1907] CURRENT LITERATURE 7 
paper closes with an interesting discussion of the significance of the reduction 
of chromosomes and its relation to alternation of generations—CHartes J. 
CHAMBERLAIN. 
Legume inoculation.—KELLERMAN and RoBINson’4 have been investigating 
the conditions under which a particular species of legume might be successfully 
inoculated, and the conditions under which failure to obtain inoculation might 
be expected. A summary of the results is as follows: lime is of decided benefit 
in obtaining successful inoculations of legumes in some soils (often showing an 
acid reaction to litmus); soi! extracts serving as culture media often indicate the 
probable success of inoculating a leguminous crop; at least during the first 
Season’s growth no general cross-inoculation takes place (bacteria from one 
host, however, may inoculate a physiologically related species); heavy invcula- 
tion by a pure culture increases nodule formation if the soil solution is enriched 
by the excess of culture medium (in a favorable soil, however, a light inoculation 
well-distributed is as effective); thorough aeration is favorable to nodule forma- 
tion.—J. M 
Rate of growth of “fairy rings.’’—In view of the fact that little is known of 
the length of the life cycle of most of the Basidiomycetes, an observation of 
THomas?s on Hydnum suaveolens is of interest. This fungus forms “fairy 
rings” in forests. Such a ring was observed by THomas in 1896, and at that 
time the radius of the circle was 8.41™. The sporophores of the fungus appeared 
irregularly during the following years, but at no time did those of H. suaveolens 
appear within the circular area once occupied by the mycelium of that fungus. 
In the years rg901, 1902, and 1905 is was again possible to make radial measure- 
ments, when the radius of the circle was 9.54™, 9.92™, and 10.56™, respectively. 
From the annual increase thus obtained the calculated age of the circle was 
about 45 years. For nearly half a century the mycelium had grown, spreading 
over the area of a fairy ring scarcely 20™ in diameter.—H. HASSELBRING. 
Seedlings of gymnosperms.—Hitt and FRAINE have been studying the 
anatomy of the seedlings of Coniferales, and an abstract of their paper has been 
published.2° The general conclusions are that the cotyledonary bundles of 
Cephalotaxus and Taxus exhibit mesarch structure; that the gymnosperms 
as a whole exhibit three varieties of rotation, namely (1) that in which the coty- 
ledonary bundle is endarch throughout and the rotation of the protoxylem is 
very indefinite (as Cephalotaxus), (2) that in which the cotyledon-trace is endarch 
but the rotation of the protoxylem takes place in the hypocotyl (as Cedrus), 
24 KELLERMAN, Kart F., and Roprnson, T. R., Conditions affecting legume 
inoculation. U.S. Dept. Agric., Bur. Pl. Ind., Bull. roo, part viii. pp. 15. pls. 2. 1906. 
25 THoMAS, FR., Die Wachstumsgeschwindigkeit eines aba von Hydnum 
suaveolens Scop. Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesells. 23:476-478. 
26 Hirt, T. G., and FRAINE, E. DE, On the seedling structure of gymnosperms. 
Annals of Lites 20:471-473- 1906. 
