i88 9 .] 



BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 233 



.Dr. Dohrn, the director of the zoological station at Naples, appeals 

 to all algologists to send to the station copies of papers relating to algae, as 

 the basis for a library for the assistance of the botanists who avail them- 

 selves of the privileges of the station. In the new building which is be- 

 ing erected additional accommodations will be provided for botanical 

 work. 



Drs. Lehman and Mori, in a recent paper 1 collate the literature and 

 experiments as to the poisonous nature of the seeds of the common corn 

 cockle, Agrostemma Githago L. These show that the fresh seeds are 

 highly poisonous, but that they become entirely innocuous after roasting. 

 The authors suggest that these seeds would form a very useful food for 

 domestic animals. 



The Bulletin of the Roval Gardens, Kew, has done a great service 

 to botanists in giving (No. 31, July, 1889) a guide to the botanical litera- 

 ture of the British Empire. It was suggested by the fact that "Kew is 

 often called upon to answer questions, on the shortest notice, concerning 

 the vegetation of some remote part of the world, and the best books to 

 consult on the subject; hence the idea of preparing a concise guide." 



Newton B. Pierce, who has been doing special work with Prof. 

 Spalding, at Ann Arbor, for the past two years, has been commissioned 

 by the Secretary of Agriculture, to visit California for the purpose of inves- 

 tigating a " mysterious " grape disease which appeared in that state thre« 

 or four years ago, and which has already destroyed many thousand vines. 

 His work will be carried on under the direction of the section of vegeta- 

 ble pathology. 



From an examination of the anatomical structure of the pitchers of 

 Sarracenia Druinmondii, E. Heckel comps to the conclusion that it rep- 

 resents a hollow petiole, and the operculum the lamina of the leaf, ine 

 resemblance in structure is very close to the petiole of Nymphaea alba, 

 and the near affinity of the Nymphaeaceae and Sarraceniao » can not be 

 doubted. The structure and arrangement of the vascular bundles are 

 very similar. The parenchyma of the petiole of the water-lily contains 

 large numbers of air-cavities lined with hairs. These appear to be fused 

 in Sarracenia into one large central cavity, the cavity of the pitcher, in 

 which we again find the hairs which prevent the escape of the captured 

 insects.— Jvur. Boy. Mic. Soe., June. 



Mr. L. Magnin strongly recommends' iodized phosphoric acid to 

 replace the iodized chloride of zinc as a reagent for cellulose. lhos< 

 who have used the latter are well aware of its hortcomings in the way 

 of difficulty of manufacture and slowness of action. The new reagent is 

 said to act almost i nstantly or within a few minutes. To prepare it ma 

 pure glacial phosphoric acid, add one-fourth to one-third of its , fc jiiik 

 of distilled water, and then some crystals of potawic iodide and i. Kline 

 until the mixture becomes of a sherry brown. In using this reagent 

 with cellulose walls in which the presence of other matter _ie rajpctod, 

 it is well to warm the section in a one per cent, solution of HL1 or a tour 



per cent, solution of KOH, in case the coloration does not appear prompt- 

 ly. The author also recommends iodized chloride of calcium and chlo- 

 ride of aluminium. 



Urehiv fur Hygiene, ix. 257. 



4 Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xxxv. 421.- fide J. R. M. S. 



