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80 . BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JULY 



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The Journal of Mycology has been revived by its founder, Professor W. 

 A. Kellerman, now of Ohio State University. The original editors, Messrs- 

 Kelkrman, Ellis, and Everhart, conducted it for four years, when it passed 

 under the control of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Under this 

 arrangement three volumes (1889-1894) were issued. After an interval of 

 eight years it has now reappeared as a quarterly, the first number of the 

 eighth volume being published in May last. Such a journal should find 

 ample support among the rapidly increasing number of professional mycolo- 

 gists. The annual subscription is one dollar. 



The subjects for the Walker prizes in Natural History, of interest to 

 botanists, are as follows : For 1903, "A monograph of any genus or group 

 Thallophytes ;'* for 1904, (i) " The reactions of organisms to solutions con- 

 sidered from the standpoint of the chemical theory of dissociation," (2) 

 " Relations of plants to electricity," (3) *'A statistical study of the relative 

 cross-fertility between the varieties of a species." For the best memoir a 

 prize of $60 may be awarded. If, however, the memoir be one of marked 

 merit the amount may be increased to $100 at the discretion of the commit- 

 tee. Information concerning the details of the competition may be obtained 

 from Glover M. Allen, Secretary, Boston Society of Natural History. 



As A RESULT of a scries of experiments begun at Clemson College in 

 1901, and brought to a successful completion in the laboratories of the New 

 York Botanical Garden, Dr. Alex P. Anderson has developed a method by 

 which, with the application of heat to starch grains and to air-dry starch 

 in many forms, the granules or particles are expanded many times their 

 original dimensions, being fractured into innumerable fragments during the 

 process. As a result of this treatment a grain of rice is expanded to eight 

 or more times its original volume, while still retaining its original form. 

 Other cereals exhibit similar behavior. The process is applicable to nearly 

 all starchy seeds and starchy substances, greatly increasing their nutritive 

 availability. The products obtained are pleasant to the taste, and the process 

 may be varied to produce a great variety of flavors with any given cereal. 

 Furthermore, the material prepared in this manner is absolutely sterilized 

 and may be preserved or stored for long periods. The approval the products 

 have met from food and chemical experts suggests that the process may 

 prove of great economic and commercial value. 



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