140 Remarks on the 



REVIEWS. 



Art. I. Translation of a JMemoir entitled " Btitrage zur 

 Lehrc von der Befruchtung der Planzen,''^ (Contributions to 

 the Doctrine of the Impregnation of Plants.) By A. J. C. 

 CofRDA. Pubh'shed in the 17th Vol. of the Nova Acta Physi- 

 co-medica Academic Caesar. Leopold. -Carol. Naturae Curio- 

 sorim^. Breslau & Bonn: 153-5; loitk Prefatory Remarks on the 

 Progress of Discovery relative to Vegetable Fecundation . By 

 Asa Gray, M. D. Read before the Lyceum of Natural 

 History, New York, October 24th, 1836, and published in 

 Silliman's Journal for January, 1837. 



We have been presented with a copy of the work, contain- 

 ing the above article, by the translator, and have been highly 

 gratified with its perusal, '{'he prefatoiy remarks, by Dr. Cray, 

 evince a good knowledge of the subject, and an intimate ac- 

 quaintance with the works of the authors who have written upon 

 the vegetation and impregnation of plants. 



These prefatory remarks comprise a review of the progress of 

 the developments which have been communicated to the scien- 

 tific world respecting the fecundation of plants, and the opera- 

 tion of the pollen upon the embryo or future plant. As this 

 subject is one which we are confident will prove interesting 

 to our readers, and one upon which but little is known, we shall 

 make large extracts from this paper. The translated article itself 

 we cannot give to our readers, as it is accompanied with two 

 large folio lithographs, excellently executed, illustrating the ac- 

 tion of the pollen upon the embryo, and the article would be 

 unintelligible wilK)ut these ; we must, consequently, refer the 

 reader,Vho wishes to see the entire paper, to Dr. Silhman's valu- 

 able Journal. 



This paper was prepared by Dr. Gray for his own private use; 

 but supposing it would prove interesting to the members of the 

 Lyceum of Natural History, he was induced to lay it before 

 them. The scientific community of this country are much in- 

 debted to Dr. Gray for his valuable translation, which he was 

 obliged to undertake himself, as no person unacquainted with the 

 structure and formation of the ovule, though thoroughly versed in 

 the German language, could have given a correct translation. Its 

 publication in the Journal of Arts and Sciences will place it in 

 the hands of all American vegetable physiologists. 



In our last number we gave some remarks on the impregnation 



