44 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Feb 
PLANT HypripizATION.—Mr, Herbert J. Webber who 
has charge of the plant breeding laboratory of the U. S. 
Department of Agriculture, has been making some inter- 
esting observations along the line of hybridization. 
Among the other plants studied he has done something 
with the pineapple ; he finds that some varieties are much 
more fertile than others. ‘In my own experience, the 
most fertile varieties are the Abbaka and Smooth Cayen- 
ne, two of the finest varieties known. Ninety-seven flow- 
ers of Abbaka crossed with pollen of Smooth Cayenne 
gave seventy-seven good seeds, and, in the case of the re- 
ciprocal cross, thirty-six flowers of the Smooth Cayenne 
crossed with pollen, Abbaka gave forty-six perfect seeds. 
Other sorts used in crossing, such as Golden Queen, Rip- 
ley, Red Spanish, Mauritius, &c., gave varying degrees 
of fertility between these two extremes.” (Separate Jour. 
Roy. Hort. Soc. 24.) 
Stupy oF MANUFACTURED STARCHES.—In a recent bul- 
letin of the Division of Chemistry, U. 8. Department of 
Agriculture, Dr. Wiley discusses the manufacture of starch 
from potatoes and cassava and incidentally refers to the 
structure of microscopic characters of a number of other 
starches, and the amount of starch produced in the dif- 
ferent plants. He also discusses the methods of manufac- 
ture. This paper is accompanied with several excellent 
plates. (Bull. Div, Chem. U.S. Dept. Agrl. 58.) 
Actinocyclus Ralfsii. 
EDWARD M. NELSON, F. R. M.S. 
The interesting diatom, especially when viewed under 
a low power, is so transcendentally beautiful that it will 
attract the attention of even those who, like Gallio, ‘‘care 
for none of these things.’”’ The charm in this diatom con- 
sists not only in its remarkable system of rays,from which 
it derives its name, but also in its exquisite coloring. 
