76 MIDLAND NATURALIST 
Between Hamilton and Binghamton, the show of color from the car 
windows is extraordinary, and though I am not familiar with much of the 
country except from car windows, the fact that the railroad fills, which are 
preferably not made with rich soil,* literally blaze with color, would incline 
me to believe some other reason than rich soil might be responsible for the 
phenomenon. Yours very truly, 
Ernest W. BOWDITCH. 
* Editor’s Note. Since the publication of Prof. Kirsch’s article we have 
found four or five cases of fasciation of dandelion. Usually not morethan three 
or four heads were united, and the plants were in every instance found in very 
unfavorable conditions such as are indicated by Mr. Bowditch. One plant 
was found on gravelly soil on the edge of a cement sidewalk and the others 
coming up from an old cinder path. Another plant on the edge of a gravel 
walk had as many as eleven heads combined. It has been observed that 
very old clover plants are more apt to have more than the normal number 
of blades to the leaf. Such plants have been found to have more 4,5 a 
6-bladed leaves than 3-bladed ones. Might not age also have some UUED 
on formation of abnormal growth ? 
Editorial Note. 
* SPINELESS CACTI.” 
In the course of a conversation with a representative of one of 
the European governments we discussed the subject of the ‘‘spine- 
less cactus." As scientific expert attached to a consulate the 
gentleman had been deputed by his government to investigate these 
spineless forms with the object of later securing such for the 
tropical colonies. Before, however, his report was sent in a pur- 
chase had been affected by the authorities at home. His report was 
not very favorable we were told, for the ‘‘spineless cacti” 
developed the unfortunate tendency of reverting to their primitive 
and ordinary spiny condition. In fact he came to the conclusion 
that at present the best way of easily and surely obtaining '' spine- 
less cacti’’ for fodder for cattle is to have a laborer go from plant to 
plant and burn off the spines with an ordinary oil-blast lamp. 
In view of this it would seem that spineless forms of Opuntia 
are still far from immutable, and that very little reliance can be 
put on the glowing accounts of scientific discoveries as related in the 
