1 5 s The Botanical Gazette. [Ma* 





show movement during the dav, and a less percentage at night, but 

 they usually turn through only a few degrees of arc. During the day 23 

 per cent, move somewhat toward the west, and 8 per cent, in the oppo- 

 site direction. At night 21 per cent, move eastward, and 8 percent, 

 westward. 



Another considerable contribution has been given by Mr. F. Boer- 

 gesen in his " Desmidieae" l to the knowledge of this group of Algae 

 from Brazil. The material had been collected by Glaziou in St. Paul, 

 and the number of about 130 species and varieties includes about 50 

 new ones, illustrated in four plates, finely prepared by the author him- 

 self. Of species and varieties enumerated, the largest numbers belong 

 to the genera Cosmarium (29), Staurastrum (24), Clostenum and Euas- 

 trum (16), Micrasterias (10), etc. The diagnoses are all given in Latin.— 



r. h. 



We are glad to welcome the first annual Bulletin of the Swiss Bo- 

 tanical Society. It is a volume of nearly 170 pages, with 3 plates, and 

 contains original papers by Dr. H. Christ, Prof. Dr. Cramer, Dr. J. 

 Friih, and Dr. H. Schinz. In addition to this there is an account of 

 communications made to the society, among which we note a revision 

 of Krameriacece'm which K. lanceolate Torr. is made var. an^ustifoUa of 

 K. secundiftora DC. A good feature is an excellent and full resume of 

 the botanical work done during 1890 which had any reference to the 

 Swiss flora. 



The production of tubercles on the roots of English beans has 

 been accomplished by M. W. Beyerinck (Bot. Zeit., xlviii, 837) by 

 growing the beans in a sterilized soil and applying pure liquid cultures 

 of bacteria. The apparatus employed is of new and ingenious design. 

 The experiments so far completed show that the tubercles on the va- 

 rious leguminous plants are not due to a single species of bacteria, but 

 to several, which are also distinct from the soil bacteria producing 

 nitrification. They also establish the fact that the bacterial growths 

 do not originate within the plants, for the roots remained free of 



tubercles so long as the cultures of the specific bacteria were not in- 

 troduced. 



An early collapse of the plan of publishing general Fungi Exsic- 

 cati is predicted by M. C. Cooke in the last number of Grevilka, on 

 the ground that there are too manv being issued with too much dupli- 

 cation, both in the same and in different series. He notes that Puc- 

 cinia gramims appears under six numbers in one series, and also under 

 six numbers in another series, and both sets by the same collector. 

 Fleospora herbarum appears under eleven numbers in one series, and 

 under eighteen in another. A long list of American species is given, 

 each species of which has been issued in from one to three American 

 series and in as many foreign ones also. He advocates the publication 

 of series restricted to certain groups. These views must meet the 

 approval of the majority of mycologists. 



1 Eusr. Warming:, Symbolae ad floram Brasiliae Centr. cojnosc Particula XXXIV. Saer- 

 tryk af Vidcusk. Meddel. fra Naturhist. Foremng, 1890. Copenhagen. 



