January 27, 19 10] 



jVA TURE 



dividual containing no fewer than fifteen parasites. A 

 nematode taken by Mr. Jacobson from Camponolus 

 iiiaculatus was described by Ur. von Linstow as a new 

 species, under the name of Ochctoccplialus jdviuiicm:, in 

 vol. xxi.\. of the " Notes." 



Prof. G. H.'VBErl.^ndt has arranged with the publishers 

 of his " Physiologische Pflanzenanatomie " to issue 

 separately the chapters from the latest edition of his book 

 dealing with the perceptive organs of plants. This gives 

 botanists the opportunity of obtaining in a small brochure, 

 at a price of two marks, the essence of the experiments 

 and arguments put forward by the author and other physio- 

 logists in connection with the statolith theory of gravity- 

 perception, and in favour of regarding such anatomical 

 peculiarities as papilla, hairs, 5.-C., in certain plants as 

 mechanisms for the perception of light and contact. 



Individual variation in the development of plants is the 

 subject of a paper, by Dr. K. Koriba, forming vol. xxiii., 

 art. 3, of the Journal of the College of Science, Tokyo. 

 Horse beans and peas were germinated and afterwards 

 grown, some as water-cultures in tap-water, others in 

 solutions containing zinc or copper sulphate, and others 

 again in soil. Their development was estimated chiefly 

 by the increase of length in stem and root. It is noted 

 that these organs respond differently to changes in external 

 conditions. Thus growth of the root continues at a lower 

 temperature than growth of the stem, while at a higher 

 temperature the reverse holds good ; also a poisonous solu- 

 tion affects the root more readily. .According to the 

 observations quoted, heavy seeds do not always germinate 

 most quickly, so that individual quality is considered to be 

 more potent than weight. 



The report for the year 1908 of the director of the 

 botanic gardens and Government domains in Sydney has 

 been received. There is special reference among native 

 plants to a new variety of the shrub Acacia salina and the 

 monocotyledonous plant Aneilema gramineum, related to 

 Tradescantia. A number of the latest successful introduc- 

 tions come from South Africa, notably species of Aloe ; 

 these and species of Agave from Mexico appear to find the 

 climatic conditions they require. Among the grasses, 

 Festuca arutidinacca and Panicuin miiticum are regarded 

 as valuable species alilce for fodder purposes and for decora- 

 tion. A list of troublesome weeds includes Allium fragrans, 

 Cyperus rotiindiis, Hypochaeris radicata, Medicago denti- 

 citlata, and Portulaca oJcracea. 



A SKETCH of the flora of Siam is contributed by Dr. 

 C. C. Hosseus to Globus (vol. xcvi., Nos. 10 and 11), 

 where he describes the chief types of vegetation studied by 

 him during several journeys into the interior. The country 

 is rich in forests. An extension of the Indian sub- 

 Himalayan pine forests, where Pinus Kliasya is dominant, 

 is found in the extreme north. There are luxurious ever- 

 green forests containing oaks, laurels, species of Cinna- 

 momum, Cephalotaxus, and Podocarpus at different alti- 

 tudes, where lianes, ferns, and orchids grow in profusion. 

 The teak forests seldom rise above 900 feet ; the pre- 

 dominating teak is accompanied by Albiszia procera, 

 Butea frondosa, and Xylia. The Dipterocarp forests grow- 

 ing on laterite also show a great wealth of vegetation. 

 Below these formations occur the forests and grass lands 

 of the Savannahs, while near the coasts the swamps provide 

 habitats for Pistia, .Salvinia, Azolla, Nymphaia, and 

 Nelumbium. Finally, a mangrove belt lines the islands and 

 coasts. 



NO. 2100, VOL. 82] 



The North Carolina Department of Agriculture has 

 issued an illustrated bulletin on some common birds of the 

 farm, including the bob-ivhite {Colinus virginianus), night- 

 hawk or " bullbat " (Chordciles virginiantis), meadow-lark 

 (Stuntella magna), and the various wood-peckers. Par- 

 ticular attention is directed to the food they take. 



The first of the new series of scientific bulletins issued 

 by the University of Wisconsin Experiment Station deals 

 with the function of phosphates in the nutrition of animals. 

 -At least 3 grams of phosphorus were found to be necessary 

 for a growing pig of 50 lb. weight, otherwise the animal 

 withdrew from its skeleton both calcium and phosphorus 

 in the proportions found in tri-calcic phosphate. In 

 another bulletin, dealing with the phosphate contents of 

 soils, we find the remarkable result that heavy manuring 

 such as is practised in tobacco culture led to a great loss 

 of phosphates from the soil. N/5 nitric acid proved a 

 useful solvent in determining whether or not soils are 

 deficient in phosphates. 



The Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 

 contain reports of the papers read at the twenty-fourth 

 annual meeting at Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana. 

 The president, Mr. Glen Culbertson, dealt with deforesta- 

 tion and its effects among the hills of southern Indiana. 

 A report was also presented on the work of the patho- 

 logical laboratory of the Central Indiana Hospital for the 

 Insane, Indianopolis. Other papers dealt with local myco- 

 logical problems, heteroDcious plant rusts of Indiana, the 

 rust of timothy, dissemination of disease by means of the 

 seed of the host plant, and so on. There is an anthropo- 

 logical paper on the " shake " dance of the Quilente 

 Indians, and a number of chemical and biological papers. 



.Attempts have been made to introduce into the West 

 Indies from the United States new varieties of ground 

 nuts, noted for the large size of the nuts and their heavy 

 yield. The results have been somewhat disappointing, 

 partly on account of the severe attacks of fungi. .A 

 description is given in a recent issue of the Agricultural 

 News of the fungi already observed, but there are others 

 still to be identified. One of the Uromyces has done a 

 good deal of damage, and could not be kept in check by 

 the ordinary remedies. .Another fungus, not yet identified, 

 attacks the roots. The diseased portions exhibit a fine 

 web-like mycelium, covered in its older portions with 

 straight, rod-like crystals. These form small white tufts, 

 which grow somewhat, become yellow, and finally brown. 

 They are about a quarter of an inch in diameter when 

 fully grown, and roughly spherical in shape. In fruit- 

 ing they show two or three layers of firm, brown hyphas 

 forming an outer covering which encloses a mass of 

 swollen colourless hyphse, complete but undifferentiated. 

 They are probably of the nature of sclerotia. No other 

 fruiting bodies have yet been found. 



The Journal of the College of Agriculture Tohoku 

 Imperial University, Sapporo, Japan, contains a paper by 

 S. Ito (in English) on the Uredineae parasitic on the 

 Japanese Graminea:. Some Soo specimens were examined, 

 collected from different parts of Japan, from Saghalien 

 and the Kurile Islands in the north to Formosa in the 

 south. They fall into six genera. Seventy-three species 

 and two varieties are recorded for the first time in Japan, 

 while no fewer than twenty-one are altogether new to science. 

 The other paper, by Y. Niisima, contains a detailed 

 description (in German) of the Scolytida: injurious to forest 

 trees. There is an enormous mass of detail in these 

 papers, and the illustrations are very beautifully done ; 

 mdeed, the publications of the Japanese agricultural 



