Pfl;tnzenchemie. — Angewandte Botanik. 671 



l'action de Champignons divers dont les diastases oxydantes atta- 

 queraient les matieres tanniques et colorantes en les transformant 

 en substances ameres. H. Colin. 



Kusano, S., On the Root-Cotton, a fibrous Cork Tissue 

 ofa tropical plant. (Journ. Coli. Agr. Imp Univ. Tokyo. IV. 1. 

 p. 67—82. PI. 6-7. 1 Textfig. 1911.) 



The cotton-producing tree belongs to the Rutaceae and was 

 described by Merrill as Fagava integrifolia. The tree occurs in the 

 Philippines and in Formosa on Botel-tobago Island. The 

 fibre is the derivative of the root. Over the whole surface of the 

 root System, with exception of slender, one year old roots, it is 

 produced abundantly running radiall}'' to the long axis of the root 

 and forming such loose bundles as of silk fibres or asbestos. The 

 tibres consist of separate filamentous rows of exceedingly thinwalled, 

 empty, and elongated cells. They are light strawcoloured and have 

 a silky lustre. They are exceedingly fine, soft and weak. In com- 

 pact mass they are more elastic than cotton wool. The most re- 

 markable qualities are its unwettability and less hygroscopy. The 

 wall of the fibre consists essentially both of lignin and suberin, and 

 the unwettability is due to the suberisation. It may be noted, 

 however, that the thick-walled cells in the filament of each fibre do 

 not show any lignin reaction, being composed chiefly of corky- 

 substance. On the whole, the root-cotton is a homologous tissue to 

 the ordinary cork developed on the bark of trees. It is a kind of 

 cork tissue derived from the cork cambium, which arises primarily 

 from the pericycle or secondarily from the secondary bast of the 

 root. Histological, no essential difference exists between the root- 

 cotton and the cork-tissue developed on the aerial axial portion. 



The autor discusses the physiological function and in connexion 

 with this the function of homologous tissues like aerenchym, pneu- 

 mathode, tissue of respiratory roots etc. He is inclined to accept 

 Wieler's view. In all probability the root-cotton may perform no 

 other pl^siological function than that it behaves as a bark. 



The root-cotton is of an economic value. At least it can be sub- 

 stituted for cotton wool as stuffing or wadding material. The value 

 may be chiefly in its unwettable and less hygroscopic quality. Further, 

 compared with the common cotton plants, the planting of this tree 

 and the gathering of the fibre appears to be less expensive. 



Jongmans. 



Rümker, K. v., Zwei neue Apparate für die Saat im Be- 

 triebe der praktischen Pflanzenzüchtung, Gärtnerei 

 und Forstwirtschaft, sowie für wissenschaftliche 

 Versuche auf kleineren Freilandparzellen. (Deutsche 

 landw. Presse, p. 514. 2 Abb. 1912.) 



Beschreibung einer Handsämaschine, die für Zuchtbeete und 

 Versuchsbeete sehr geeignet ist und eines Markeurs, der Löcher 

 für einzeln zu säende Samen erstellt. Beide Apparate sind von 

 dem Verf. in Verbindung mit dem Saatzuchtleiter Leidner erdacht. 



Fruwirth. 



Zaeperniek, H., Die Kultur der Kokospalme. (Tropenpfl. 

 Beih. XII. 6. p. 509—611. 11 Abb. 1911.) 



Der Zweck der vorliegenden Arbeit, welche aus Aufzeichnun- 



