BOTANY — OLIVE, SPALDING, SWINGLE. 131 



one, " Notes on the occurrence of Oscillatoria prolifica in the ice of 

 Pine Lake, Waukesha County, Wisconsin," and another on " Cyto- 

 logical studies on the Entomophthoreae : I and II. Cell and nuclear 

 division and development of Empusa." 



The presence of great quantities of Oscillatoria prolifica gave to the 

 ice a reddish color, while the release of the alga by the melting of 

 the ice in the spring was accompanied by disagreeable odors from 

 the decay of the plant. Nuclear and cell division were described for 

 two species of Empusa, while six species furnished material for a 

 study of the general morphology of the group. The nuclear division 

 was found to resemble closely that of certain protozoa, in that 

 intranuclear centrosomes appear to control the process. 



Spalding, Volney M. t Tucson, Arizona. Grant No. 287. Investi- 

 gation of absorption and transpiration of zvater by the creosote bush 

 and other desert shrubs. (For first report see Year Book No. 3, 

 p. 102.) $600. 



Abstract of Report. — As part of the general study of the water rela- 

 tions of desert shrubs, an investigation of leaf absorption has been 

 made. It has been found that certain species absorb, in appreciable 

 quantities, water presented to their leaves and internodes, while 

 others do not. The quantity of water absorbed has in some instances 

 amounted to 100 per cent of the weight of the entire seedling above 

 ground. The capacity for leaf absorption is correlated with other 

 peculiarities of habit and structure which have been made the basis 

 of a classification of the plants of the region in which the Desert 

 Botanical Laboratory is situated into biological groups, the validity 

 of which will be further tested by work now in progress. 



Swingle, Walter T., Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 

 Grant No. 235. Investigation of electromagnetic and electrostatic 

 effects o?i lines of force found in living plant cells. $1,500. 



Abstract of Report. — Mr. Swingle reports that active work on this 

 investigation was postponed until the end of the fiscal year, June 30. 

 Since then, however, much progress has been made with the able 

 assistance of Dr. L. J. Briggs, Prof. A. G. McCall, and Mr. W. Mar- 

 quette. The material which Mr. Swingle procured on the Pacific 

 Coast during the winter has been studied and promises to yield 

 important results. 



After working in Washington for a short while it became evident 

 that suitable transparent objects could not be obtained here. Accord- 

 ingly permission was obtained to make use of the facilities of the 

 biological laboratory of the Bureau of Fisheries at Beaufort, North 



