FIELD CROPS. 827 



The effects of heat and cold are considered as resulting in a complete or in- 

 cipient disorganization of the cell, depending upon the duration of exposure 

 and a consequent escape of some of the contents. The observations here re- 

 corded are not considered to substantiate the view that anesthesia is a reversi- 

 ble process, the excretion process induced by an anesthetic conforming in every 

 way to an irreversible chemical reaction. It is further believed that the results 

 obtained by antagonistic pairs of salts and by single salts are also to be 

 explained, as far as resulting exosmosis is concerned, in the specificity of the 

 action of each. 



A bibliography is appended. 



The question of the toxicity of distilled water, R. P. Hibbard (Amer. Jour. 

 Bot., 2 {1915), No. 8, pp. 389-^01). — The author refers to articles by Livingston, 

 Hoyt, and True, respectively (E. S. R., 19, p. 13; 31, pp. 32, 730) as affording 

 a complete summary of the work done in the past on the toxic effects of dis- 

 tilled water. This is said to have been about equally divided between animal 

 and plant physiologists. He then details his own investigations, employing as 

 indicators the roots of Lvpinns albiis and relating first to the problem of ad- 

 justment and second to that of toxic root excretions. 



It is held that by some process of acclimatization or adjustment, lupine 

 seedlings give better growth in distilled water if change to that medium from 

 tap water is made gradually rather than suddenly, and that this fact should 

 never be neglected in cultural work. It appears also that roots of lupine seed- 

 lings excrete a substance that inhibits growth therein and produces also ab- 

 normalities of development as regards form and direction. It is thought that 

 the harmfulness of distilled water may be considered as due, not to any one 

 predominant factor, but to a resultant of many, consisting of a disturbance of 

 the normal equilibrium of the various chemical and physical interactions 

 within the organism and between it and its environment. 



Plant records of an expedition to Lower California, E. A. Goldman {U. S. 

 Nat. Mus., Contrib. Nat. Herbarium, 16 (1916), pt. U, pp. S09-Stl+XIII, pis. 

 31). — A list is given of plants collected in Lower California in 1905 and 1906, 

 along with notes on distribution and descriptive, ecological, and economic data. 

 The work includes descriptions of three new species of oak, Quercus brandegei, 

 Q. idoiiea, and Q. devia. 



New or noteworthy plants from Colombia and Central America, V, H. 

 PiTTiEE {U. 8. Nat. Mils., Contrih. Nat. Herbarium, 18 {1916), pt. ^, pp. 143- 

 lll-\-IX, pis. 24, figs. 10). — The author describes a number of trees and shrubs 

 of Central America and northern South America which were hitherto imper- 

 fectly known or not described. 



FIELD CROPS. 



Moisture content and shrinkage of f orag-e and the relation of these factors 

 to the accuracy of experimental data, H. N. Vinall and R. McKee {V. S. 

 Depf. Agr. Bui. 353 {1916), pp. 37). — This bulletin is a report on a series of ex- 

 periments made during 1914 to secure data on which to base a sampling sys- 

 tem giving greater accuracy to field tests in forage experiments. The plan 

 consists essentially in taking small samples at the time of weighing field-cured 

 or green material for use in determining the moisture content of the material 

 and applying the data in reducing the yield either to an air-dry or to a dry- 

 matter basis. 



In the experiments described the efficiency of correcting ordinary green and 

 field-cured forage weights with 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, or 16 lb. samples was determined 

 with a number of crops at different points. Of ordinary field-cured forage 100 

 lbs. was taken from the shock or windrow and 500 lbs. of green forage was 



