196 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



thought of the original author. All must join in the fond hope that 

 he may long remain with us in health and strength to complete what 

 he has so ably begun. It is a work that must remain a credit, not 

 only to Botany, but to American science forever. — AV. W. Bailey, 



Distinction between Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons. — Flahault 

 has sliown a beautiful distinction between Monocotyledons and Dico- 

 tyledons that any botanist with a moderately good glass can demon- 

 strate for himself. A thin longitudinal section through the young 

 root tip shows that in monocotyledons the root cap seems to be an in- 

 dependent thing, fitting on like a calyptra, while in dicotyledons there 

 is no such distinction, but a perfect blending of tissues. In the for- 

 mer case the root-cap is renewed from its own inner row of meristem, 

 while in the latter it is renewed directly from Xhe 'punctm)! vegetation- 

 ,-,,._j. M. C. 



Notic!-:. — I would give notice that my address after September 1st 

 will be changed from Hanover to Wabash College, Crawfordsville, 

 Ind. Hence any communications to me of any kind in regard to the 

 Gazette should be addressed to that place after the date mentioned 

 above. — John M. Coulter, 



An Inteiiesting Designstratign. — Many plants contain raphides, 

 crystals of o.xalate of lime, etc., but cystoliths are of rarer occur- 

 rence, althou'di abundant in certain plants, notably in those belong- 

 ing to the Urticace.'c. A very interesting experiment and one that 

 almost any one possessing a microscope of even ordinary power, say 

 200 or 300 diameters, may j)erfoi-m for himself is as follows : Take a 

 leaf of /'V('?/cS' Indira, ela.^tica or Mora. Morus r^<&ra or almost any of 

 the Artoc:u-pe;e and make a section of moderate thinness. If too 

 tiiin the cvstoliths will be broken and pulled out by the razor. Un- 

 der the glass will be seen a beautiful arrangement. Certain cells of 

 the epidermis or of the surrounding tissue are enlarged and special- 

 ized and from their top the mass usually hangs upon a short stalk. 

 In Ficus eJastica the cystoliths consist of an amorphous mass of cellu- 

 lose studded with crystalline points of carbonate of lime, the whole 

 being in somewhat the form of a very thick bunch of grapes. If now 

 we place a drop or two of acetic acid at the edge of the cover-glass 

 and allow it to creep under while we keep our eye upon the object 

 the result will easily prove the composition of the crystals. Quite a 

 furious effervescence takes place and soon nothing is left but the 

 amorphous cellulose. Upon jarring the table slightly this will be 



