2 BOTANICAL GAZETTE {JULY 
publicly to thank my brothers for their assistance in sending me 
material at frequent intervals. 
METHODS. 
Collections of Taxodium distichum Richard, the only species 
studied, have been made for about three years, chiefly from 
Hartsville, S. C., but also from Baltimore, Md., and New Berne, 
N.C. Fixing has been done at the tree in all critical stages, 
but fresh material, sent in tight boxes from Hartsville to Balti- 
more, has frequently given good results. Flemming’s strong 
solution, chrom-acetic acid solution, alcoholic solution of picric 
acid, saturated solution of corrosive sublimate in 95 per cent. 
alcohol have all been used to some extent; but a saturated 
aqueous solution of corrosive sublimate (95 or 90 parts) and 
glacial acetic acid (5 or 10 parts) has been generally used. The 
latter gives results that are scarcely, if at all, inferior to those 
obtained with the Flemming solution, while it is more satisfac- 
tory than any of the other fluids mentioned. In searching for 
protoplasmic connections between cells, Gardner’s (83) methods 
were used, but only with fixed material. Potassium iodid and 
chlor-zinc-iodid were useful in determining the presence of 
starch, and have been used throughout for this purpose. A 
number of stains have been tried, but Flemming’s triple has been 
most used. Young cones were split, or the scales removed 
entire. In older cones the ovule was removed and the nucellus 
exposed by breaking off the lignified tip of the integument, or 
the whole prothallium was take from the seed. Sections 5-10 # 
thick were made by the usual paraffin method. 
THE STAMINATE CONE. 
The staminate flowers are born on short branches which are 
either simple or compound. If simple, these branches are 
usually longer and more numerous than if compound. They 
appear in the fall from near the tips of the branches of the same 
year, and at the beginning of October or even earlier the young 
staminate flowers may be seen in the axils of their scale-like 
leaves. A longitudinal section of a sporophyll at this time 
shows no distinction between primary archesporium and other 
