216 THE PLANT WORLD 



NOTES ON CURRENT 

 LITERATURE 



Nature Study is printing a series of observations on organotopic 

 plants, by Frederick W. Batchelder. Parasitism is one of the most 

 interesting subjects for investigation, and one who is not a botanist 

 would scarcely suspect how many of our plants are dependent on others 

 for at least a part of their subsistence. 



In the last number of the Contributions from the U. S. National 

 Herbarium (Vol. VII, No. 2), Mr. O. F. Cook has given an interesting 

 and valuable discussion on the origin and distribution of the Cocoa 

 palm. This valuable species, now widely distributed throughout the 

 tropical regions of the globe, has long been supposed to be of Asiatic 

 or Malayan origin, in this aspect being an anomaly, for all other genera 

 and species of American palms are different from those of Asia. After 

 considering all claims, Mr. Cook concludes that this palm is undoubt- 

 edly of Central American origin, and even in prehistoric times began 

 its journey around the world. 



The subject of beautifying school grounds was recently discussed 

 editorially in this journal, and we are glad to note the recent publica- 

 tion by the U. S. Department of Agriculture of a Farmer's Bulletin (No. 

 133) entitled " The Planting of Rural School grounds," by the Assist- 

 ant Superintendent of Tree Planting, Bureau of Forestry. The Bulle- 

 tin calls attention to the fact that a great number of schoolhouses in 

 the United States lack the surroundings that make for comfort and 

 contentment. City school grounds are often so small that planting is 

 out of the question, though where space permits, it is not uncommon to 

 find them carefully laid out, with a good arrangement of grass plots, 

 flower beds, and shade trees. In towns and villages also, may be 

 pointed out many examples showing great care and attention. In the 

 country, however, an improved school ground is rarely found. In hilly, 

 forest regions they are often denuded of soil and full of stones and 

 stumps, and on the prairie many are well nigh as bare, bleak, and in- 

 hospitable as when they formed a part of the unsettled plain. The 

 paper points out the needs of rural school grounds and indicates meth- 



