July 18, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



115 



A generic name which is the same as that 

 of an explicitly included species (or a cited 

 post-Linnaan synonym of such species) takes 

 that species as its type regardless of subsequent 

 elimination. 



Illustrations. 

 ■ Cuvier in 1800 ('Legons d'Anat. Comp.,' I., 

 tabl. 1) proposed the generic name Mephitis 

 for the American skunlvS and mentioned two 

 species, mephitis and putorius. Consequently 

 the type of Mephitis would be Mephitis 

 mephitis (Schreber). 



- Bechstein in 1803 ('Orn. Tasehenb. 

 Deutschl.,' p. 282) proposed the genus Totanus, 

 to which he referred the following species of 

 birds : maculatus, calidris, fuscus, natans, 

 limosa, glottis, mgocephalus, leucophceus,, lap- 

 ponicus, gregarius and stagnatilis. He quotes 

 Scolopax totanus Linnaeus as a synonym of 

 Totanus maculatus; it would therefore be re- 

 garded as the type. 



Cuvier in 1817 ('Eegne Animal,' 11., p. 269) 

 proposed the name Smaris for a genus of fishes 

 and mentioned two species, mwna and smaris, 

 of which the latter would become the type. 

 J. A. Allen, 

 OuTRAM Bangs, 

 Barton Warren Evermann, 

 Theo. Gill, 

 Arthur H. Howell, 

 Da'std Starr Jordan, 

 C. Hart Mebriam, 

 Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., 

 E. W. Nelson, 

 Mary Eathbun, 

 Oldfield Thomas. 



SHORTER ARTICLES. 



THE prevention OF MOLDS ON CIGARS. 



In January of the past winter a prominent 

 cigar manufaetiu-er brought to the attention 

 of the Office of Vegetable Pathological and 

 Physiological Investigations, U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture, the fact that the occurrence of 

 molds on cigars forms one of the greatest 

 problems with which the tobacco manufacturer 

 has to deal, and the loss in profits and in repu- 

 tation from this cause alone is one of the most 

 serious known to the manufacturer. 



; The undersigned was detailed to this inves- 

 tigation, and laboratory experiments were 

 promptly begun. The molds found on the ci- 

 gars were identified by Mrs. Flora W. Patter- 

 son, mycologist, as Aspergillus Candidas Link 

 and Penicillium glaucum Link. Preliminary 

 tests showed promptly that these molds would 

 not grow under laboratory conditions on un- 

 treated wrapper leaf, but when a thin film of 

 tragacanth paste, such as is used in cigar 

 factories for fastening the wrapper in place, 

 was applied to the leaf the molds flourished. 

 Whether to disinfect the wrapper leaf or the 

 paste was a question answered in favor of the 

 latter method. The question of choosing some 

 substance which should be lacking in odor, 

 taste and harmful properties, was decided in 

 favor of boracic acid. A large number of com- 

 pounds was tested, but the number of those 

 efficient under the conditions here prescribed 

 was extremely limited. Boracic acid is well 

 known as a perfectly harmless antiseptic agent, 

 a fact which further recommended it. Labo- 

 ratory tests showed that a saturated solution 

 of boracic acid used in making up the traga- 

 canth paste, instead of water, sterilized the 

 paste. A method of operation adapted to fac- 

 tory purposes, based on this laboratory infor- 

 mation, was transmitted to the factoi-y from 

 which the complaint first emanated. After a 

 six-weeks' test, under the most varying condi- 

 tions in factory practice, the superintendent 

 writes: "I am happy to state that I sin- 

 cerely believe that you have solved the trouble 

 of the mold forming on the heads of cigars at 

 our factory, as since I have been using the 

 boracic acid in the proportion prescribed we 

 have no trouble with the mold on the cigars. 

 I thought that possibly after they had been 

 stored some time the mold might appear, but 

 I am pleased to say that our tests in every way 

 and under all conditions show that the mold 

 will not appear after using the boracic acid 

 in the paste. I would add that as boracic acid 

 is cheap, we now buy it by the barrel." 



Since the cost involved in this treatment is 

 practically nothing, and the additional labor 

 involved in the application is also so slight as 



