﻿'^9°-] 
  BOTANICAL 
  GAZETTE. 
  279 
  

  

  f 
  iSri^?^ 
  REPORT 
  of 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Botany 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  

   or 
  1889, 
  by 
  Professor 
  Carruthers, 
  are 
  the 
  following 
  items 
  of 
  general 
  in- 
  

   terest: 
  Durmg 
  the 
  year 
  51,652 
  specimens 
  have 
  been 
  mounted, 
  chiefly 
  

   ^c-uropean 
  plants, 
  although 
  containing 
  collections 
  from 
  Singapore, 
  China, 
  

   Japan, 
  iJorneo, 
  Atlas 
  Mountains, 
  Scotra, 
  Madagascar, 
  South 
  Africa, 
  Aus- 
  

   tralia, 
  Canada, 
  Mexico, 
  Dominica, 
  and 
  Republic 
  of 
  Columbia. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  

   notable 
  additions 
  to 
  the 
  Herbarium 
  is 
  the 
  acquisition 
  by 
  purchase 
  of 
  the 
  

   microscopic 
  preparations 
  of 
  Professor 
  de 
  Bary 
  in 
  conuection 
  with 
  his 
  in- 
  

   vestigations 
  into 
  plant 
  anatomy 
  and 
  the 
  parasitic 
  diseases 
  of 
  plants. 
  The 
  

   total 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  slides 
  is 
  4,429. 
  

  

  mih^' 
  ■^^T 
  <^hinks 
  that 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  confusion 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  pun 
  rays 
  of 
  trees 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  two 
  elements 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  

  

  oeiore 
  aistinguished. 
  This 
  he 
  does 
  in 
  a 
  communication 
  to 
  the 
  German 
  

  

  iJotamcal 
  Society 
  {Berichte, 
  viii. 
  176). 
  These 
  two 
  elemests 
  he 
  designates 
  

  

  db 
  the 
  palisade 
  " 
  and 
  the 
  " 
  merenchyma." 
  The 
  two 
  are 
  distinct 
  (1) 
  in 
  

  

  ^1^%! 
  ^^^ 
  ^^^"S 
  usually 
  longer 
  longitudinally 
  than 
  radially, 
  while 
  

  

  lue 
  latter 
  are 
  much 
  elongated 
  radially 
  ; 
  (2) 
  in 
  the 
  pitting 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  in 
  

  

  jue 
  neignborhood 
  of 
  the 
  vessel, 
  the 
  palisade 
  cells 
  having 
  wide 
  pits 
  while 
  

  

  uey 
  are 
  wanting 
  entirely 
  in 
  the 
  merenchyma; 
  and 
  (3) 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  

  

  '■mail 
  intercellular 
  spaces 
  between 
  the 
  cells 
  of 
  the 
  merenchyma. 
  

  

  bntfl?^' 
  ?■ 
  ^- 
  Halsted 
  has 
  collected 
  an 
  interestingset 
  of 
  facts 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   nn^v 
  .,'i^^ 
  *^t 
  experiment 
  stations, 
  and 
  gives 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  Garden 
  

   til.1 
  ^^P^- 
  ^^^' 
  There 
  are 
  now 
  29 
  botanists 
  employed 
  at 
  these 
  sta- 
  

   olm 
  ^* 
  • 
  ^° 
  ^^ 
  question 
  " 
  What 
  botanical 
  problems 
  appear 
  to 
  you 
  to 
  be 
  

   easps 
  f 
  ^"^i?ediate 
  importance 
  in 
  your 
  state 
  ? 
  " 
  16 
  reply 
  " 
  fungous 
  dis- 
  

  

  con- 
  

   and 
  

  

  siderpH 
  '^"^'^'y'*^?^ 
  plants." 
  The 
  study 
  of 
  grasses 
  and 
  forage 
  plants 
  is 
  coi 
  

   forp^t 
  t 
  ^^^^ 
  ^^ 
  importance; 
  next, 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  weeds; 
  then 
  forest 
  anu 
  

   the 
  fi, 
  K^^^f 
  ' 
  ?"^ 
  ^^^^ 
  plants 
  for 
  barren 
  lands. 
  Very 
  few 
  are 
  working 
  in 
  

   tovpp^ 
  ff- 
  ^*^rtilization; 
  two 
  are 
  considering 
  the 
  relations 
  of 
  climate 
  

   bapw 
  '^' 
  *^o^i"e 
  testing 
  seeds; 
  and 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  botanist 
  considers 
  

   leria 
  among 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  subjects 
  for 
  study. 
  

