tM British Association, 



June 23. — " On the Development of Vegetable Cells." By Mr. 

 A. Henfrey. 



The conclusions were as follows : — 1. That there is no such thing 

 as the interruption of continuity between the liber and alburnum, 

 called the cambium layer. 2. That the potentiality of the black 

 granules described by Schleiden is not proved, and that the utricle 

 first developed from the so-called cytoblast is not the permanent cell, 

 but the primordial utricle of Mohl, the existence of which in growing 

 tissues seems to be universal. 3. That this primordial utricle is not 

 a layer of mucilage, as stated by Nageli, but a true membrane. The 

 nucleolus, or central spot of Schleiden's cytoblast, is the germinal 

 point, and is situated on the wall of the primordial utricle. When 

 a new cell is to be formed the nucleolus divides into two, and a corre- 

 sponding construction of the primordial utricle takes place until it 

 separates into two, a layer of permanent cell- wall substance being 

 meanwhile secreted in this fold from the circumference to the cen- 

 tre, till a complete septum is formed. The lateral walls grow by 

 extension, being moulded on the growing primordial utricle within 

 them. In the nascent cell the primordial utricle is filled with gra- 

 nular matter, which during the subsequent growth of the cell re- 

 mains aggregated round the nucleolus, and thus gives rise to the 

 appearances whence Schleiden derived his theory of development 

 from a cytoblast. 



"On the Phytelephas Macrocarpa (Vegetable Ivory or Tagua 

 Plant)." By E. Lankester, M.D. 



The author brought this plant under the notice of the Section, as 

 he was enabled to present a drawing of a young plant, which was 

 now growing in the garden of Messrs. Loddiges of Hackney. A 

 fruit also of this plant existed in the British Museum, of which a 

 drawing was exhibited. A remarkable point in the oeconomy of this 

 plant was, that the horny albumen of the seed appeared to undergo no 

 change during the process of germination. In the plant at Loddiges*, 

 which was now five years old, the seed still remained on the surface 

 of the soil, apparently as hard as ever. In germination the young 

 embryo was carried down by a rhizoma an inch or more long into 

 the earth, and commenced growing at that point. Several analyses 

 of the albumen of the seeds had been made by Payen, Connell, and 

 Baumhauer, and, at the author's request, by Dr. Percy of Birmingham. 



Prof. All man gave a description of the fruit of some of the Hepa* 

 ticce. In the capsules, he pointed out thfe existence of spiral cells 

 or vessels which he believed had a hygroscopic power, and that it 

 was by their expansion that the capsule burst. 



" On Ergot." By Dr. R. Latham. 



Dr. Latham stated his conviction, that ergot was on the increase 

 in this country. When he first began to observe it eight years ago, 

 he found it on only a few plants ; he now found it in great quanti- 

 ties. He had collected it altogether from eighteen different species 

 of grasses. It had also increased on the cultivated grain, and he 

 believed that ergot was, at this moment, increasing absolutely and 

 indefinitely. A friend of his attributed its increase to the use of 



