THE PLANT WOELD 19 



GENERAL ITEMS. 



One of tlie botanical features of the Pan-American Exposition at 

 Buffalo next year will be the exhibit of vegetable food-products in all 

 stages, from the plant itself to the prepared article of commerce. In 

 the conservatories there will be an interesting exhibit of growing spice- 

 yielding plants from North and South America. 



A new technical journal of botany, to be issued at irregular inter- 

 vals like Professor Greene's Pittonia, has been started by Mr. A. A. 

 Heller, of Lancaster, Pa. It is called Miihlenbergia, in commemoration 

 of the Pennsylvania botanist of that name, who was a contemporary of 

 Pursh, Nuttall and Torrey. The first issue, which appeared some 

 weeks ago, is devoted entirel}^ to a list of new combinations which Mr. 

 Heller had found it necessary to make for his Catalogue of North 

 American plants. 



There is usually less systematic activity in dealing with the ferns 

 and fernworts than with any other group of plants, the generic and spe- 

 cific hues in this group being in general rather closely draA^Ti, and the 

 limitations and variations well understood. Within the past few months, 

 however, there has been more activity among our friends the pteridolo- 

 gists, and we note that within a very short period new North American 

 species or subspecies have been proposed in the genera Dryopteris, Poly- 

 podium and Asplenium, not to mention the elaborate studies of Isoetes 

 carried on by Mr. A. A. Eaton, the preliminary results of which appear 

 in one of the "Fern wort Papers," recently published. 



An interesting series of experiments on the effect produced upon 

 germinating plants by various alkaline solutions, is being prosecuted 

 by the Department of Agriculture. It is found that up to a certain 

 point, the salts act as a tonic ; with solutions of greater strength they 

 have a toxic effect, and ultimately cause the death of the seedling. 

 This line of study becomes interesting when considered in connection 

 with the vegetation of the alkali plains in the West, where there is 

 often a very high percentage of salt in the soil. 



