76 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



it fails to keep out herbarium pests. Carbon bi-sulphide, 

 however, while not able to keep out the insects, will kill 

 any form of animal life that breathes. If the cases are 

 given an occasional fumigation with this, plants will 

 suffer very little from insect depredations. The United 

 States Government, Gray Herbarium and the Herbarium 

 of the New York Botanical Garden are among the promi- 

 nent institutions that have discarded corrosive sublimate 

 for fumigation. — Ed.] 



CoRALORHiZA INN AT A. —Nature Notes objects to the 

 statement in a recent article in this journal that ''Coral- 

 orhiza innata is parasitic on the roots of trees as can be 

 at once seen by its lack of chlorophyll," and Nature Notes 

 is undoubtedly correct. Coralorhiza is probably a sapro- 

 phyte, living on decaying vegetable matter, but it may be 

 noted in passing that our latest American "Manual" 

 affirms that some of the coral-roots are root parasites. It 

 is often a delicate matter to decide just where sapro- 

 phytism leaves off and parasitism begins. This would be 

 a good subject for our readers to investigate this coming 

 summer. 



Glandular Hairs in Teasel.— As is well known, the 

 leaves of the teasel (Dipsacus sylvestris) are so arranged 

 on the stem that the bases form little wells around it, to 

 which the blades and petioles carry rain-water. Taking 

 an analogy from the pitcher plant(Sarracenia), possibly, it 

 has been suggested bj^ various botanists that these little 

 cisterns of rain-water might serve to drown insects, the 

 juices of which might later be absorbed by the plant. 

 Glandular hairs are present on the parts of the leaf form- 

 ing these cisterns but a recent investigator has decided 

 that these hairs do not absorb any nutriment from the 

 water. It is a mistake to assume that every plant struc- 

 ture is a useful adaption. As has often been pointed out 

 in this journal there are many structures that at present, 

 at least, are useless, and still others that appear mere 

 matters of convenience. 



