, 1896, Mr. H. von Schrenk made some remarks upon the parasitism of 
lichens, illustrated especially by the long hanging forms of Usnea barbata, 
_ common on Juniperus, etc., on Long Island, N.Y. It was shown that these — 
lichens do not penetrate below the outer periderm of the host, and conse- 
quently are not to be regarded as true parasites, but that they frequently 
cause the death of the latter by suffocation. As Sch imper has noted for the 
