404 Varietäten etc. — Physiologie. 



nation of garden beans. I. (Am. Nat. XL VII. p. 683—700. 

 1913; II. Ibid. p. 739-7.^9. 1913.) 



The work here reported confirms in general the previous 

 investigations by the author along the same lines. There appeared 

 a difference in different experiments, however, sometimes those 

 seeds below, and sometimes those above the mean weights of the 

 type being drawn upon most heavily in the mortality. This difference 

 may in part be a varietal difference, or may be due to accident of 

 environment. This differential mortality is accompanied by a reduction 

 in variability, both relative and absolute. 



L. O. Overholts (St. Louis). 



Harris, J. A., A first study of the in fluenceof the star- 

 vation of the ascendants upon the characteristics of 

 the descendants. IL (Am. Nat. XLVI. p. 656—673. 1912.) 



The results were obtained from field cultures of three varieties 

 of Phaseolus vulgaris. Modification by starvation of the ascendants 

 results in only a slight influence upon the characteristics of the 

 descendants. This influence is toward a definite reduction in the 

 number of pods per plant and in the number of ovules per pod. 

 There was no apparent influence on the weightof the seed produced. 



L. O. Overholts (St. Louis). 



Shaw, J. K., The effect of fertilizers on Variation in 

 corn and beans. (Am. Nat. XLVII. p. 57—64. 1913.) 



The plots were fertilized with sodium nitrate, acid phosphate, 

 potassium sulphate, and manure, and combinations of these. A 

 discussion is given of the effect of these tertilizers on stature, 

 number of barren stalks, percentage of two-eared stalks, and 

 percentage of ear-bearing suckers of corn, and on the number of 

 pods per vine of the beans. L. O. Overholts (St. Louis). 



Willis, J. C, The Origin of the Tristichaceae and Podostema- 

 ceae. (Ann. Bot. XXIX. p. 299—306. April 1915.) 



The author examines various possible views as to the origin of 

 these peculiar Orders, and concludes that there is good reason to 

 suppose that they are descended from land Dicotyledons, which lived 

 by the side of some of the many rapids in a warm country. These 

 plants „experimented" with secondary shoots which they sent into 

 the water, until a mutation appeared which enabled them to live 

 their whole life in the water from the seed, and thus opened up 

 to them the virgin territory of the rocks in the rivers and streams 

 of the tropical and subtropical zones. Agnes Arber (Cambridge). 



Breazeale, J. F. and J. A. LeClerc. The growth ofwheat 

 seedlings as affected by acid or alkaline conditions. 

 (U. S. Dept. Agr. Bur. of Chem. Bull. CIL. p. 1 - 18. pl. 1—8. 1912.) 



Wheat seedlings were grown for nine days in distilled water 

 containing either NaNOg, KCl. K2SO4, HCl or H2SO4, with and 

 without the addition of CaCO:^ Plants grown in the dilute NaNOo 

 Solution removed all of the (NO3) or acid radical in the NaNOg which 

 resulted in an alkaline reaction of the nutrient Solution. The addition 



