Maech 13, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



599 



the crops, which might be obtained by 

 weed destruction without much cost, would 

 amount to $17,000,000. The passage of 

 proper laws against weeds is important and 

 should be effected with dispatch. 



The weed laws are listed as found upon 

 the statute books of the following States : 

 Arizonia, California, Connecticut, Dela- 

 ware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Ken- 

 tucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mis- 

 souri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, 

 North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, 

 South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, 

 West Virginia,Wisconsin. Thus twenty-five 

 States and Territories have laws against 

 weeds. In some States the law is to sup- 

 press but a single species, as against Canada 

 thistle in California, Delaware, Kentucky, 

 while other States proscribe fourteen, as in 

 Minnesota and Ohio. The largest proscrip- 

 tion is with the Cauada thistle, twenty-one 

 out of twenty-five States. Six States legis- 

 late against the Eussian thistle. 



The fact that there is no federal law 

 against weeds is probably because no one 

 species is national in importance, but the 

 Russian thistle may become such if it 

 spreads as it is feared. 



The basis for a general weed law is given 

 and includes as a leading feature a commis- 

 sion of which the State botanist shall be the 

 head. It is very important that new weeds 

 shall be recognized and measures taken to 

 eradicate them at once. Legislation for the 

 purity of seeds will do much to check the 

 introduction of weeds through commercial 

 seeds. 



BACTEEIA IN THE DAIRY. 



De. Conn gives a ' year's experience with 

 Bacillus No. 41 in general daii-ying ' in the 

 Annual Report of the Storr's Experiment 

 Station of Connecticut. This germ can pro- 

 duce a pleasant flavor in butter, if favorably 

 situated in the cream, and is feasible in the 

 hands of ordinary dairymen. The flavor 



thus produced is retained by the butter for 

 a long time. It is not proved that this 

 bacillus is the best possible one for this pur- 

 pose, but Dr. Conn thinks the method is at 

 Mast correct in principle and will succeed 

 in practice. 



SUE-IEEIGATION IN THE GEEENHOUSE. 



The Ohio Experiment Station is taking 

 a lead in the study of irrigation under glass 

 by Prof W. J. Green. In a recent bulletin 

 the construction of the greenhouse with 

 iron frames and bench tiles is fully shown 

 by engravings, as also the great difference in 

 the size of lettuce grown with sub-irrigation 

 and surface watering, it being twice as large 

 with the former as the latter method. The 

 idea of irrigating below the surface grew 

 out of an attempt to prevent the rotting of 

 lettuce by not wetting the foliage. Sub- 

 irrigation is cheaper than the old method 

 of surface watering ; the soil remains in a 

 better condition and the plants are less 

 liable to decay. These results come largely 

 from the soil permitting the air to pass 

 freely through it, besides supplying water 

 constantly to the roots. 



GEAPE OULTUEE. 



Some of the Experiment Stations bulle- 

 tins are books and not small ones. Sixty- 

 four pages of close print interspersed with 

 engravings is issued by the Georgia Experi- 

 ment Station as its bulletin No. 28. The 

 Horticulturist H. N. Starnes does not con- 

 ceal the intent of the publication, but at the 

 outset states that " no attempt has been 

 made to treat the subject from a scientific 

 standpoint, and as far as possible all techni- 

 calities have been avoided, as the bulletin 

 is intended solely for the practical guidance 

 of the inexperienced beginner." The book- 

 let is divided into nine parts, namely, the 

 vineyard, propagation, planting, pruning 

 and training and so on. 



Byeon D. Halsted. 



Rutgers College. 



