228 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol. 35 



Analyses and valuations of commercial fertilizers and ground bone. 

 Analyses of agricultural lime, C. S. Cathcabt et al. {New Jersey Stas. Bui. 

 2S7 {1915), pp. 5-6S).— This bulletin contains the results of actual and guar- 

 antied analyses and valuations of over 1,000 samples of fertilizers and fer- 

 tilizing materials, including analyses of 43 samples of ground bone, 45 sam- 

 ples of lime, and 32 samples of such sundry materials as tobacco stem ash, 

 boneblack, prepared humus, tobacco stems, street sweepings, incinerator ashes, 

 seaweed, flue dust, wood ashes, burned peat, cacao shells, hardwood ashes, 

 humus, sludge, fish meal, and sewage residue, collected for inspection in New 

 Jersey during 1915 in continuation of work noted in Bulletin 285 (E. S. R., 

 34, p. 625.) 



AGKICUITTJRAL BOTAFT. 



Plant life, C. A. Hall {London: A. d C. Black, 1915, pp. XI-^S80, pis. 74, 

 figg 80).— This book, while popular as regards content and style, and intended 

 primarily for nature lovers and amateur botanists, deals with most of the main 

 divisions and topics usually considered in connection with a more formal and 

 scientific study of plant life, including a chapter on fossil plants. 



Mass mutation in CEnothera pratincola, H. H. Babtlett {Bot. Gaz., 60 

 {1915), No. 6, pp. 425-456, figs. 15). — This article, while considered to be of a 

 preliminary character as regards many genetic relationships between the muta- 

 tions and the parent species, reports a continuation of studies previously noted 

 (E. S. R., 33, pp. 221, 524). It deals with mutations of CE. pratincola, which 

 gives rise, in successive generations, to mutations belonging to several distinct 

 types. The most conspicuous of these, when young, is CE. pratincola nummu- 

 laria, originating in every generation from seven of the eight independent strains 

 which have been studied. The eighth strain exhibits the phenomenon which 

 has been called by the author " mutation en masse," and has been designated 

 as Lexington E. This differs from all the other strains of CE. pratincola in that 

 it gives rise to a characterist'^' group of four mutations, that these occur in 

 such large numbers as to justify the use of the term mass mutation, and that it 

 does not give rise to the mutant CE. nummularia and certain other mutations 

 produced by strains which do not show mass mutation, 



CEnothera g'igas nanella, a Mendelian mutant, H. DeVeies {Bot. Gaz., 60 

 {1915), No. 5, pp. 337-3-'t5). — The author gives an account of studies as a result 

 of which he states that CE. gigas produces dwarfs (about 1 to 2 per cent) and 

 mutant hybrids of normal stature, which, after self-fertilization, give from 15 to 

 18 per cent (theoretically 25 per cent) of dwarfs. These mutant hybrids men- 

 delize after self-fertilization, yielding about 18 per cent of dwarfs, 25 per cent 

 of normal specimens of tall stature, and 57 per cent of hybrids of the same type. 

 The latter gave among their progeny about 21 per cent of dwarfs. The mutant 

 hybrids, fertilized by (E. gigas nanella, yield from 30 to 43 per cent (theoreti- 

 cally 50 per cent) of dwarfs. 



In artificial crosses with (E. gigas the dwarfs follow Mendel's law. The pro- 

 duction of dwarfs from (E. gigas by means of mutation is, therefore, considered 

 as requiring the copulation of two gametes, both of which are potentially mu- 

 tated into dwarfs. The mutant hybrids, then, it is thought, must be the result 

 of the fertilization of a mutated gamete by a normal one. They are corre- 

 spondingly less rare than the dwarfs themselves. In view of the fact that 

 dwarfs of CE. lamarckiana do not follow the law of Mendel, either in their origin 

 by mutation or in artificial crosses with the parent species, these conclusions 

 are thought to show a new differential character between (E. gigas and its 

 parent species. 



