CURRENT LITERATURE. 



MINOR NOTICES. 



The tenth part of Wiesner's Die Rohsioffe des Pflanzenreiches'- 

 concludes the twenty-first section (641-684) on Bluthen und BMdhetitheile, 

 contains the twenty-second section (685-781) on Samen, and begins the 

 twenty-third section on Friichte.—]. M. C. 



'•The mosses of Alaska = is the title of the 29th paper from the Harri- 

 man Alaska Expedition, and J. Cardot and I. Theriot are the authors. Not 

 only are the mosses collected by the Harriman Expedition of '1899 included, 

 but also species previously reported from the region. The whole number 

 enumerated is 280, of which 124 are new to Alaska, and 46 new to science. 

 The 26 new species are distributed among the following genera: Cynodon- 

 tium, Dicranum, Trichostomum (2), Barbula (4), Rhacomitrium, Ulota, 

 Orthotrichum, Entosthodon, Webera, Bryum (8), Polytrichum, Brachythecium, 

 Plagiothecium, and Hypnum (2).— J. M. C. 



In a study of the conditions influencing the germination of the spores of 

 Agarictis campestris. Miss Margaret C. Ferguson ^ has found " that if a few 

 spores are able to germinate under the cultural conditions, or if a bit of the 

 mycelium of A, campestris be introduced into the culture, the growth result- 

 ing will in either case cause or make possible the germination of nearly all 

 the spores of the culture, provided, of course, that the other conditions are 

 pot such as to inhibit germination." Cultures in various substances and 

 under different conditions showed much variation in germination but no very 

 constant results. The article is accompanied by three plates, illustrating the 

 growth of A. campestris and culture methods employed. — R. E. Smith. 



The thirteenth (1902) report of the Missouri Botanical Garden con- 

 sists chiefly of a paper by Dr. Trelease. entitled "The Yucceae" (pp. 27- 

 '33» P^s, rod). The four genera are Hesperaloe, with two species ; Hespero- 

 yucca, regarded as a monotypic genus; Clistoyucca, d. subgenus of Engel- 

 mann's raised to generic rank and containing one species; Yttcca, with 



'WiESNER, Julius, Die Rohstoffe des Pflanzenreiches, etc. Volume ir, pp. 

 641-800. yf^j. ^00-^^6*. Leipzig: Wilhelm Engelmann. 1902. J/ 5. 



* Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci. 4: 293-372. //j. 13-23. 1902, 



^ A preliminary study of the germination of the spores of Agaricus campestris and 

 other basidiomycetous fungi. Bull. 16. Bureau Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agnc. 

 PP- 43. Ph, 1-3, 1902. 



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