. .NOTES fl/^D NEV5. . .. 



Prof. Charles J. Chamberain, of the University of Chicago, pub- 

 lished in the March number of the Journal of Applied Microscopy the 

 first of a series of articles on " Methods in Plant Histology." It is de- 

 voted entirely to apparatus and reagents used, and will undoubtedly 

 prove of much value to workers in these fields. 



I recently visited one of the few localities in this country where 

 the Evergreen Coltsfoot {Petasitcs Petasites) has established itself. 

 There is a large colony of individuals around an old deserted house 

 near Rock Hill post-office, Bucks county, Pa. The growth of the 

 plant from its large knotted rootstocks is so rapid that it has almost 

 choked up a small stream near by. The immense burdock-like leaves, 

 often a foot in diameter, are so dense as to exclude entirely all other 

 vegetation. Its appearance in this place was very sudden, but it was, 

 of course, originally cultivated. — Charles L. Pollard. 



" A Revision of the Western North American Phloxes" is the 

 title of a valuable contribution by Elias Nelson, of the University of 

 Wyoming. It contains descriptions of about forty species, a number 

 of which are regarded as new to science. We note, however, one ex- 

 tremely reprehensible practice in this paper, which is the placing of 

 " n. sp." not only after species really new to science, but after those 

 raised from varietal rank Thus we find '■'• P. condensata (A. Gray) 

 n. sp." when as a matter of fact the plant was named in 1870. A 

 better and less misleading designation is " n. comb." 



The Year Book of the Department of Agriculture for 1898 has 

 just been distributed. Among the many valuable articles are the fol- 

 lowing of more or less botanical interest. "Pruning of Trees and 

 Other Plants," by William Saunders; "Pollination of Pomaceous 

 Fruits," by M. B. Waite; " Notes on Some Forestry Problems," by 

 Gifford Pinchot; "Weeds in Cities and Towns," by L. H. Dewey; 

 " Work in Vegetable Physiology and Pathology," by Albert F. Woods; 

 "Millets," by T. A. Williams; "Improvement of Plants by Selec- 

 tion," by H. J. Webber; "Sand-Binding Grasses," by F. Lamson- 

 Scribner; "Grass Seed and Its Impurities." by G. H. Hicks. 



The April and May numbers of the Botanical Gazette contain a 

 valuable conspectus of the genus Lilium, by F. A. Waugh. He 

 recognizes sixty-four species throughout the world, of which number 

 fifteen species and several varieties are natives of North America. 

 Each species is fully described, and there is a careful key to the 

 genus. But perhaps one of the most valuable features of the paper 



