l6o BOTANICAL GAZETTE. LJ Utie > 



Dr. N. L. Brixton (Torr. Bull. May, 1889) has published a prelimin- 

 ary note on the N. American species of Tissa Adans., or the sand spur- 

 reys, which have heretofore appeared variously as Spergularia, Lepigo- 

 num, etc. Ten species are enumerated. 



The article by P. H. Dudley on the fungi destructive to wood' 

 printed with the botanist's report in the 41st annual report of the New 

 York Museum, has been translated into French, and appears complete 

 with the illustrations in the Revue Mycologiqiie for April. 



Professor Thomas Meehan has just distributed his fourth " Contri- 

 bution to the life histories of plants." It contains notes on secund inflo- 

 rescence, Pinus pungens and its allies, Corydalis flavula, dimorphism in 

 Polygoneae, nature and office of stipules, and Euonymus Japonica. 



The Societe de Physique et d' Histoire Naturelle of Geneva has of- 

 fered a prize of 500 francs for the best monograph of a genus or family. 

 The manuscript, which must be written in Latin, German, French or 



Italian, must be sent to the president by the 1st of October of the present 

 year. 



Peach and apricot stones (endocarp and seed) are used in California 

 for fuel, the former bringing $6 a ton and the latter somewhat less. They 

 were formerly waste products of the great fruit-preserving establish- 

 ments. Peach stones are considered equal to the best California coal 

 for domestic use. 



A bibliographical directory of American agricultural scientists 

 has been issued by Prof. C. S. Plumb. It contains over two hundred names 

 chiefly those connected with experiment stations. The work is care- 

 fully compiled and neatly printed, and will be of interest and service 

 to those interested in the scientific progress of agricultural knowledge. 



The sacred lotus, Nelumbium speciosum, has become established 



in a pond in New Jersey, and proves hardv, although the surface 



of the water is frozen over during the winter. The history of its 



planting, by E. J). Sturtevant, is given in Garden and Forest for April 10, 



with a fine photo-engraving of the spot showing hundreds of open 

 flowers. 



The wtde field that still remains for research among the mosses of 



North America is indicated by a comparison between a recent catalogue 



of the moss-flora of the neighborhood of Geneva, Switzerland, and the 



known species of this country. Guineas catalogue contains 466 species 



and 114 varieties, while our total of recorded species does not much ex- 

 ceed 1,000. * 



Zopf has discovered a new species of Saccharomyces which he has 

 named after the most distinguished student of this group S. Hansenii. 

 This yeast, instead of producing alcoholic fermentation, causes the forma- 

 tion of oxalic acid from such various substances as grape, cane and milk 

 sugars, galactose, maltose, dulcite, glycerine and mannite. It forms asco- 

 spores after the fashion of S. cerevisue, but one or two only. 



For a long time attempts have been made to place the control of the 

 Bertram botanic garden of Philadelphia in such hands that its proper 

 protection and care should be assured for all time. It is a precious leg- 

 acy to botanists and plant lovers, and of special historic interest. On 

 March 7 the Philadelphia Select Council provided for its purchase, and 

 will soon place it under the same management as the other city parks. 



