AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. 323 



as had been licensed at tbe time the manuscript was sent to press. A second 

 bulletin, to be published later in the season, will contain a report on the other 

 fertilizers wbicb have been and may yet be collected and examined." 



Commercial fertilizers, J. L. Hills and C. II. Jones {Veniiont Sta. Bui. 130, 

 pp. 15-5-212). — This is a report on inspection of fertilizers offered for sale in 

 Vermont durina: the spring of 1907. Of 120 brands examined, 77 per cent met 

 their guaranties, and the quality of the crude stock used in manufacturing the 

 fertilizers seemed on the whole to be satisfactory. The average selling price of 

 the fertilizers was $.30.57, the average valuation $21.21. As in previous i-eports 

 a comparison is made fif analyses of certain brands during 5 years. 



Ready reckoner fertilizer chart, O. Thacker (Coliinibu.'i, Ohio, 1D06, pp. 

 'i',). — This book gives tables for finding the price of fertilizers at different ton 

 prices (."«10-.f;2n). when i)nt up in bags of different sizes. 



AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. 



Studies in plant regeneration, Elsie Kupfer (Mem. Torre y Bot. Club, 12 

 (1907). Xo. 3, pp. 195-241. figs. 13). — Experiments were made with budless por- 

 tions of roots, stems, leaves, inflorescences, and fruits to determine their powers 

 of regeneration, the subjects of the experiments being for the most part flower- 

 ing plants. 



The results obtained demonstrated that every part of the plant, even when 

 preformed rudiments were absent, had some power of regeneration, although in a 

 majority of cases it was not complete enough to establish a new plant. 



Among the author's conclusions it is stated that the disposition to form roots 

 is much more generalized throughout the plant and more easily energized than 

 the power to form shoots. 



Experiments showed that regeneration is dependent upon an adequate food 

 supply. In plants from which the reserve food had been exhausted by a pro- 

 longed exclusion from the light, no regeneration took place if the parts were 

 subsequently darkened, or if carbon dioxid was absorbed from the atmosphere 

 in which they were kept. 



Certain parts of plants failed to regenerate one or the other kind of organs 

 when each of the conditions assigned as causes of regeneration had been ful- 

 filled, and it seems necessary to assume the existence of specific substances 

 which are responsible for the formation of those organs. The author believes 

 that different enzyms which are localized in definite parts of a plant are respon- 

 sible for this regeneration, and a series of experiments has been inaugurated to 

 test this nssumptioii. 



Physiologically balanced solutions for the growth of plants, O. Loew and 

 K. Aso {BuJ. Col. Ayr., Tokyo Imp. Univ., 7 {1901), No. 3. pp. 395-409, pi. 1).— 

 Experiments were carried on with different solutions to determine the effect of 

 the one-sided nutrition of plants. 



It was found that physiologically balanced solutions are fundamentally im- 

 portant to the best development of higher plants. For lower forms of alga? and 

 fungi l);ilanced solutions were not necessary. Potassium sulphate and nitrate 

 liroved injurious to plants when their concentration was abnormally high. 

 I'otassium salts were found to retard, but not prevent the toxic effects of mag- 

 nesium salts, and the cause of the retardation to be entirely different from the 

 prevention of this toxic action by calcium salts. 



Observations on the stimulation of plant growth, S. Kakehi and K. Baba 

 {Bui. Col. Ayr., Tokyo Imp. Univ.. 7 {1907). No. 3, pp. 455. 456). — The authors 

 conducted a series of experiments with peas and barley to test the effect of 



17305— No. 4—07 3 



