62 
Pharmacognostical Notes.—Jos. Schrenk. (Amer. Druggist, Jan. 
1887 ; reprinted.) 
Professor Schrenk finds, contrary to the statements of Berg 
and of Fliickiger, that many specimens of commercial Zaraxa- 
cum root contain distinct pith, the diameter of which in some 
cases exceeds that of the woody zone; also that the root of 
Atropa Belladonna may contain bast-cells. In discussing the 
structure of the rootstock of Veratrum, he states that the cells 
in the endodermis of V. album are more thickened than in V. 
viride, and the lumena of these cells has the form of a V in V. 
album and of a U in V. viride; the rootstocks of the American 
plant appear to be generally lighter in weight than those of the 
European, and of a spongy structure. The structure of the 
endodermis in the rootstock of Cypripedium pubescens varies 
greatly. Professor Schrenk found its cell-walls greatly thickened 
in plants from a boggy wood, while in those from a dry place 
they were thin. 
Plum Leaf Fungus. (Septoria Cerasina.)—J. C. Arthur. (5th 
Ann. Rep. N. Y. Agric. Exp. Station, pp. 293-298, five 
figures.) 
Stawberry Mildew (Spherotheca Castagnei.) J. C. Arthur. 
(5th Ann. Rep. N. Y. Agric. Exp. Station, pp. 291-293.) 
Submerged Trees of the Columbia River.—C. E. Dutton. 
(Science, ix., pp. 82-84.) 
Trees and Tree Planting in Massachusetts.—C. S. Sargent. (From 
Ann. Rep. Mass. State Board Agric., 1886, pamphlet, pp. 21.) 
Professor Sargent concludes ‘That the native trees of 
Massachusetts are better suited to Massachusetts than any exotic 
trees can be, and that if our woods and plantations are ever to 
assume real importance, and to make profitable returns upon the 
money invested in them, they must be composed either wholly or 
in large part of our native trees.” 
Vaccinium macrocarpon.—(Garden, xxxi., p. 66.) 
The Cranberry is strongly recommended for winter decora- 
tion. “ Its fruit, when cooked, is said to be very palatable.” 
Violets, North American—Memoranda of a Revision of the.— 
Asa Gray (Proc. A. A. A. S., 1886, PP. 247-253.) 
