ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



351 



we distinguish in many cells a yellowish-green 

 globule, which Schleideu took, evidently, for a 

 cytoblast. 



In the hair of the Geranium stem (Fig. 101). 

 iu many pith cells of the same (Fig. 217), and 

 of Cactus, the cytoblast was very manifest. 



I must state that I was unable to discover a 

 cytoblast in all cells which contained salt in 

 form of crystal, or in that of layers, fibres, or 

 pores, in the cells of ancient date, as the starch 

 cells of the roots which I considered in this paper. 



The/ungws offers a good material for study- 

 ing the cytoblast. In fungus-cells we find one 

 or more cytoblasts, and we can easily observe 

 thoir dividing into two, four, etc. 



1 did not observe a cytoblast attached to the 

 wall of the primitive utricle and forming an 

 integral part of it, as related by Schleiden. 



We have now passed in review successively 

 all parts of the vegetable cell. I never found, 

 and perhaps there does not exist, a cell which 

 contains all the substances mentioned at once. 



Vegetation seems to extend much farther 

 toward the north, than toward the south pole; 

 thus in Lapland, the Fir-tree extends to 70 deg. ; 

 the White-birch to 70 deg. 40 min., and the 

 Dwarf-birch 71 deg.; whereas, in the same de- 

 grees of south latitute vegetation is almost 

 wholly wanting. Even iu Deception Island, 

 02 deg. 50 min. south latitude, only Lichens are 

 met with, and no longer any species of grass; 

 and in Cockburn's Island, lat. 64 deg. 12 min., 

 only Lichens and a few mosses are to be found. 

 On the contrary, in the Arctic zone, ten species 

 of flowering plants were found on Waldcn 

 Island, 80i deg. north latitude. 



" Nature seems to have accumulated all the 

 beauties of form in the stately Palm, whose 

 smooth and slender stems rise to a height of 

 from CO to 75 feet, projecting like a colonnade 

 above the dense mass of the surrounding foli- 

 age. The loaves of some species incline verti- 

 cally upwards to a height of 1(J to 17 feet, and 

 are curled at the extremities in a kind of feathery 

 tuft. The flower-buds burst forth, in all Palms, 

 from the stem imroediateljf beneath the leaves." 



WILD RICE, or INDIAN BICE. 



iZizania aquatica, L.) 



The muddy boi-ders of lakes and slow streams 

 in the Northwestern States produce a species of 

 wild Kice (Zizania aquatica), nearly related to 

 the cultivated gi-ain. It is especially abundant 

 in the small lakes which abound in Minnesota, 

 and is there a means of subsistence for the In- 

 dians. It grows usually four to six feet high, 

 sometimes, however, reaching the licij^lil orci';ht 

 or ten feet. The grain is produced from pistil- 

 late flowers on the upper branches ol'tlie tlower- 

 ing stalk, the lower branches bearing only the 

 staminate flowers. The grain is smaller than 

 that of the cultivated rice, but is said to be sweet 

 and well-flavored, but acquires a scorched taste 

 from the manner of removing the husks. 



We find in the Youth's Companion an article 

 by Helen C. Weeks, which gives an extremely 

 interesting account of the manner of collecting 

 and preparing the grain for food by the Indians 

 of Minnesota. We give below the principal por- 

 tion of the article referred to : 



"Some months later, in early September, we 

 left Red Lake, and journeyed li\- .inioe IVoui that 

 point to Leech Lake, a luiiidred miles and more, 

 below. The route lies Ihniugh a cliam of small 

 lakes, connected by streams, sometimes large 

 and sometimes small, but quite as often separated 

 by belts of land called ' portages.' 



"At times a field of wild Rice may be found 

 in some shallow spot near the middle of the 

 lakes, but oftener it grows nearer the shore, 

 sometimes many acres together, the long, slender 

 stalks, with their reddish-brown heads of grain 

 rising high above one's head, as the canoe sweeps 

 through them. 



" The wives of our Indian boatmen set out at 

 the same time as ourselves for a rice-field in 

 Midge's Lake, and as they row more swiftly 

 than the men, we found them there at work, 

 when we started the next morning, after our fu-st 

 night's camping out on its shores. 



" Curious to see the whole operation we waited 

 here an hour or two. In the bottom of the mid- 

 dle of the canoe was laid the blanket; and as the 

 canoe was paddled slowly llimujih the Held by 

 one woman, the other, kiiei'linu' and holding two 

 sticks, shaped like small paddles, bent nver the 

 heads of rice with one, while with llie oilier she 

 brushed out the ripe grains, wlii ell idl into the 

 blanket. As it gradualh- (ills, the women 

 paddle to some point «in the shore, where a fire 

 is lighted, and the great coiiper kettle, bought at 

 P.riiish forts in llu'cNon's llav territory, and only 

 owned by the most well-to-do amom^- tliem, is 

 swung over it to heat. Into tlii<. w hen almost 

 red-hot, the i-ice is poured, and (on-i:niil\ ~lirred 

 with a small paddle till the liu-k- aiv M-oirhed 

 off, and the grain thoroughly panhed. It is from 

 this proee-s' that the M-orehed taste comes, for 

 tVee(l from the hu>k in the saline way as the 

 Southern rii-e, it would be quite as sweet. Ouce 

 roasted, it is put up in bags woven from rushes, 

 and holding generally about half a bushel." 



