THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 97 



Gums in the Plant Economy. — While we are inquir- 

 ing into the uses of gums and milky secretions of plants, 

 it may be well to remember that one important function 

 is the closing of wounds. No sooner are the tissues injured 

 than these secretions pour out and soon solidify, making 

 a perfect protection to the injured part. In many cases 

 milky secretions may protect from biting insects, but the 

 larva of the milkweed butterfly is not among the number. 



Opportunities for Investigation. — "There is not an 

 animal or a pjlant, however common, which w^ould not 

 afford material for, and amply repay not merely the study 

 of an hour, a day or a year, but even the devotion of a 

 lifetime. Look round at the endless diversity and com- 

 plexity of leaves and flowers and fruits. For every one of 

 these innumerable differences — differences of color, form 

 and structure — there is no doubt a sufficient explanation 

 if we only knew it. Some, no doubt, we can explain more 

 or less satisfactorily, but for every problem we solve we 

 open out a dozen mysteries." — Lord Avebury in Nature 

 Notes. 



Cohesion. — Every botanist is familar wnth instances 

 of cohesion of foliar organs w^hich are normally separate. 

 Thus, usually cordate leaves, even unsymmetrical ones, 

 like elm, may now^ and then form a cup-like base, A 

 wedge-shaped leaf of Gingko biloba may even become a 

 funnel. While this is so, I have just seen, as far as I can 

 recall my experience, an instance of the union of the two 

 colytedons of a dicotjdedon, resulting in an obcordate, 

 s/'n^/e seed-leaf. It has occurred in the seedling of a squash 

 germinating in my laboratory — and at once observed by 

 an acute student. Branched inflorescence of a plant, us- 

 ually spicate orracemose, is also not infrequent. A spec- 

 imen of Indian corn {Zea mays) in this condition was 

 brought me the other day. Well-formed and half developed 

 ears are confusedW commingled with a mass of silken 

 styles. I am inclined to think, but am not sure, that some 

 of the flowers are even staminate. — W. W. Bailev. 



