51 



It was expected that this plant would be transphinted to Europe aud 

 other countries. It is very probable that our own apocyuum may pos- 

 sess all the qualities of the one above mentioned. Many of our native 

 plants furnish strong fibers, but their relative value aud commercial im- 

 portance can only be determined by experiments on a suitable scale, 

 and these experiments can nowhere be more satisfactorily instituted 

 than in those places where the plants have a natural foothold. 



NourishmEjN^t of buds THROuan the bark. — In Comptes Reudus 

 for November is an article of much interest, by M. E. Favres, detailing 

 the results of some experiments made by him to determine the direct 

 source of supply of food to the buds of trees. 



The trees selected for the experiments were the mulberry, walnut, 

 aud cherry laurel. Three kinds of experiments were instituted : 1st. 

 The removal of a complete or partial ring of bark. 2d. Separating 

 flaps or strips of bark bearing buds. .'kl. A combination of the two 

 preceding methods. 



On the walnut and laurel complete ringing of a branch was followed 

 by early death of the buds above it, but a narrow bridge left sufliced to 

 secure continued growth. The exposed wood was in all cases protected 

 from the air. If the ringing is performed around the bud instead of 

 around the branch, the same results followed. In all these cases starch 

 is found in the buds bplow the ringing, but above it is soon exhausted 

 by the growtli of the bud, and when the supply of starch is exhausted 

 the death of the bud follows. 



There is no difficulty, M. Favres observes, in proving the ascent of 

 nourishment by tlie bark, if a strip bearing a bud be detached, except 

 its lower end, from a mulberry during the season of active vegetation. 



A strip of bark with a bud separated the 20th of June made a 

 branch 20 inches long by the end of August. The walnut gave the- 

 same results, with abundant cellular exudation on the internal face of 

 the strip, which must be kept from drying, but which did not show quite 

 as great growth as normal branches. A strip of wood may or may not 

 be left on the detached bark. If a branch be. ringed at short intervals 

 the buds in the intervals will die in a time proportionate to their dis- 

 tance from the lower ring, and the starch will be found wanting in sucli 

 intervals, conclusively proving the passage of starchy matter to the bud 

 by means of the bark. 



De Candolle's Peodromus. — The seventeenth volume of this great 

 work has been published, aud the work is here concluded, although only 

 the plants of the Exogenous or Mouocotyledonous class have been de- 

 scribed. The work was commenced in 1818, by Augustin P. De CandoUe, 

 who conducted it until the publication of the seventh volume, about 1811, 

 when, his death occurring, the work was continued by his son, Alphonso- 

 De Candolle, assisted by his sou, Casimir De Candolle, the concluding 

 volumes having been published solely by Casimir, since the death of hi>s 

 father Alphouso. 



There are described in the work 5,131 genera and 58,975 species, al- 

 though this is probably not more than one-half the number of species of 

 Dicotyledonous plants existing. 



The principal natural orders described are : 



Geuera. Species.' . Genera. Species. 



Composita' 911 8, .561 



Leguuiinosa? '^83 3,853 



Rubiacea' -225 1,888 



Euphorbiace.'e 191 3, 272 



AcantUaceas 1.54 1,481 



AsclepiadacetB 134 1, 013 



Labiata? 122 2,401 



Crucitene t 100 986 



Sorophnlariacca- 170 1,879 i Solan aceaj ()'> 1,72& 



Umbel lifenc 160 1,010 i 



