a 
505 
journal above quoted speaks very approvingly of several species of Col- 
linsia, delicate annual plants of England, which have been intro- 
duced into cultivation by Mr. Thompson, of England, who has shown a 
rare enthusiasm in obtaining from this country and introducing into 
cultivation botanical novelties. One of these is a new variety of Cen- 
taurea Americana, with flowers of a deep magenta-purple, which is con- 
sidered quite an acquisition to the flower- ovarden. The variety was ob- 
tained in Texas.in 1872, by Mr. KE. Hal!, of Illinois, who spent a season 
there in making botanical collections. Still another acquisition from 
our country is the Pentstemon Palmeri, obtained a few yéars ago, by Dr. 
Palmer, in Arizona, which is stated to be a very distinct and novel form 
of this interesting genus. It grows four feet high or more, the stem 
terminated by a noble panicle of pale lilac flowers, which are an inch 
and a half long, and are said to be very ornamental. 
INFLUENCE OF THE MOON ON VEGETATION.—M. Carbonnier, a mem- 
ber of the Acclimatization Society, of Paris, has published the result of 
some observations on the effect of the moon upon vegetation, which tend 
to confirm the popular notions on this subject : 
It is well known that glass aquariums, placed in the light, soon become invaded by 
algoid growths, which in some cases, after a time, pervade the whole of the interior. 
M. Carbonnier, requiring to keep a number of these reservoirs perfectly clean, found 
that, while in some cases no vegetation appeared for ten days, or even more, in others 
it was completely developed in “two or three days. Watching these phenomena with 
care for some time, he came to the conviction that the maximum intensity of this veg- 
etation corresponded with the time of the full moon; he found that the increase di- 
minished daring the other phase’ of the moon until it was imperceptible ; and, while 
at full moon the aquariums had to be cleaned every day, after that period twice a week 
proved sufficient. The water that he used for his aquariums is that of the canal of 
the Ourcq, (too impure for culinary purposes,) which is open for a Jong distance, and 
is remarkable for the number of microscopic germs it contains, very variable in quan- 
tity, but considerable at the time of the full moon. 
As aquariums are now in quite general use, many opportunities are 
afforded to repeat these observations. It would be curious if, after so 
long opposing the popular traditions on this subject, modern science . 
should at last confirm them and be able to explain them. The experi- 
ments of M. Carbonnier, so far as reported, seem to be wanting in pre- 
cision, and need to be confirmed by y other observers, with careful atten- 
tion to the source and kind of the water-supply. 
MULTIPLYING PLANTS BY DIVISION.—AII the prominent operations 
of horticulture, as grafting, budding, striking, cutting, &c., are based 
upon the fact that every bud of a plant has an independent vitality, 
and with suitable treatment and under proper conditions is capable of 
continued growth when removed from the parent plant. Not only is this 
true of buds already formed, but portions of a plant, such as a leaf or 
a root, which do not normally produce buds, can be made to develop 
them under certain circumstances. 
Many curious experiments have been made at various times, showing 
that this power of reproduction by the development of new organs or 
parts is possessed in some degree by almost every portion of the plant. 
Recently M, Van Tieghem has communicated to the Annales des 
Sciences Naturelies the results of sonve experiments made by him on 
the embryos of germinating plants, which show that their several parts 
may be removed and divided, and still each of the separated parts can 
reproduce all the other parts necessary to complete the perfect plant. 
Thus, the germinating plant or seed is composed of the cotyledons or 
seed-leaves, the caulicle or young stem, and the radicle or young root. 
