210 
Europe, in northern Africa, and in western Asia, and 
it occurs adventitiously in North America. I have 
never observed insects pollinating the flower, The’ 
corolla is closed, and probably small insects are undble 
to effect an entry; there are no ‘‘nectar-guides”’; the 
four anthers are adherent, mature simultaneously ‘with 
the stigma, and dehisce internally. It would seem, 
therefore, as Kunth (‘‘Handbook of Flower Pollina- 
Lape English translation by Ainsworth Davis, vol. iii., 
p- 177) states, that ‘“‘automatic self-pollination is in- 
evitable.” I fear “S. P.” will regard this answer to 
his question as analogous with the dictum: ‘“‘ There 
are no snakes in Iceland! ”’ C. E, Moss. 
Botany School, Cambridge, November 9. 
SCIENTIFIC GLASSWARE. 
Ae interesting account of the efforts which have 
been made in France to replace glassware 
for scientific and technical purposes which had 
formerly been imported from Germany and Aus- 
tria by home productions is given in an article 
in the July-August number of the Bulletin de 
la Société d’Encouragement pour 1l’Industrie 
Nationale. The article consists of a detailed account 
of an exhibition of French products of this kind, 
and affords interesting comparisons with the similar 
but much smaller exhibition recently held in the 
rooms of the Institute of Chemistry in Russell 
Square. The French exhibition included optical 
glass, and utensils for the heavy chemical trades. 
In regard to optical glass, of course, it is not 
surprising to find that the French are in a far 
better position than that yet reached in this 
country. The firm of optical glass manufacturers 
which was founded in Paris by one of the Guinand 
family has been steadily developed, and has for 
years past—under the names of Mantois and lat- 
terly of Parra-Mantois—issued lists of optical 
glasses of a range and quality quite as wide as, 
and in many respects more satisfactory than, those 
of Schott, of Jena, It is, in fact, worth while re- 
membering that on many occasions during the 
twelve or fifteen years preceding the war the 
British manufacturer of optical glass was con- 
fronted with a more serious competition from 
Mantois than from Schott. 
This state of affairs must be held highly 
to the credit of the French glass-makers, 
and we see indications of similar skill and 
enterprise in other directions connected with 
the glass industry. French plate-glass, asso- 
ciated with the name of the great firm of St. 
Gobain, has long held a high reputation, while 
the name of Appert is a household word wherever 
glass is studied. Accordingly we see in the present 
record of the French exhibition a most comprehen- 
sive list of products of all kinds, including not 
only laboratory-ware, such as beakers, flasks, 
etc., but many specialities such as glass for X-ray 
tubes and glass for serum tubes. The list of 
exhibitors is so large, the range of products ex- 
hibited so wide, and the claims made for the 
quality of the products so sweeping, that one 
might well suppose that the French efforts in this 
direction had been crowned with complete success, 
and that their industries had been rendered 
NO. 2455, VOL. 98] 
NATURE 
[NoveMBER 16, 1916. 
entirely independent of imported goods. It is 
sincerely to be hoped, in the interests of our Allies, 
that this impression is correct, and that the 
ordinary users of this ware are really able to 
obtain it in the regularity—as regards both quality 
and quantity—which is essential for practical 
purposes. 
So far as can be judged from the printed 
descriptions and the photographs with which it 
is illustrated, the French exhibition was on an 
altogether larger scale than the one recently held 
by the Institute of Chemistry. The latter was, 
in fact, somewhat disappointing as regards both 
number of exhibitors and range of exhibits. - 
Some very creditable achievements were, of 
course, represented, particularly in regard to 
laboratory-ware, such as flasks, beakers, and 
similar articles. Those exhibited were excellent 
examples of their kind so far as workmanship and 
the obvious qualities of the glass are concerned. 
It was disappointing to. find, however, that 
there was no evidence as to the real qualities 
of the various articles shown. Public testing 
laboratories are available in this country perfectly 
competent to give certificates of quality in regard 
to all articles of this kind; this being the case, 
why were not these exhibits accompanied by such 
certificates showing the behaviour of the glass to 
chemical reagents and to sudden changes of tem- 
perature? In the absence of such evidence we 
can only hope that the glasses labelled “resistant ”’ 
are really fairly satisfactory for their purpose, 
and that the flasks and beakers will stand the 
usage to which they are of necessity exposed i in 
the laboratory. 
Another marked feature of the Institute of 
Chemistry exhibition was the circumstance that it 
was confined very largely to the lighter kinds of 
laboratory-ware. While manufacturers are to be 
congratulated upon the measure of success which 
they have achieved in this very important direc- 
tion, it seems desirable to direct attention to the 
fact that laboratories cannot exist on light glass- 
ware alone, There is a whole range of glass 
articles of a heavier type which are also neces- 
sary—such as desiccators, separating funnels, 
jars and cylinders, etc.—which were formerly 
obtained from abroad. So far as the writer is 
aware, English-made articles of this class are not 
yet available, although the difficulties of manu- 
facture are probably much less than those con- 
nected with ware which has to resist severe 
physical and chemical conditions. 
In conclusion, it may perhaps be suggested that, 
while a good exhibition is of considerable value 
in bringing before those interested the best 
samples of the home products now available, the 
future of this glass industry and of the technical 
and scientific operations related to it depends upon 
a factor which can never be brought out by any 
exhibition—i.e. the steady and regular trustworthi- 
ness of the articles produced. In the chemical 
laboratory, for instance, it becomes a_ serious 
matter if at intervals a beaker or a flask should 
crack at a critical point in a long and delicate: 
OE —— 
