310 The Botanical Gazette. 
the water-loss should be less. In order to avoid this dif. 
culty (and another possible one, viz., the taking of water 
from the outer exposed cells of a plant in air containing ether, 
by the inner less exposed ones), I used moss plants (Mnium 
sp.) set in small metal pots. The leaves were large and com 
posed of a single layer of thin walled cells. 1 first deter 
mined the maximum dose of ether that might be administe 
to a plant without causing death. The plants were put 
the influence of ether, then removed to ordinary air, and ti 
evaporation compared with that of normal plants. In strong” 
diffused light and sunlight the leaves of the anasthet 
plant dried and curled rapidly while the normal plant we 
much more slowly and less affected. In weak diffused light 
the anesthetized plants lost water most rapidly as shown dy " 
ofether. After the experiments the anzsthetized plants 
washed in water and fully regained their former fres 
showing that the investigations had been made 
jects. : dete 
The results of my experiments indicate that = ~ 
ether on the exposed plant cell, in the dark as ipa 
light, is to decrease its power of retaining wate well 25! 
crease the supply for evaporation. In the dark as went ® 
the protoplasm decreases. We have go 
that ‘‘transpiration” would be nothing in a pe od and tha 
rated atmosphere if it were possible to obtain pe 
it is nothing in all wholly aquatic plants. “ 
therefore, that so-called “transpiration” is not i 
protoplasm does but something which it deers : : 
physiological function or activity of protop!as 
may have a physiological relation to the nee te i 
of certain plants or parts of plants. Transpuee 
more than evaporation. oo 
University of Nebraska, Lincoln. 
It is 
Ithoug® 
