NOTES AND NEWS 9 I 



deposits of that state. One of the most Interesting facts 

 brought out is that contrary to the view long held by 

 geologists, Sphagnum moss has really little to do with the 

 formation of peat deposits, and that the plant mainly con- 

 cerned in building the characteristic sedge mat of northern 

 lakes, which ultimately becomes the basis of a peat layer 

 is Car ex fili forme. 



Graft-hybrids, in which the qualities of two species have 

 been brought together and interlocked in one individutl 

 produced by the blending of the characters of a cion and 

 stock have not been produced, although many assertions to 

 the contrary, not supported by adequate proof have been 

 made. Dr. Winkler has, however, succeeded in bringing 

 together the characters of night-shade (Solatium nigrum) and 

 the tomato [Solanum lycopserciim) In such manner that a 

 the organs on one side of the shoot formed bore the char- 

 acters of the nightshade and the other those of the tomato. 

 (Ber. d. deut. bot.Ges. 25:568. 1907.) This was accomplished 

 by decapitating a young tomato-plant and repeatedly remov- 

 ing the branches and young shoots formed on or near the 

 callus , until at last it was possible to seat a graft in the 

 callus, the meristemmatic cells of which evidently joined with 

 cambium of the callus to form a shoot. The first leaf formed 

 on the new shoot was of the nightshade type, the second 

 and third of the tomato. In the further development of 

 the shoot the 4th, sth, 7th and 19th leaves were of the 

 nightshade type, while the 6th, 8th anci 9th resembled quite 

 exactly those of the parent tomato. The i ith leaf, however, 

 arose from a mass of cells comprising some from both parents 

 with the result that the left half resembled the nightshade 

 while the right half consisted of three pinnatifid segments 

 such as those borne by the tomato. The contrast between 

 the two is very striking from the fact that the leaves of the 

 nightshade are entire while those of the tomato are pinnately 

 di^^ided. 



