No. 489] NOTES AND LITERATURE 



605 



extensively used as food in Japan and now being introduced into the 

 United States. Funatsu (/. c, 469) gives the composition of a chrysan- 

 themum flower used as food. Albahary (Compt. Rend., 145:131-133. 

 1907) publishes analyses of the fruit of the tomato. Jaffa (Yearb. 

 U. S. Dep. Ag. 1906; 295-312. 1907) considers the value of nuts 

 as food. 



Ybarra (Smith. Misc. Coll., quart, iss. 3:428-457. 1907) has done 

 a service to those interested in the natural history of America by pub- 

 lishing an annotated translation of a letter by Dr. Diego Alvarez 

 Chanca, physician to the fleet of Columbus, dated 1494, relating to 

 the second voyage of Columbus. The letter embraces observations 

 made between November 4, 1493, and the last week in January 1494. 

 Of course but little space could be devoted to botanical matters but 

 several of the references to economic plants are of considerable interest. 



J. A. H. 



The difficulties of botanists in capitalizing specific names are illus- 

 trated in " The Flora of the Gulf Biologic Station," recently issued 

 by the Louisiana Board of Agriculture. It refers to Vrrhcsinn Vir- 

 ginka, Commelina rirtj!nir(i. Ijirium Vii/f/arr, K/mcIinris M iifafa, etc 



Ipomoea pes-caprae may Ix- coiiiiKircd with I'aui'-iiiii ('nis-(/(ilii. I'lii- 

 form decapitalization would prcvcm such contusion. This Mora," 

 which records some twcuty-si\ phanerogams not ])irviously reported 

 in Louisiana — astate which " is to-day ahnost unknown hoia nieally " 

 — is to be sup})lemente.I l.v further pul.Hcations. Its author, R." S. 

 Cocks, refrains from naming prematurely several new forms. 



