﻿314 
  BOTANICAL 
  GAZETTE, 
  [November 
  

  

  The 
  Dutch 
  Society 
  of 
  Sciences 
  at 
  Haarlem 
  invite 
  research 
  on 
  a 
  mA% 
  

   range 
  of 
  subjects, 
  including 
  the 
  following: 
  Methods 
  of 
  obtainiug 
  and 
  

   fixing 
  new 
  varieties 
  in 
  cultivated 
  plants; 
  rdle 
  of 
  bacteria 
  in 
  filtration 
  

   of 
  potable 
  waters 
  through 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  sand 
  ; 
  bacteria 
  and 
  azotized 
  com- 
  

   binations 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  ; 
  healing 
  after 
  grafting. 
  

  

  The 
  third 
  annual 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  Western 
  Society 
  of 
  Naturalists 
  was 
  

   held 
  at 
  Purdue 
  University, 
  La 
  Fayette, 
  Ind., 
  November 
  12 
  and 
  13. 
  The 
  

   president, 
  Dr. 
  Chas. 
  E. 
  Bessey, 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  present, 
  but 
  his 
  address 
  upon 
  

   the 
  relation 
  of 
  scientific 
  training 
  to 
  general 
  culture 
  was 
  read. 
  The 
  dis- 
  

   cussions 
  of 
  the 
  meeting 
  were 
  chiefly 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  the 
  presi- 
  

   dential 
  address, 
  the 
  kind 
  and 
  amount 
  of 
  scientific 
  training 
  to 
  be 
  required 
  

   for 
  entrance 
  to 
  college, 
  the 
  relation 
  between 
  investigation 
  and 
  instruction, 
  

   and 
  matters 
  of 
  technique, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  exhibition 
  or 
  description 
  of 
  appa- 
  

   ratus, 
  imbedding, 
  clearing, 
  and 
  staining 
  processes., 
  etc. 
  Prof. 
  C. 
  R. 
  Barnes 
  

   acted 
  as 
  president, 
  with 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  S. 
  Kingsley 
  as 
  secretary 
  and 
  Prof. 
  Stanley 
  

   Coulter 
  as 
  treasurer. 
  The 
  next 
  annual 
  meeting 
  will 
  be 
  held 
  at 
  St.Lonis, 
  

   with 
  the 
  following 
  officers 
  : 
  Prof. 
  John 
  M. 
  Coulter, 
  president 
  ; 
  Proi 
  C. 
  W. 
  

   Hargitt, 
  vice-president; 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  S, 
  Kingsley, 
  secretary 
  ; 
  Prof, 
  B. 
  P. 
  Colton, 
  

   treasurer. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Julius 
  Wiesner 
  propounds 
  in 
  the 
  Berichte 
  der 
  deutschen 
  

   botanischen 
  Gesellachaft 
  (viii. 
  196) 
  an 
  entirely 
  new 
  theory 
  of 
  the 
  con- 
  

   struction 
  and 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  cell 
  wall. 
  Starting 
  with 
  the 
  premises 
  m 
  

   within 
  the 
  organism 
  Uving 
  material 
  arises 
  only 
  from 
  living, 
  or 
  under 
  the 
  

   direct 
  action 
  of 
  living 
  material, 
  and 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  other 
  modeof 
  origiQ- 
  

   ation 
  (Neubildung) 
  in 
  the 
  organism 
  except 
  division, 
  he 
  argues 
  that 
  it 
  oi- 
  

   lows 
  as 
  a 
  logical 
  necessity 
  that 
  the 
  protoplasm, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  complex 
  

   structure, 
  can 
  only 
  reproduce 
  itself 
  by 
  division. 
  From 
  this 
  it 
  follows 
  ttiai 
  

   the 
  hvmg 
  substance 
  of 
  plants 
  (in 
  which 
  he 
  would 
  include 
  the 
  growing 
  

   cell 
  wall) 
  must 
  consist 
  of 
  minute 
  organized 
  individual 
  particles 
  ^ni<j^ 
  

   have 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  divide, 
  to 
  grow 
  and 
  to 
  aBsimilate. 
  These 
  simpiesi 
  

   elementary 
  organs 
  of 
  the 
  cell 
  he 
  designates 
  plasomes. 
  These 
  W^^^^;' 
  

   are 
  aggregated 
  to 
  form 
  the 
  organs 
  of 
  the 
  cell 
  in 
  very 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  wjv 
  

   as 
  cells 
  are 
  aggregated 
  to 
  form 
  tissues. 
  The 
  growth 
  of 
  any 
  part 
  ot 
  xn« 
  

   cell 
  IS 
  dependent 
  on 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  new 
  plasomes 
  by 
  division 
  ana 
  ^ 
  

  

  ^TF^^^^ 
  '"^ 
  ^^^ 
  ^f 
  ^*<^h 
  plasome, 
  which 
  he 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  physi^^^^L 
  

   of 
  diffusion 
  and 
  absorption, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  subsequent 
  assimilation 
  oi 
  ^ 
  

   materials 
  so 
  gained. 
  The 
  tensions 
  in 
  the 
  cell 
  are 
  set 
  up 
  during 
  J 
  

   growth 
  m 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  cell, 
  just 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  organs 
  composed 
  ot 
  ceu 
  j 
  

   by 
  the 
  unequal 
  growth 
  of 
  certain 
  parts. 
  So, 
  for 
  instance, 
  the 
  tension 
  " 
  

  

  r?!i^^ 
  , 
  ■ 
  ^ 
  1^^^^ 
  ^^ 
  ^^® 
  collective 
  pressure 
  of 
  the 
  cytoplasm. 
  ^ 
  

   molecule 
  is 
  the 
  last 
  form-element 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  substance, 
  so 
  the 
  plasom 
  

   lorms, 
  accordmg 
  to 
  my 
  conception, 
  the 
  last 
  form-element 
  of 
  the 
  organ 
  

   possessing 
  the 
  attributes 
  of 
  life." 
  Dr. 
  Wiesner 
  promises 
  a 
  more 
  compie 
  

   exposition 
  of 
  his 
  theory 
  in 
  a 
  future 
  publication. 
  

  

  