H. BOTANY. 359 



the seeds so germinated manifest a continued effect of the 

 camphor, when transferred to good garden soil, in the vigor 

 of growth and freshness of the plants. This fact, it is sug- 

 gested, might be of service, especially in cases of expensive 

 seeds that germinate with difficulty. 1 C, V., 79. 



GERMINATION AND GROWTH AT LOW TEMPERATURES. 



The interesting observation of Uloth that grains of wheat 

 accidentally inclosed in ice will germinate, and send their 

 rootlets into it, has been found corroborated on a large scale 

 in the Alps by Kernel*. His investigations of the vegetation 

 on the margin of the snow-fields clearly prove, not only that 

 germination can take place at 32, but that stalks and flowers 

 may also be developed at that temperature. Water formed 

 by the melting of the snow, sinking into the earth, serves to 

 excite organic changes in small plants buried beneath the 

 snow and ice, and the heat liberated by the respiration of 

 the plant melts the ice in contact with it, and the growing 

 portions force themselves into the cavities thus formed. The 

 small stems thus frequently force their way up through one 

 or two inches of ice, and finally perforate it, and appear, with 

 their blossoms, above it. Alpine flowers were even found in 

 full bloom incased in ice, just as insects are in amber, al- 

 though, as a rule, the complete development of the flower 

 only takes places above the ice. Not unfrequently the mar- 

 gins of the snow-fields, converted into ice and granular snow, 

 are diversified by hundreds of Alpine flowers among them, 

 at times, the soldanella. 19 (7, October 25, 1873, 403. 



MANGANESE IN SEEDS. 



Some years ago the French missionaries, in returning from 

 China, brought with them a certain vegetable substance 

 which they called gutta-percha seeds, and known in its native 

 country as Tambayous. They belong to the genus Sterculia, 

 of the family of Sapotacce. Quite recently a chemical analy- 

 sis has been made of these seeds, and the interesting fact de- 

 veloped that the ash contains 17 per cent, of oxide of man- 

 ganese, 14 per cent, of magnesia, and 12 of lime. The large 

 percentage of manganese is a very striking fact, said to be 

 unparalleled in the vegetable kingdom. Its occurrence in 

 small quantity in the leaves of the beech-tree has but recent- 



