54 THE AMERICAN I50TANIST, 



Relation of Soil to Growth. — Some experiments 

 have recenth^ been made at the University' of Chicago to 

 show that the relative fineness of the soil has much to do 

 with plant growth. Crushed quartz in three different 

 sizes was obtained and various species planted in each, the 

 three sets being treated alike in ever}- other respect. At 

 the end of a month and a half those in the fine soil had 

 greatly increased in height, those in medium soil had not 

 done half as well, while those in the coarse soil had grown 

 scarcely any and several plants had died. 



More Red Flowers. — Commenting on a note regard- 

 ing red flowers in a recent issue of this publication, Mrs. A. 

 P. Taylor of Thomasville, Ga., notes that in the Southern 

 States there is a flower, perhaps even more fiery red than 

 the cardinal in the shape of the coral plant {Erythrina 

 herbaccn). Among other red flowers of the South she 

 mentions Asclepias pnupercula an intense shade of red, 

 LilHum Catesbii, the slender leaved sundew {Drosera fili- 

 formis)^ the small bucke^^e {A£sculus pavia) cind the 

 trumpet creeper (Tecowa) and some of the Rhexias. Can 

 anyone name others? There are many plants with flow- 

 ers inclining to red, but the clear red flowers are still rare. 

 The West is still to be heard from. 



An American Tree Abroad.— In theHawiian Islands, 

 according to Forest Leaves, there are two kinds of forests. 

 Those in the interior and in regions of heavy rainfall con- 

 sist of native species, but near sea-level the forest is made 

 up excluvsively of mesquite, a common plant of the south- 

 western United States. This tree was introduced in 1837 

 by seed planted at Honolulu and the tree is still in a heal- 

 thy condition with a diameter of two feet and a height of 

 fifty feet. From this tree have sprung fifty thousand acres 

 of Jmesquite forest- In the Hawiian Islands the tree 

 grows taller and straighter than in the United States and 

 is used for fuel and fence-posts. The pods are eaten by 

 cattle in summer and they are gathered, dried and used as 

 cattle-feed during other parts of the year. To the natives 

 the tree is known as Algaroba- 



