THE PI.ANT WORI.D 145 



Miscellany. 



" The School Garden " is the title of Normal School Bulletin No. 5 

 published by the Eastern Illinois State Normal School. This should be 

 helpful to all primary and secondary teachers interested in the subject. 

 The author, Dr. O. W. Caldwell, gives an account of the work done in 

 this direction in European schools, which shows how far they are in ad- 

 vance of us. He also discusses plans, methods, and purposes of the work 

 in a concise and practical manner. A number of reproductions of photo- 

 graphs add to the attractiveness as well as usefulness of the paper. 



The curious and interesting * ' puff-ball ' ' known as Cauloglossum 

 transversarium (Bosc) Fr. is the subject of contributions from the 

 Cryptogamic Laboratory of Harvard University No. EI. Mr. John R. 

 Johnson is its author. No. E of the same series contains preliminary 

 diagnoses of new species of Eaboulbeniaceae by Dr. Roland Thaxter. 

 This interesting and curious group of fungi occurs on various insects. 

 They are very minute and inconspicuous and until recently only few were 

 known. Dr. Thaxter's thorough investigations have brought to light a 

 large number of new genera and species. 



The May number of School Science contains an article by John E. 

 Cameron, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) High School, on the value of making an 

 herbarium. The necessity of more field work, more direct contact and 

 familiarity with plants is very properly emphasized, and it is suggested 

 that the preparation of an herbarium will help to remedy the matter. 

 The preparation of an herbarium is undoubtedly of value as a means to 

 an end. The mistake is sometimes made in making it an end. Properly 

 coordinated with other work it is very desirable. 



It has been found from experimental plantings made at Winter Park, 

 Florida, and extending over five or six years, that camphor trees will 

 grow in the southern part of the peninsula. Considerable groves of cut- 

 tings are now being set out. In camphor-producing regions of the east 

 the camphor is obtained chiefly from the trunk and larger limbs of the 

 tree, the wood being reduced to fineness by means of an axe or scraper. 

 Trees less than fifty years old are not regarded as sufiiciently rich in the 

 gum to yield enough to pay for working them. 



In Florida it is proposed to distill only the leaves and small branches. 

 From various analyses that have been made of this material, it has been 

 found that seventy-seven pounds of leaves and a greater weight of twigs 

 are required to yield one pound of camphor. — Paint, Oil and Drug Review. 



