February 13, 1908] 



NA TURE 



)5» 



It is suggested that the planting of such areas might be 

 undertaken by district boards working in consultation with 

 forest oflicers. 



A PAMPHLET on the fibrous plants of tlie west coast of 

 Africa, forming the subject of a paper read before the 

 Liverpool Chamber of Commerce by Dr. K. Drabble, has 

 been received from the Liverpool Institute of Commercia' 

 Research in the Tropics. The author treats his subject 

 under the groups of leaf fibres, bast fibres, piassavas, and 

 raffias. The first named include species of .Agave, 

 Sansevieria, and the oil palm Elaeis ; most of the bast 

 fibres are derived from malvaceous plants ; the greater 

 quantity of both piassavas and raflias is obtriinrd from the 

 palm Raphia vinijera. 



.\n account of culture experiments undertaken with the 

 object of studying the effect of organic matter on nitrifi- 

 cation in impure cultures is contributed to the Bullelin 

 International de I'Academie des Sciences de Cracovie 

 (June, 1907) by Messrs. A. Karpinski and B. Niklewski. 

 The authors come to the conclusion that weak solutions 

 of various organic substances, especially humates, and to 

 a less degree acetates, peptone, and sugar, do distinctly 

 promote nitrification processes. Messrs. T. Kozniewski 

 and L. Marchlewski communicate a paper on chlorophyll 

 dcrivates, in which they indicate the spectra obtained with 

 solutions of phyllol.aonin and allophyllotaonin. 



The first number of the Keiv Bulletin for the current 

 year contains diagnoses of new flowering plants, " Decades 

 Kewenses : XLV., XLVL," by workers in the herbarium, 

 and identifications by Mr. G. Massee of a set of fungi 

 collected in Singapore by Mr. H. N. Ridley. The majority 

 of the fungi are agarics, of which several are new species ; 

 a Calodon (Hydnacea;) and a Geoglossum also furnish 

 new species. An article on the fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, 

 refers to a pest that has caused serious damage to orange 

 flushes and fruit trees in South Australia and other 

 colonies. It has also been reported from the neighbour- 

 hood of Paris on apricots and peaches. Kerosene placed 

 in shallow vessels is said to provide an attractive lure that 

 lias proved efficacious. Mr. T. A. Sprague contributes a 

 synopsis of the prickly fruited species of Euonymus, of 

 which three are new Chinese plants, and an article by 

 Mr. F. Turner on Australian grasses is reprinted. 



The first of a series of contributions by Mr. T. F. 

 Cheeseman to a fuller knowledge of the flora of New 

 ■Zealand, constituting an addendum to the author's 

 " Manual," is published in the Transactions of the New 

 Zealand Institute (vol. xxxix.). As a guide for future 

 work, the author indicates the regions that have been 

 insufl[iciently explored. The notes refer chiefly to new 

 varieties and specimens. The indigenous localities of the 

 handsome shrub Clianthus puniceiis and the myrtaceous 

 tree Metrosideros tomentosa are collated. Illustrations are 

 given of two unique specimens of branched " nikau " 

 palms, Rhopalostylis sapida, one showing seventeen 

 irregular branches. Separate papers are devoted to the 

 description of a plant previously named Trithuria 

 inconspicua, now transferred to Hydatella, another genus 

 of the same order, Centrolepidaceae, and to the discussion 

 of the discontinuous distribution of Pittosponim obcor- 

 datunt. 



Land erosion by storm water appears to be going on at 

 a remarkably rapid rate in parts of Cape Colony, and to 

 cause considerable loss to farmers and others. For the past 

 three years the Irrigation Department has been collecting 

 information on its bad effects and on possible remedies, and 

 this is now summarised in the November (1907) number 

 NO. 1998, VOL. 77] 



of the Agricultural Journal of the Cape of Good Hope. It 

 is considered that two main causes operate — the burning 

 of forest, of bush, and of grass has destroyed vegetation 

 that used to hold back storm water, and the movement 

 of cattle and waggons, &c., along definite paths tends 

 to wear down tracks in which the water can start its 

 course. Once erosion begins its progress is very rapid. 

 /Vmong the instances quoted we may mention the Ongers. 

 or Brak River. Sixty years ago there was no river, but 

 for some cause erosion began, and it has since gone on 

 so rapidly that the river channel is now generally 300 feet 

 wide and 15 feet deep. In order to check the process it 

 is suggested that small channels or " sluits " should be so 

 obstructed by stones, bushes, &c., that the water must 

 distribute itself over a wider area, and do correspondingly 

 less damage. The subject is a very important one, and! 

 we trust that the Irrigation Department will not stop at 

 collecting information, but will proceed to a sound and' 

 complete investigation of the whole matter. 



The Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, vol. 

 xxxix.. No. II, contains an account of physiographicaL 

 experiments on the aggrading and degrading stream, 

 carried out at the Ohio State University during the past 

 year. .An initial valley of cement was constructed in a 

 water-tight tank, the slope of which could be varied. Fire- 

 clay of unequal fineness was placed above the upper end 

 of the valley, and a fine spray of water turned on. During 

 the aggradation process, the construction of systematic 

 asymmetrical fans over previous flood plain deposits, and 

 the formation and preservation of pits or depressions on 

 the flood plain, were noticed. The latter is the probable 

 origin of the so-called " kettles " of the Susquehanna. 

 Conclusions were also arrived at concerning the relative 

 importance of slope, water supply, and load as causes of 

 the aggradation or degradation of streams, the influence 

 of load being specially emphasised. Finally, Prof. Davis's- 

 explanation of alluvial terraces standing above existing 

 flood plains was strikingly confirmed by the action of the 

 experimental river as it carved out its series of terraces. 



Ax account of the astronomical and geodetical observa- 

 tions made in 1902-5 by the German Commission for fix- 

 ing the boundaries of German East Africa appears ia 

 Die Mitteilungen aus den deutschen Schutzgebielen, vol. 

 .XX., part iv. The report is published in three divisions, 

 the first containing particulars of the Lake Kivu Expedi- 

 tion under Captain Herrmann, with Prof. Lamp as astro- 

 nomer, and the second and third giving the results of the 

 Deutsche Uganda Grenz Expedition under Caplain 

 Schlobach. On the Kivu Expedition, Prof. Lamp estab- 

 lished an astronomical station at Usambara, and deter- 

 mined a value for its latitude. Valuable geodetical results, 

 of which full tables are given, were also obtained in this 

 neighbourhood, and with the figures of Captain Schlobach 

 furnish the data for triangulation of a map of the district 

 west and north of Lake Victoria. East of the lake, 

 triangulation was continued from a base at Port Florence, 

 the work being carried as far as Kilimanjaro, and from 

 thence connected with Zanzibar. A map is published 

 showing the boundary line between British Uganda and 

 German East Africa from Lake Victoria to Kilimanjaro. 

 Captain Herrmann also gives an account of altitude 

 measurements made by the Kivu Expedition, and Captain 

 Schlobach a table of those made during the Uganda Grenz 

 Expedition. 



There are few regions in the world so rich in minerals 

 as the State of Nevada. In addition to gold, silver, 

 copper and lead, deposits of sulphur, zinc, bismuth, 

 antimony, tungsten, nickel, iron, mercury, arsenic, salt. 



