Septehlbeb 4, 190S] 



SCIENCE 



307 



C.E. '08, and for the past five years engaged 

 in railway work, has been appointed instructor 

 in civil engineering. 



A. E. Lord, B.S. in civil engineering. Uni- 

 versity of Maine, '07, and for the past year 

 instructor in civil engineering of the same in- 

 stitution, has been appointed instructor in 

 general engineering drawing. 



F. W. Doolittle, a graduate of Lenox Col- 

 lege, A.B. Princeton, a graduate in civil engi- 

 neering. University of Colorado, '07, has been 

 appointed instructor in theoretical and ap- 

 plied mechanics. 



J. 6. Kemp, A.B. University of Illinois, 

 '06, and for the past two years assistant in 

 physics at Purdue University, has been ap- 

 pointed assistant in physics. 



E. C. Converse, A.B. University of Illinois, 

 '04, and for the past four years a teacher in 

 the public high schools, has been appointed 

 assistant in physics on part time. 



A. M. Elam, B.S. in mechanical and elec- 

 trical engineering, State University of Ken- 

 tucky, '08, has been appointed assistant in 

 general engineering drawing. 



Lewis McDonald, B.A. and B.S. in civil 

 engineering. University of Illinois, '08, has 

 been appointed assistant in civil engineering. 



The facts set forth by the preceding state- 

 ment emphasize the organic growth of the 

 school of railway engineering and administra- 

 tion which was established two years ago by 

 the University of Illinois. This school stands 

 midway between the college of engineering 

 and the department of economics. Its di- 

 rector is the dean of the college of engineer- 

 ing. Its organization within the college of 

 engineering at present consists of an associate 

 professor of railway engineering, in general 

 charge, and especially concerned with the 

 problems of railway equipment; an assistant 

 professor of civil engineering, especially con- 

 cerned with problems of the track; an in- 

 structor in railway mechanical engineering, 

 especially concerned with locomotive perform- 

 ance and train resistance ; and an associate in 

 railway engineering, especially concerned 

 VTith the specialized problems of electrical 

 traction. Its organization within the depart- 

 ment of economics consists of a professor of 



railway administration and an instructor in 

 railway accounting. 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE 



WILD JAMAICA COTTON 



To THE Editor op Science: With reference 

 to the interesting letters of Messrs. Colville, 

 Britton and Cook in Science of April 24, I 

 venture to write to mention that I have grown 

 several samples of cotton seed from Jamaica, 

 kindly sent by the Agricultural Department. 

 One of the varieties grown appears to be iden- 

 tical with the one under reference except in 

 the case of the flowers, which in my specimen 

 were all yellow or pale yellow. The identity 

 of the two varieties can easily be proved or 

 disapproved owing to the fact that the 

 braeteoles of my plants have only two to four 

 teeth, while most varieties with which it could 

 possibly be confounded have many more. It 

 is quite distinct from G. punctatum Sch. & 

 Thon. as are also many plants stated by Watt 

 to belong to this species, e. g., " the Hindi 

 weed of Egypt"; it is, however, apparently 

 identical with the specimen figured by him as 

 G. punctatum, var. Jamaica. 



With reference to the main point raised in 

 correspondence viz. : the explanation of a 

 mixture of naked and fuzzy seeds. The seeds 

 of my cotton were all naked, but seeds giving 

 rise on sowing to exactly similar plants, and 

 all bearing either grayish or brown, or green 

 fuzz, were received from Trinidad, Nicaragua 

 and neighboring regions. This supports the 

 statement made by Mr. Cook, that the varia- 

 tion in the fuzz does not necessarily imply 

 hybridization. Further evidence on this point 

 is that these varieties come true to seed. 



I have grown other varieties, however, 

 which gave a mixed product similar to that in 

 question. Owing to poor germination con- 

 sequent on poor monsoons, I failed (while in 

 India) to obtain very definitive information as 

 to the numerical ratio in which this char- 

 acter in such cases passes from generation to 

 generation, but in one case, at least (that of 

 a cotton from Bagdad), it was found that 

 both naked and fuzzy seeds picked from the 

 same plant gave rise to plants bearing both 



