SEEDS WEEDS. 461 



A "snowbreak" for the protection of timber plantations, G. L. CyLoTHiER 

 { Forcsttr, 7 {1!>0J), Xo. .)', p/>. (11, 63, Jhj. 1). — The author states that the usual form 

 of \viii(ll)rt'ak planted in prairie regions is almost invariably located too close to the 

 buildings, and, if there is no natural or artificial protection beyond the grove to check 

 the moving snow, in some cases tliese windbreaks are a positive <lamage. In order 

 to protect forest i)lantations against this injury it Js suggested that snowbreaks be 

 formed on their exposed sides by i)lanting 4 or 5 rows of trees and shrubs S or 10 rods 

 to the windward. This protective belt should usually take the form of an L and the 

 trees planted upon it should consist of species which may be broken or bent with- 

 out serious injury to the plants. For such a snowbreak the author recommends the 

 planting of white or bull pine which would be on the windward side of the belt. 

 The next row should consist of red cedar or laurel-leaved willow; the third of Rus- 

 sian wild olive or chokecherry; and the fourth and fifth rows of the conmion wild 

 plum. Such a snowbreak is adai)ted to all the requirements of either of the Dakotas 

 or similar localities. 



The forestry agitation in New Hampshire, P]. 'M. Griffith {FureMcr, 7 {1901), 

 No. 4, pp- 79-81) . — A brief I'eview is given of a bill which was presented to the State 

 legislature but failed to pass. The author points out some of the most important 

 features of the bill and calls attention to the impracticability of one section which 

 relates to the shipment of logs under 10 in. in diameter. This requirement, which 

 was intended to cover the size of trees cut, if applied to the logs of the upper part of 

 the tree, would necessitate either a great amount of waste in lumbering or the selec- 

 tion of only a limited number of trees. The effect of forests on the water supply of 

 the State is said to have aroused an interest in the general subject of forestry, and 

 beneficial results are hoped to follow the inquiries that have been recently begun. 



The forest laws of New York, T. Cleveland, .ir. {Forester, 7 {1901), No. 4, pp. 

 <S'1-S,')). — A brief review is given of the forest laws of the State of New York from 

 1650 to the present date. 



Dictionary of German and English forest terms, K. Philipp {DeutHch-Engluches 

 ForKtirnrterhnclt. NeiKhiiinii : J. Nennidnn, 1900, pp. 107). — Tliis dictionary is pri- 

 marily intendeil for foresters, and gives technical definitions of the terms employed 

 in forestry. 



SEEDS WEEDS. 



An attempt to estimate the vitality of seeds by an electrical method, A. D. 

 Waller {Proc. Roy. Soc. [London], 68 {1901), No. 443, pp. 79-9^, Jigs. ^).— The author 

 has conducted a series of experiments to test the possibility of the utilization of " blaze 

 currents " in determining the vitality of seeds. By blaze current the author denotes 

 the giilvanometrical token of an explosive change locally excited in living matter. 

 An une(iuivocal blaze current is in the same direction as the exciting current and can 

 not be a polarization counter-current. The investigation is limited to the unequivocal 

 blaze current as a criterion between living and nonliving seeds, from which the author 

 concludes that " if the after-currents aroused by single induction of both directions 

 are in the same direction, the object investigated is alive." His experiments were 

 conducted with beans. The seeds were tested electrically and germination tests were 

 carried <jut upon the same beans in 3 series, conducted at different laboratories under 

 tlie supervision of well-known investigators. Whole beans which had been thor- 

 oughly soaked and seed which had the (;otyledons removed were electrically tested, 

 after which they were germinated, and in general the results closely (coincided. The 

 (;orrespondence in the results was so close as to establish the fact that the blaze cur- 

 rent reaction is a sign of life and its magnitude is in some degree a measure of the 

 vitality of the seed. Fresh, vigorous seed manifested a large blaze lesponse and ger- 

 minated strongly. Older and less vigtn'ous seed showed a smaller current and less 



