PUBLICATIONS ON AGRICULTURAL BOTANY IN FRANCE. 847 



of Coupin' on tbe absorption and transpiration of water by seed both 

 at tlie time of s\v<'llin,o- and at maturity. Numerous experiments are 

 described and «>rapliie curves obtained with an automatic registering 

 apiiaratua are given. 



E. Gain'^ has described a method of seed selection based upon the 

 observation that the most fertile soils do not prodwce seed that are 

 the most prolific. Eaulin ' has demonstrated experimentally that one 

 of the lactors in seed variation is changing the soil with each gen- 

 eration. A change in the chemical nature of the soil is beneficial, the 

 maximum and minimum inHuence depending upon the order of succes- 

 sion of the dirterent tyi)cs of soils, such as humus, sand, clay, and cal- 

 careous. Hence, in the selection of seeds the general character and 

 the chemical nature of the soil on which tiiey were produced should be 

 taken into account, for it is believed that to this lUctor is due the vari 

 ous cultivated races. Parmentier^ has established certain general 

 rules for recognizing the parentage of certain long-established races and 

 for finding the original stock of a variety. He studied the anatomical 

 characters qualitatively and quantitatively, and was able in many 

 cases to distinguish doubtful and disputed species in this way. 



In the domain of anatomy and experimental physiology especial 

 attention is called to the work of C. Dassonville"' on the action of salts 

 on the form and structure of plants. The results obtained are capable 

 of direct application to agriculture. The experiments were made with 

 lupines, rye, wheat, maize, potatoes, buckwheat, hemp, ilax, colza, etc. 

 Water cultures were made by Knop's method, and controlled by check 

 cultures in soil, by withholding or adding successively different salts, 

 such as calcium nitrate, nitrate of potash, phosphate of potash, and 

 sulphate of magnesia. Interesting results bearing upon the anatom- 

 ical structure of the resultant plants were obtained. They throw new 

 light upon the ipiestion of the evolution of plant forms under the inHu- 

 ence of environment. 



Finally, attention is called to the work of Clos*^ on the external char- 

 acteristics of the tubercles of Leguminosu' and the mode of distin- 

 guishing between them, which concludes his work on the revision of 

 the tubercles of the Leguminosse.' 



PLANT rnEMISTRY. 



The subject of plant chemistry will be considered umler 3 heads, 

 physiological chemistry, general chemistry of plants, and analytical 

 chemistry. 



'Ann. sci. nat. Bot., ser.8, 2 (1896), p. 129. 



niev. Ri'u. l?.)t., 8 (1896), ]>. :W3 (E. S. R., 8, p. 288). 



•'Ann. 8ci. Agron., .ser. 2, ann. 2, 1 (1S9C). p. :U1 (E. S. R., 8, p. 288). 



■•Socontl memoir, Conipt. Rend. Congr. Soc. Savantea, Sec Sciences, IH9C,, lU)l.,]»p. 

 44, 128. :$<1 memoir, Ann. soi. nat. Bot., ser. 8, 2 (1896), pp. 1-36. First memoir. Soc. 

 d'Acclimation du DonW.s, 1895. 



••Rev. s6u. Bot., 8 (189G), pp. 284, 324. 



"Compt. Rend., 123 (1896), p. 407. 



'Mem. Acad. Sci. et Lettre Toulouse, 1893. 



