BOTANY. 



119 



made with this medium and other cultures were made in which the same 

 medium was used except that the gelatin was omitted. Precaution was 

 taken to admit a constant current of air freed from combined nitrogen. 

 The organism was found to grow very readily on both solid and liquid 

 media and the characteristics of the growth are given. The nitrogen 

 was determined by the Kjeldalil method before and after the inocula- 

 tion and in every case an increase was shown, the amount being given 

 in the following table: 



Fixation of nitrogen in solid and liquid media. 



Series. 



Initial 

 nitrogen. 



Final I 

 nitrogen, i 



Gain. 



1, solid medium. . 

 •J, soliil medium .. 

 3, liquid medium 



Mg. 

 62. 1 

 70.7 

 22.4 



Mg. 



102.9 



118.2 



45. 8 



Mg. 



40.8 

 47.5 

 2:5.4 



Iii the third series, where a liquid medium was used, at the end of the 

 sixteenth day all the sugar had been used up, and the same is thought 

 to have been the case with the others. 



From these experiments it appears that symbiosis is not necessary 

 for the fixation of nitrogen by the bacteria which exist in the root tuber- 

 cles of many legumes. The bacteria destroy the carbohydrates fur- 

 nished them by the medium in which they grow and in turn take up 

 nitrogen. This is probably taken up and utilized by the plant through 

 the radiant energy of the sun. 



The opening lecture in a course of vegetable physiology, P. P. Deiierain 

 (Ann. Agron., 23 (1S97), No. 5, pp. 193-216). — This deals with arable soils and fer- 

 tilizers. 



A new genus of Myxomycetes, E. Roze (Compt. Rend. Acad. Sri. Paris, 1?4 

 {1897), No. 8, pp. 417-418). — The author reports having found in the mucous masses 

 that are observed in the gangrene of the potato, a new slime mold to which ho has 

 given the name Vilmorinella micrococcorum. It is associated with Micrococcus 

 imperatoris, M. albidus, and M. delacounanus, and is said to exist in two forms, tlie 

 plasmodial or vegetative, and encysted or reproductive forms. 



Effect of nitrogen on root formation ( Fuhling's landw. Zlg., 40 (189? ), No. 6, pp. 

 185, 186). — On a number of different kinds of plants 4 side roots were left and 2 of 

 these were placed in a solution containing all the necessary elements of plant food 

 while the other 2 were placed in a solution containing all tlie necessary elements 

 except nitrogen. In nearly every case the roots in the nitrogen solution made the 

 better growth and differed from the other 2 roots in anatomical structure. The 

 article ends with the conclusion that roots by themselves can form albuminoid 

 substances without the aid of the leaves. 



Inoculation experiments with Nitragin, C. FRUWIRTH (Deut. landw. Prcsse, 24 

 (1897), No. 12, pp. 04, 95).— The experimental crop was the kidney bean. The inocu- 

 lated plats produced the most fodder while those not treated yielded a little the 

 most grain. On one plat the crop was grown 2 years in succession without apparent 

 gain the second year, but when 2 crops were grown in succession the same year the 

 second crop seemed to be benefited by the inoculation caused by the first. 



Inoculation experiments with Nitragin, G. Loges andF. Glaser (Sachs, landw. 

 Ztschr., 44 (1896), pp. 753, 754).— The application of Nitragin was without effect 

 where the soil was in condition to produce a normal crop. Inoculations on light 



