696 
BOTANICAL NOTES. 
A MODEL NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY BULLE- 
TIN. 
A FEW years ago the State botanist of 
Minnesota began publishing botanical 
papers bearing upon the botany of his State 
in periodical bulletins under the name of 
“Minnesota Botanical Studies.’ These have 
attracted wide attention as well from the 
matter which they contained as the man- 
ner of their publication. The State law 
under which the natural history survey is 
conducted provides for the immediate pub- 
lication of scientific contributions in the 
form of bulletins, in advance of the annual 
report, and this wise provision has enabled 
the State Botanist to conduct the unique 
publication referred to above. The first 
number was issued in January, 1894, since 
which ten more numbers have appeared, 
covering 1,043 pages, accompanied by eighty 
plates, and including fifty botanical papers. 
The wide range of these papers may be seen 
from the following synopsis : 
No. of Papers. 
WI@YDAOIMDoo0000 on000g D000 D0000000000005 5 al 
ISAO o agoooosccgcanooodase UsCdODSCKDN 1 
IPAVTIOLORY con000 a acvanpaso0n0900e00N00RC0 14 
hy toreooraphiyeeeeriisehieteeecrciseii terre 7 
INGE: 0.005 apd DDOGODDCQDUODDODDODODNOOADaGD 5 
MGM. concasoq0cdonon00 800000 a0R00000 a0000 4 
ILNOUS.c60 cbonoon9odoadDDGEORG0D SoeMbades 3 
IDWEAWOLUELo ooo coousdKD eboapouOabodonod6 5 dl 
WIGESES.. oop Go0G00c0D00000D000000 eDoODLODAE 6 
IMO EOD PEWNES 5 oG0n0aGc0c0D000s 008000000 7 
SiMe WOW oa ccanacccavcoogco aches gs ancs0 1 
Among the titles are the following: ‘On 
the occurrence of Sphagnum atolls in Cen- 
tral Minnesota,’ ‘ A revision of the Mucora- 
cee with especial reference to species re- 
ported from North America,’ ‘A prelimi- 
nary list of the mosses of Minnesota,’ 
‘Titles of literature concerning the fixation 
of free nitrogen by plants,’ ‘ A contribution 
to the bibliography of American Algee,’ ‘On 
the distribution of the North American 
Helvellales,’ ‘A rearrangement of North 
SCIENCE. 
(N.S. Vou. VI. No. 149. 
American Hyphomycetes,’ ‘ Contributions 
to a knowledge of the lichens of Minne- 
sota,’ ‘The alkaloids of Veratrum.’ 
A comparison of the foregoing titles and 
subjects with those which commonly fill the 
pages of the publications of other natural 
history surveys justifies us in regarding this 
bulletin as a model which might profitably 
be followed in other States. 
THE USEFUL FIBER PLANTS OF THE WORLD. 
TuE United States Department of Agri- 
culture has recently issued a most useful 
nd interesting descriptive catalogue of the 
useful fiber plants of the world. It was 
compiled by the well-known statistician, 
Charles R. Dodge, and is the result of many 
years of labor. It includes 1,018 fibers al- 
phabetically arranged, and illustrated by 
102 cuts and twelve half-tone plates. 
In the treatment of each fiber a briet 
description is given of the plant from which 
it is derived, and this is followed by a de- 
scription of the fiber and the operations by 
which it is prepared for use. In cases of 
the more important fibers further details 
are given as to cultivation, preparation for 
the market, commercial statistics, etc. 
The introductory chapter includes some 
interesting sections, that upon the princi- 
pal fibers used commercially in the United 
States being especially noteworthy. From 
it we learn that about thirty species are: 
used in this country, and that with the ex- 
ception of the Cabbage Palmetto (Sabal pal- 
metto), the Saw Palmetto (Serenow serrulata) 
and Spanish Moss ( Tillandsia usneoides), we 
are still more or less dependent upon for- 
eign growers for our supply. Thus of the 
more common fibers, flax is imported from 
Belgium, Russia, Holland, Italy, Great 
Britain and Canada; hemp, from Russia, 
France, Belgium, Germany, Austria-Hun- 
gary, Italy and the Netherlands ; jute, from 
India; cotton, from Egypt and Peru ; raffia, 
(used for tie bands), from Africa; sisal 
