Morphologie und Teratologie. — Pliysiologie. 659 



BooDLE, L. A., Th e Monoecisni of Funaria hygrometrlca Sibth. 

 (Annais of Botany. Vol. XX. 1906. p. 293—299. With 4 fig.) 



F. hygrometrlca is monoecious, the female stem being a branch 

 of the male. The male axis bears a terminal male flower and pro- 

 diices a lateral branch which forms a terminal female flower. The 

 female branch, which is usually produced rather late, may be inserted 

 at different levels, high up or basally; it usually has a tuberous base 

 bearing a tuft of rhizoids and, if torn away, resembles an inde- 

 pendent plant. The conducting Strand of the female branch termi- 

 nates nearly in contact with that of the male axis. The male axis 

 bearing the female branch may in its turn be the branch of another 

 male stem. M. Wilson (Glasgow). 



Bergtheil, C, The Fermentation of the Indigo- plant. (Journ. 

 Chem. Soc. London. Vol. LXXXV. 1904. p. 870—892.) 



Several kinds of bacteria are capable of producing indigo fer- 

 mentation, some of which are always present in an infusion of the 

 plant, but in the main the action is dependent on a specific enzyme 

 in the plant cells. This by acting on a glucoside found in the cells 

 produces a substance capable of giving indigotin on oxidation by 

 the air, E. Drabble (Liverpool). 



Brown, A. J., The influences regulating the reproductive 

 Functions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. (Journ. Chem. Soc. 

 London. Vol. LXXXVII. p. 1395—1412. 1905.) 



The author has previously shown that the voIume of the nutri- 

 tive liquid rather than the actual food supply conditions the power 

 of multiplication of the yeast cell. Reproduction continues until a 

 definite number of cells is present irrespective of the number of 

 cells originally introduced. Cell reproduction proceeds at a maximum 

 rate when the number of cells present is at a minimum. The rates 

 of reproduction seem to be in inverse ratio to the Square roots of 

 the number of cells originally introduced. 



The influence of alcohol on the reproductive function of the 

 yeast cell is very slight when the amount present is less than 3 per 

 Cent; 4,2 per cent exerts a marked influence and quantities exceeding 

 5 per cent. exert a very strong influence, but even 8,4 per cent. 

 does not prevent reproduction. Since the cells are themselves 

 producing alcohol probably each of these figures should be 

 increased by at least 2 per cent. The non-gaseous products 

 of yeast activity do not seem to furnish the cause of reproductive 

 Inhibition. It is concluded that hydrogen and carbon dioxide do 

 not in themselves inhibit cell-reproduction, but that the inhibition 

 is due to decreased oxygen pressure. Yeast cell-reproduction under 

 anaerobic conditions is conditioned and governed by oxygen origi- 

 nally present prior to the commencement of reproduction. 



E. Drabble (Liverpool). 



EwART, A. J., The ascent of water in Trees. (Proc. Royal Soc. 

 London. Vol. LXXIV. 1905. p. 554—556.) 



The author Claims to show that the actual flow takes place 

 almost entirely through the vessels and hardly at all through the 

 tracheids in the wood of Dicotyledons. The flow takes place in 

 accordance with Porsenillds formula for the flow through rigid 



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