482 RECORD OF SCIENCE FOR 1887 AND 1888. 



teria. Little stress was placed by Hellriegel on the observations of 

 Frank, but as Ward has shown in his paper " on the tubercular swell- 

 ings on the root of Vicia Faba" (Phil. Trans., 1887), there is a clear rela- 

 tion between the presence of this fungus and the power of fixing pure 

 nitrogen, enjoyed by Leguminous plants. A further contribution to 

 the same subject is given by Lawes and Gilbert in Proc. Roy. Soc. 



XLIII. 



"The Comparative Chemistry of Iligher and Lower Plants," by Miss 

 Abbott (Am. Nat., xxi), is a very suggestive pajjer, although still lack- 

 ing continuation in many i)articulars. It is claimed by the author that 

 a progression in chemical complexity can be traced ^j«ry" j^rtssw with 

 the progression in structural differentiation. Of the other papers of 

 more or less interest may be mentioned the following: Staco, " Plant 

 Odors" (Bot. Gaz., xii) ; Schimper, "Ueber Kalkoxalatbildung in den 

 Laubbliittern" (Bot. Zeit. 46 Jahrg). 



Krasser, " Ueberden microchemiochen nachweis von Eiweiss korperu 

 in den Pflanzlichen Zellhaut" (Bot. Zeit 40) 5 "On the Nature and 

 Toxic Principle of the Aroideie," by Pedder and Warden (Journ. Asi- 

 atic Soc. Bengal, lvii). The authors here found that the irritating effect 

 on tongue, stomach, etc., of the Aroidecv is a purely mechanical one. 

 The cells of the Arums are filled with needle-shaped crystals of oxa- 

 late of lime and by mechanical action produce the deleterious effects; 

 "■ The Ash of Tillandsia usueoides, by Palmer (Am. Nat. xx). 



TECHNOLOGY. 



The constantly increasing attention that is being given to the micro- 

 scopical study of plants has given rise to a copious literature of the 

 subject, which has been considerably added to during the year. Det- 

 mer's "Das Pflauzenphysiologische Praktikum" is perhaps the most 

 important work that has appeared. The work is evidently the result 

 of the author's ijersoual experience in teaching physiology, and is a 

 very carefully written account of all the mauipuhitions required to 

 illustrate the ordinary facts of plant physiology. The details are very 

 minutely given. " Manipulations deBotanique, guelle pour les travaux 

 d histologic veg^tale," by Girod, is also a valuable work. "The appli- 

 cation of the paraffin — imbedding method in Botany," by Moll (Bot. 

 Gaz., xiii), is a very interesting paper detailing accounts of the sucess- 

 ful imbedding and cutting of the most delicate vegetable tissues, such 

 as the growing point of roots and stems, flower buds, etc. The appli- 

 cation of zoological methods to botany has only recently been success- 

 ful, since the last edition of Strasburger's " Botanische Praktikum"" 

 contains no mention of it. Schihiland has also contributed observations 

 on the process of imbedding (Bot. Centralbl, xxx, and Bot. Gaz., xiii), 

 and Campbell also has a short note in Bot. Gaz.^ xiii. Bumpus has 

 described (Bot, Gaz., Xii) a simple and iuexpeusiv'^ self-registering au^- 



