Books and Current Literature. 205 



distributional center in northern California and southern Oregon, 

 and Sarracenia, with its original center in the eastern gulf states. 



Reinders, in a paper on "Sap-raising forces in Living Wood " 

 communicated to the Royal Academy at Amsterdam, relates 

 several experiments which show that living wood is able to pump 

 water actively. He demonstrates this by means of several 

 manom,eters placed on different branches in the same tree. 

 While the wood was living all showed irregularities, but when 

 the wood below any manometer was killed the pressure at once 

 became regular. The fact that killing the wood removes irregu- 

 larities of pressure he regards as a proof that living wood has a 

 hydromotory power. 



Marloth, in a paper on "Some New South African Succu- 

 lents," announces the finding of five new species of succulents 

 (four of Mesembrianthemum and one of Haworthia) having 

 window leaves, i. e. stemless succulents, whose egg-shaped leaves 

 are imbedded in the ground with only the apex visible. Here 

 the green tissue is absent, being confined to the sides of the leaf. 

 As the sides are surrounded by soil, the light reaches only by 

 entering the window through the apex, thus illuminating the 

 leaf from within. 



Prof. John H. Schaffner has recently published a second edi- 

 tion of his "Laboratory Outlines for General Botany." Addi- 

 tions have been made to the first edition to bring the outlines 

 up to date and give a more perfect view of the plant kingdom as 

 a whole from the standpoint of evolution. They are intended 

 for the use of college students of the freshman or sophomore 

 year, and are planned to occupy six hours laboratory work per 

 week for one year. Something like 90 types are outlined besides 

 a considerable amount of anatomy of Pteridophytes and Sperma- 

 tophytes, a number of forms to represent the general evolution 

 of the flower, karoykinesis, and an appendix on general methods 

 of microtechnique. 



It is plain the teacher must choose at the outset whether 

 the pupil shall prolong the course beyond one year or go quickly 

 through all this material and get a very general view of the whole 



