,26 
THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 
that some few varieties of wood w^ere not so susceptible 
to the subtile attractions of *'fair Luna," but of course he 
misses the important fact that the environment under 
which the cut timber is kept after felling, the condition of 
the wood at time of cutting, and the species determine the 
.future state of the timber. 
What worries me, however, is the fact that, sooner or 
latter, some one of the many obviously intelligent 
believers in this old moon hoax will find some apparent 
excuse for his ideas and foist it upon the long-suffering 
public in such a way that many will remark "Well, there 
may be something in it." Let us resolve to meet all such 
matter in the manner it deserves. 
Mayaguez, Porto Rico. 
A WEED STUDY. 
BY H. C. SKEELS. 
IN the fall of 1903 a railroad embankment was built 
three miles east of Joliet, near the Forest of Arden. 
The earth for this was taken from a pasture next the 
right of way, an excavation about 2 feet deep being 
made over an area 75 by 250 feet. In the following 
February, 1904, this excavation was filled with manure 
from the Chicago stockyards 
There is an idea prevalent among many people, of 
which I am one^ that a manure pile is uncongenial soil 
for plants, because it is too rich. The above conditions 
g'ave a chance to test this, and the results of the first 
season of growth give some idea of the ability of plants 
to withstand conditions that might seem at first sight 
almost prohibitory to plant life. 
It will be seen that it was almost necessary for all 
plant growth to come from seeds or plants already in 
the manure. All native plants were cleared away in the 
excavating. All seeds dispersed by surrounding plants 
were buried under two feet of manure, and seeds dispersed 
after March 1st are comparatively few. A fact which 
bears out these conclusions is as follows: the general 