  

  the 
  m 
  , 
  ^,^^E 
  takes 
  issue 
  with 
  the 
  long-accepted 
  theory 
  of 
  Niigeli 
  as 
  to 
  

   diasJll 
  solution 
  of 
  starch 
  grains 
  by 
  diastase, 
  according 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  

   thrmni 
  ^'"^f 
  supposed 
  to 
  penetrate 
  the 
  grain 
  and 
  leach 
  out, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  

   eatinn= 
  f 
  T^^ 
  ?^' 
  ^^^^^^ 
  as 
  it 
  converted 
  them 
  into 
  glucose. 
  The 
  investi- 
  

   unlikpi 
  f 
  ^^'^'^be 
  show 
  that 
  diastase 
  is 
  probably 
  a 
  colloidal 
  body, 
  and 
  

   throno-h 
  I 
  ^^^® 
  *^ 
  penetrate 
  starch 
  grains, 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  unable 
  to 
  pass 
  

   diast«!n 
  •P^r^^'^^^t 
  P'^Per, 
  clay 
  cups 
  or 
  the 
  cell 
  walls 
  of 
  fir 
  wood. 
  The 
  

   from 
  Ani° 
  1, 
  ^^^^ 
  i° 
  which 
  it 
  can 
  transform 
  starch 
  is 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  travel 
  

   it 
  irtn 
  I 
  *^ 
  another, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probably 
  formed 
  in 
  the 
  place 
  in 
  which 
  

  

  like 
  iLf 
  T^^' 
  ^^ 
  general, 
  the 
  solution 
  of 
  a 
  starch 
  grain 
  is 
  essentially 
  

  

  ^at 
  of 
  a 
  crystal.— 
  Cf. 
  Pringsheim's 
  Jahrbucher, 
  xxi. 
  520. 
  

   elata^o^^^' 
  *^° 
  ^°^ 
  a 
  half 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  trunk 
  of 
  a 
  Yucca, 
  probably 
  Y. 
  

   seuS 
  nf 
  w^^^,^^^^ 
  ^^ 
  Kew 
  from 
  Dr. 
  Pringle 
  as 
  a 
  specimen 
  Tor 
  the 
  Mu- 
  

   the 
  ba^o 
  m?^^- 
  I' 
  measured 
  14 
  feet 
  in 
  height 
  by 
  1 
  foot 
  in 
  diameter 
  near 
  

   sawn 
  off 
  T. 
  ^^® 
  ^^^ 
  ^^^ 
  » 
  vestige 
  of 
  a 
  root 
  upon 
  it, 
  and 
  the 
  top 
  had 
  been 
  

   • 
  condit;^"., 
  "^^ 
  ^^ 
  o^ee 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  museum, 
  where, 
  of 
  course, 
  the 
  

   Were 
  spa 
  ^^^ 
  almost 
  as 
  dry 
  as 
  an 
  oven. 
  A 
  week 
  or 
  two 
  ago 
  two 
  shoots 
  

   the 
  otbl 
  fi^wiiig 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  trunk, 
  one 
  composed 
  of 
  leaves, 
  

   be 
  fu 
  1 
  nf 
  flowers. 
  On 
  examination 
  the 
  whole 
  cf 
  the 
  trunk 
  proved 
  to 
  

   grounfl 
  T^P'^^d 
  as 
  succulent 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  had 
  only 
  just 
  been 
  dug 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  

   »iav 
  r,n«, 
  k 
  ^*^' 
  therefore, 
  removed 
  to 
  the 
  Temperate-house, 
  where 
  it 
  

   r^ 
  ^® 
  s^en 
  in 
  flower.— 
  W. 
  Watson 
  in 
  Gardeners 
  Chronicle. 
  

  

  ^^mSrw^^^^^^^'^'^^^ 
  method 
  of 
  research 
  on 
  the 
  water 
  conducting 
  tissue 
  

   ^ 
  ^y 
  Bokorny 
  (iron 
  sulphate 
  solution) 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  described 
  

  

  