186 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XX. No. 501. 



peculiarly rich in talus and burn successions. 

 Within a radius of five miles are found more 

 than twenty distinct plant formations. In 

 1903, stations were established at Manitou at 

 1,900 m., and on the top of Mount Garfield at 

 3,800 m., and automatic records were obtained 

 throughout the growing season for the three 

 zones, foothill, subalpine and alpine. During 

 the present season, these stations are to be 

 equipped with thermographs, psychrographs 

 and automatic photometers, while water-con- 

 tent determinations will be made at stated in- 

 tervals. A small cabin has been acquired at 

 Minnehaha, and it is intended to convert this 

 into a laboratory ultimately. It is the pur- 

 pose of the alpine laboratory to carry on in- 

 vestigations under field conditions alone, and 

 the building will be equipped only with such 

 books, microscopes and other instruments as 

 are necessary to field experiment. 



The general phytogeographical survey of 

 the Colorado mountains, which was begun in 

 1896, has been carried out along new lines in 

 vegetational research, and is now nearly com- 

 pleted. The structural characteristics of the 

 mountain formations have already been indi- 

 cated in a series of formation herbaria, en- 

 titled ' Herbaria Pormationum Coloraden- 

 sium,' issued in 1902, while the methods of 

 research employed have just been published in 

 a paper, ' The Development and Structure of 

 Vegetation.' A large nuniber of permanent 

 and denuded quadrats Jiave been established 

 for the experimental study of invasion and 

 competition, and considerable work in ex- 

 perimental ecology has been initiated by 

 changing habitats and transferring species to 

 diverse habitats. Special problems in suc- 

 cession and adaptation are under investigation 

 by advanced students, and the results will ap- 

 pear during the coming year. 



The facilities of the laboratory are at the 

 disposal of botanists and students desiring to 

 do advanced work or to carry on investigation, 

 upon the payment of a nominal fee. Good 

 accommodations may be secured at reasonable 

 rates in the mountain hotels at Minnehaha 

 and Halfway. Minnehaha is reached from 

 Manitou by the trains of the Gog railway, 

 over which commutation tickets may be ob- 



tained at reduced rates. Detailed information 

 will be furnished upon applicati6n to Dr. 

 Frederic E. Clements, The University of Ne- 

 braska, Lincoln, ISTebraska. 



THE CULTIVATION OF COTTON IN THE 

 WEST INDIES. 



It is satisfactory to report that the experi- 

 mental cultivation of cotton in the West In- 

 dies has proved a success, and that the in- 

 dustry is now established on a commercial 

 basis. Plantations exist in Barbados, St. 

 Lucia, St. Vincent, Montserrat, Antigua, St. 

 Kitts, Trinidad, and the smaller islands, while 

 plots have also been started in Jamaica and 

 British Guiana. The total area estimated to 

 be under cultivation is 4,000 acres. During 

 the season just ended Barbados alone shipped, 

 up to March 31, 244 bales and two bags of 

 cotton, weighing 61,0001b., and the gins have 

 been busy since. The Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture, which has the work in hand, 

 has orders from planters for Sea Island seed 

 sufficient to plant 7,000 acres, and as this 

 quantity has been paid for the presumption is 

 that it will be used. In Jamaica, where the 

 pioneer work is being carried out by the Board 

 of Agriculture, enough seed has been disposed 

 of to plant 500 acres. A number of Syrians, 

 who are acquainted with cotton-growing in 

 Egypt, are engaged in the cultivation there. 

 Central factories for ginning and pressing the 

 cotton have been erected in the various 

 islands, and a cotton gin expert from the Sea 

 Islands has just completed four months' work 

 on the machines, all of which are now in 

 perfect working order. He states that the 

 factory in St. Vincent is the best-arranged 

 and best equipped he has ever seen. A nine- 

 hours' run of the six gins yielded 3,8001b. of 

 lint ; in Barbados, where the methods and ap- 

 pliances are not so scientifically complete, a 

 similar run gave from 1,5001b. to 1,6001b. 

 There are a few private ginneries, but the 

 majority are government undertakings carried 

 on under the direction of the Imperial De- 

 partment of AgTiculture. The cotton is 

 ginned, baled and shipped for the planters 

 for 3c. per lb. of lint ; seed cotton is also pur- 

 chased at the rate of 4c. per lb., which is 



