438 



NA TURE 



[February lo, 1910 



tions in a division of tlie Central Provinces. Grazing is 

 restricted to definite areas where least harm can be done, 

 and, as a rule, goats- are prohibited entirely from reserved 

 forests. The destruction of young trees is, of course, the 

 chief danger, since it leads to uneven regeneration. A 

 noticeable feature is the increased development of certain 

 trees with protective devices, such as armed species of 

 Gardenia and the thorny Zizyphus Oenoplia. The sapHngs 

 of Biitea frondosa also escape the ravages of the cattle; 

 and since this tree is valuable for the cultivation of lac 

 insects, it is recommended that it should be extensively 

 grown on grazed areas. 



SevER.1L facts of importance in connection with the 

 development of monocotyledonous embryos are recorded by 

 Mr. W. E. Evans in an account of the germination of 

 Asparagus, Ruscus, and Polygonatum appearing in Notes 

 from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh (."August, 1909). 

 In the case of Asparagus, the axis of the seedling soon 

 breaks through the cotyledon sheath, although the first 

 two internodes do not elongate, so that one or two small 

 hvpogeous scale leaves are found at the base. The buds in 

 the axils of these leaves give rise to the first beginnings 

 of the sympodial rhizome. The primary root thickens, and 

 presents the appearance of a pull-root. The germination 

 of Ruscus and Polygonatum seedlings is similar, but several 

 basal scale leaves are formed, and in Polygonatum the 

 hypocotyl takes part in the formation of the fleshy rhizome. 

 On the island of St. Vincent cotton and arrowroot 

 provide the most valuable agricultural export commodities, 

 while cacao and sugar are of subsidiary but appreciable 

 importance. The report for 190S-9 of the botanic station, 

 published with the reports of other agricultural establish- 

 ments, presents several interesting facts concerning these 

 economic products. The Sea Island cotton, by reason of 

 favourable soil and climate in the coastal districts where 

 it is grown, has maintained its reputation as the best 

 quality produced in the West Indies, and the quantity ex- 

 ported during the year has increased in amount ; but lower 

 prices and bad weather have caused a small decrease in 

 the area planted and in the output. Arrowroot can be 

 grown in all parts of the island, and the supply could be 

 increased if fresh markets were obtainable. A feature of 

 the cacao cultivation is the necessity for shade, for which 

 purpose the leguminous tree GUricidia maculata is utilised. 



The Department of Lands, New Zealand, has sent us a 

 copy of the surveyor-general's report for the year 1908-9. 

 The greater part of the report is occupied with an account 

 of the progress of the different surveys, but some of tlie 

 notes and .appendices are of general interest. The Milne 

 seismograph at Christchurch registered forty-six earth- 

 quakes, the average annual number during the preceding 

 six years being eighty-two. The record of the Messina 

 earthquake will prove of considerable interest, as Christ- 

 church is not far from the antipodes of Calabria. A 

 foundation has been laid for the measurement of secular 

 movements of the New Zealand coasts in the determination 

 of the mean sea-level at Auckland, Wellington, and four 

 other ports, and its reference to permanent bench-marks 

 on the adjoining shores. The Wellington Harbour gauge- 

 charts exhibit many instances of very pronounced seiche- 

 oscillations, much more so than at the other ports, and it 

 is found that in most cases they are accompanied by a 

 change of wind from nortli to south or vice versS, the 

 wind at the time being generally strong 



The University of California has issued, as the fourth 

 part of vol. vii. of its Proceedings, a report on the shell- 

 mounds of the San Francisco Bay region, by Mr. N. C. 

 NO. 2102, VOL. 82] 



Nelson. The environment of these shores favoured occupa- 

 tion by numerous fishing tribes, and no fewer than 425 

 mounds, some of considerable extent, have been mapped 

 and described. The culture disclosed in these mounds is 

 generally uniform and of the Neolithic type, rude stone 

 implements being found only in inconsiderable numbers. 

 These people buried their dead in the collections of shells 

 and other debris in the neighbourhood of their dwellings, 

 and a large collection of osteological remains has been 

 made which still awaits examination. It seems probable 

 that the builders of these mounds were of the same race 

 as the present Indians of the neighbourhood, but it is at 

 present impossible to fix the approximate date at which 

 they may have been formed. They are certainly of con- 

 siderable age, because some species of oysters and mussels 

 the shells of which have been recognised in the mounds 

 have disappeared from the locality. From calculations of 

 the daily supply of fish required by the group of families 

 occupying a single site, Mr. Nelson estimates that the 

 accumulation of shells in one mound may have extended 

 over 3500 years. 



The Bureau of Science of the Government of the Philip- 

 pine Islands has published parts iv. and v. of vol. iv. of 

 its Bulletin, dealing respectively with medical sciences and 

 general science in respect to the Philippine Islands. The 

 former of these two parts, compiled with the assistance of 

 the staff of the Philippine Medical Scliool, presents a very 

 complete medical survey of the town of Taytay, showing 

 the diseases prevalent in the community and the conditions 

 under which it lives. " While the conditions of the town 

 are generally unsanitary, the death-rate varying in different 

 years from 2791 per 1000 to 45-42 per 1000, they at times 

 become most unsanitary. Under the present conditions 

 epidemic diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and bacillary 

 dysentery are likely to occur from time to time." Various 

 recommendations in regard to vaccination and water supply 

 are urged to remedy this state of unhealthiness. The part 

 which deals with general science contains papers on 

 geology, road-making materials, and anthropology. The 

 anthropological contributions contain a vast number of 

 measureinents which must ultimately prove of great value 

 to the ethnologist, despite the accompanying absurd classifi- 

 cation of the inhabitants into Iberian, Cromagnon, 

 .■\ustraloid, .Mpine, .Adriatic species, varieties, &c. 



A MEMORANDUM On recent weather and on the probable 

 character of that of January and February, 1910, in the 

 Punjab and north-west frontier-province of India, pub- 

 lished by the Director-General of Observatories, concludes 

 that the total precipitation in that locality will probably 

 reach or e.xceed the average in the latter months. This 

 inference is chiefly based on the fact that during fifteen 

 out of eighteen years since 1890-1 an excess or a defect 

 in the rainfall in December has been maintained in the 

 two following months. In December, 1909, the area in 

 question had an excess of 1-4 inches over the normal 

 amount. The Director-General states that another favour- 

 able sign is that the vertical gradients of barometric 

 pressure were abnormally steep during December. 



In the U.S. Monthly Weather Review for June last, just 

 received. Prof. A. G. Mc.\die refers to the interesting and 

 somewhat important problem of the prevention of damage 

 by frost in orchards, &c. He states that the great mass 

 of experiments made in California orchards shows that 

 direct heating of the air by open fires has not been 

 sufficient to prevent injury at times of very low tempera- 

 ture, and quotes a recent experiment of a careful observer 

 there during a night when the temperature ranged between 



