16 
There is a great desire in Mexico that a use should be found for it. 
I secured a quantity of this cotton and had it examined by an 
expert cotton manufacturer, who reported that the hairs were 
Fic. 6. Pineapples Protected in Hollowed Stems of Banana, Oaxaca, Mexico. 
too short. He stated that if, by cultivation and breeding, it 
could be made to produce a fiber of sufficient length, it would be a 
valuable product. 
H. H. Russy. 
CONFERENCE NOTES. 
The regular conference meeting was held in the library on the 
afternoon of December 7, and was presided over by Dr. N. 
on. 
Mr. C. S. Schwarze gave a review oe his work on Dimero-_ 
sporium, a genus of the “sooty moulds.” The ‘sooty moulds,” 
which are related to the powdery mildews, differ mainly in that 
they produce a superficial black (instead of white) mycelial 
growth which spreads over the substratum. The genus is 
largely tropical and the species may be either parasitic or sap- 
rophytic on the leaves and stems of various plant 
Schwarze mentioned especially the characters which distinguish 
