BOTANY. 517 



A grouping of hybrids is given according to their resemblance to 

 their respective parents. The descendants of hybrids, the difference 

 between reciprocal hybrids, prepotency of pollen from one plant to 

 another, increased vigor of hybrids and cross-bred plants, direct action 

 of foreign pollen on the mother plant, and graft hybrids are discussed. 



Tue practical utilization of hybrid plants in plant breeding is dis- 

 cussed at considerable length and some of the special features obtained 

 by hybridizing pointed out. 



Chlorophyll assimilation in littoral plants, E. Griffon (Compt. 

 Rend. Acad. Sci. Paris, 127 (1898), No. 13, pp. 449-452).— -The author has 

 made a study of the plants which are characteristic of the flora along 

 the seashore and are also found growing in saline soils in the interior. 

 Specimens were collected under the same conditions both from the 

 littoral flora and from the interior of France and examined micro- 

 scopically, the following species being used: Atriplex hastata, Beta 

 maritima, Lyeium uarbarum, Plantago major, Tussilago farfara, Senecio 

 vulgaris, Polygonum aviculare, and Medicago lupulina. From his inves- 

 tigations it is stated that maritime plants, while undergoing a reduction 

 in the amount of chlorophyll, due to the mariue salts, have acquired a 

 greater thickness and marked increase in the assimilating tissue; but 

 this modification of structure is not able to entirely overcome the 

 action produced by the salts. Assimilation in proportion to a unit of 

 leaf surface is less in leaves of littoral plants than the same species 

 growing in the interior. 



Influence of light on the form and structure of plants, Maiga. 

 (Compt. Bend. Acad. Sci. Paris, 127 (1898), No. 11, pp. 420-423).— The 

 author has made a study of the influence of light on the branching of 

 Ampelopsis hederacea and Glechoma hederacea. Both of these plants 

 possess flowering and climbing or running branches that are quite 

 dissimilar. In each case the flowering branches have very short inter- 

 nodes and the leaves are crowded toward the summit, while the climb- 

 ing and runniug branches are characterized by a very rapid growth 

 and elongated internodes. The plants were grown under a number of 

 different conditions of illumination, and it was found that diffused light 

 favors the formation of climbing or running branches and is able to 

 trausform the flowering buds into climbiug or running ones. It also 

 exerts a marked influence in changing the morphological and anatom- 

 ical characters which are characteristic of climbing or running 

 branches. Direct illumination produces the opposite effect. 



Influence of mutilating seed on the development of the plants, 

 E. Gain (Proc. Assoc. Franc. VAvancement Sci. 1897, pp. 463-168).— The 

 author gives an account of experiments conducted with seed of lupines 

 to test the effect of removing one or both cotyledons on the growth and 

 development of the plants. The seeds were soaked for 40 hours and 

 comparable lots were selected and planted in pots in which the soil 

 was the same. After 12 days the young plants were divided into three 



