a 
BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 389 
quantity of potash in the ash. An unhealthy tree, presumably suffering from 
the yellows, has more starch and less potash. 
THE LABORATORY NUMBER (December) of the GAZETTE is meeting with 
much encouragement from our principal laboratories and many private work- 
ers. We would ask every worker, whether in a laboratory or not, to send to 
us descriptions of any devices, simple or otherwise, he may value in his work, 
All kinds of suggestions are desired, such as any botanist would like to obtain 
from his fellows. We do not desire to omit any laboratory, public or private, 
and if this is done, the failure must not be laid to our charge. 
IN THE American Naturalist for November, L. P. Gratacap gives the results 
of some experiments upon the growth of plants watered with acid solutions. 
Without giving any of the many interesting details of the work, the general 
conclusion reached is that “the action of acid upon soil containing growing 
plants is to increase the mineral constituents of the latter, and that slightly 
acid waters percolating through a pulverulent soil richly provided with com- 
minuted and impalpable matter would assist its introduction into plants need- 
ing these elements. 
ON THE 18th of this month Dr. Asa Gray completes three-quarters of a 
century of his life. Few botanists can show so many years of botanical activity, 
and certainly none have been of such uninterrupted and illustrious service in 
the cause of botanical science in this country. His career, reaching back into 
the very beginnings of American botany, is still at the very zenith of its useful- 
hess. The grip upon North American plants, which only many active yor 
can bring, renders his recent work and the work yet planned of very great 1m- 
portance, and American botanists are very earnest in their hope that many 
ears may yet elapse before his busy brain and pen cease to work for us. 
Wer wovtp caxt the attention of our readers to the fact that t 
Index for the first decade of the Gazerre is being prepared, and will be a most 
exhaustive one. Every species mentioned, every subject (not only formal ones, 
all with abundant cross 
and as only a limi 
in sending their names. 
it 
~ Particulars our advertisement on the second page 0 
Sulted, 
Mr, Hemsixy’s report on the insular floras collected by the nse send 
Pedition is one of great interest, for the questions suggested by insu a msi 
"ifr often very puzzling. It is upon these islands, too, that the nia 7 : 
being sadly interfered with, and where it is very peculiar, as in t hp Sead 
Helena, a complete cnowledae of it ean not be obtained too soon. 4n sips? 
“ate and peculiar species have already entirel Preece from t 
tioned, and others are rapidly approaching extinction. - 
Bermudas are ‘kes as pon pig types of insular floras; the former 
