298 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERT. 



achs of oj'sters, whelks, crabs, lobsters, scallops, etc. Even the 

 Kodilucce, those luminous specks that make the wake of a boat 

 shine like silver in a warm summer niirht, live on the lloatinjr 

 pelagic diatoms, and countless m3iiads are devoured by the enor- 

 mous shoals of Salpoe, aud other social marine auimals. — Mrs. 

 Someri'ille. 



GROWTH OF CEREALS. 



At the last meetino: of tin; British Association, Mr. F, F. Ilallett 

 read a jjapcr on "The Law of Developmcnit of Cereals." His 

 experience showed him several years ago that corn, and especially 

 wheat, was injured by being planted too closely. He found a 

 wheat plant would increase above the ground in proportion as its 

 roots had room to d(?velop, and that the roots might be hindered 

 by being in contact with the roots of another plant. He continued 

 a series of experiments, planting one kernel of wheat only, and 

 succeeded so well in imj)roving the method of cultivation as to 

 raise wheat whose ears contained 123 grains, or more than GO on 

 each side. In the course of his investigations, Mr. Hallett made 

 other discoveries with regard to the growth of cereals, which he 

 sums up as follows : — 



"1. Every fully developed plant, whether of wheat, oats, or 

 barley, presents an ear superior in productive power to any of the 

 rest on that plant. 2. Every such plant contains one grain which, 

 upon trial, proves more productive than any other, o. The best 

 grain in a given plant is found in its best ear. 4. The superior 

 vigor of this grain is transmissible in different degress to its prog- 

 eny. 5. By repeated careful selection the; superiority is accumu- 

 lated. G. The improvement, whieh is fu'st raised gradually, after a 

 long series of years is diminished in amount, and eventually so far 

 arrested that, practically speaking, a limit to improvement in the 

 desired quality is reac;hed. 7. By still continuing to select, the im- 

 provement is maintained, and practically a fixed type is the result." 



AMERICAN FOSSIL BOTANY. 



M. Lesquereux says the American continent is "the only part of 

 the world where questions of general signilicance concerning palie- 

 ontological distribution can be studied witii some chances of satis- 

 factory conclusions." We quote the following from his report: — 



"The few vegetable remains obtained from the tertiary of Ten- 

 nessee and of Mississippi, and from the cretacean formation of 

 Nebraska and California, have demonstrated facts which science 

 was scarcely prei)ared to admit: — 



"First. That the lloras of our ancient formations already had 

 peculiar types, which separated them from each other in the diifer- 

 ent continents. This is even evident in the vegetation of the coal 

 measures. Therefore, the sui)position of a continental union of 

 Europe with America, by Atlantides, or other intermediate lands, 

 is proved to be untenable. 



