AGKRICCTLTURA.L BOTANY. 653 



The germination of barley was unaffected by 0.6 per cenl of arsenious acid in the 

 Boil, while its growth was prevented bj a much smaller quantity. The results also 

 showed thai it required more than 0.4 per cent of this substance in the soil to affect 

 the germination of rye. 



Albinism in the plant kingdom, E. Pantanelli I Ztachr. Pflanzi nkrank., 15 I 1906 I, 

 No. 1, pp. .' .'/ 1. A study was made of albinism in plants, as distinguished from 

 chlorosis, blanching, etc. The wide distribution of albino forms of foliage is com- 

 mented upon and numerous examples an- cited. The anatomical changes associated 

 with this abnormal growth arc described, and the various theories regarding the cause 



Of albinism arc reviewed. 



The author believes that albinism is a constitutional disease of the plant, which is 

 not infectious and which is due in the first place to a large accumulation of oxidizing 

 enzyms. It is believed probable that the firsl accumulation takes place in the stems 



or roots of the plant, and, so far as the author's investigations go, this is not trans- 

 mitted through the seed. The oxydases arc distributed through definite channels to 

 the leaves, where the chloroplasts are more or less changed and the protoplasm 

 becomes affected, a^ is -how n by its peculiar physical properties. 



Chemical investigations show that the protoplasm and its plastids are destroyed 

 through the great abundance of destructive enzyms. Associated with the changed 

 condition of the chlorophyll and the cell plasma, growth is checked. The methods 

 of dissemination and control are to be subjects of further investigation. 



The effect of low temperatures on moist seeds, J. A i> \m> | Sci. Proc. Roy. Dub- 

 lin Soe., n. ser., 11 (1905), No. /, pp.6). — Seeds of peas, barley, flax, Swedish turnips, 

 red clover, meadow fescne, and timothy were inclosed in a cloth and buried in moist 

 soil for 3 days, in order that they might absorb water slowly. 



These moist seeds were then divided into different lots, one of which was cooled 

 by evaporating ether ami then immersed in liquid air for 23^ hours: a second lot 

 was immersed in liquid air for 24 hours without any preliminary cooling, and a third 

 was inclosed in a small corked bottle and placed in liquid air for <> hours. A fourth 

 lot, which had not been moistened, was used for comparison. 



The seeds of the tirst and third lots were practically destroyed, with the exception 

 of the timothy. The lot of dry seeds and those not subjected to cooling germinated 

 about normally. In the case of the timothy seeds the author states that they did 

 not absorb water to any appreciable extent, and their prolonged vitality was probably 

 due to this fact. 



In discussing the phenomena related to the action of low temperatures on sen Is, 

 the author states that the injury was probably due to the withdrawal of water from 

 the cells of the seed and its freezing in the intercellular spaces. Wheneverthe seeds 

 contained less than L2 per cent of moisture the subjection to liquid air did not seem 

 to be detrimental. 



While experiments on dry seeds, spores, etc.. seem to -how that then' is no fatal 

 minimum temperature for dry protoplasm, the author thinks that it is fair to assume 

 that there is a fatal minimum temperature for moist protoplasm and that this mini- 

 mum is above the temperature of liquid air. 



The action of liquid air on the life of seeds, 1\ Bbcquerel ( Compt. !!>!>•/. 

 Acad. Sci. [Paris], 140 {1905), No. 25, i>j>. 1652-1654). — The author repeated the 

 experiments of a number of investigators on the effect of intense cold on the life of 

 seed, experimenting with seeds of castor bean, pine, squash, buckwheat, corn, wheat, 

 oats, beans, lupines, peas, vetches, alfalfa, and radish. 



Different lots were placed under varying conditions in liquid air, where they were 

 kept for 130 hours at temperatures varying from —185 to — 192° C. At the expiration 

 of this time their viability was tested, and the results show that the resistance of 

 seed to low temperatures depends on the amount of water and gas present in their 



