124 The Botanical Gazette. (March, 
Minor Notices. 
Mr. G. J. Prerce’s interesting studies on the haustoria of some 
phanerogamous parasites have been distributed in separate form. Mr. 
Pierce examined the haustoria of Cuscuta Americana and found them 
morphologically lateral roots, originating endogenously and growing 
only at tip, developing into an organ with bi-collateral vascular bun- 
dles united with those of the stem by two strands each of tracheids 
and sieve tubes. These tracheid and sieve tube strands unite with 
corresponding parts of the bundles of the host. The haustoria occur 
usually in groups of not more than the number of vascular.bundles in 
the host; and by the twining of the parasite the successive haustoria 
unite with different bundles of the host. Other species of Cuscuta 
were examined with similar results. Having thus found sieve tubes 
(not previously known) in the haustoria the question arose, do all 
phanerogamic parasites possess them, and are they thereby able to ab- 
sorb the newly elaborated material from their hosts? The study of 
haustoria of Viscum album, Brugmansia Zippelii, Rafflesia Patma and 
Balanophora elongata showed that sieve tubes were absent in the green 
parasite, Viscum, but present in those which must, because of the ab- 
sence of chlorophyll, depend wholly on their hosts for nourishment. 
THE VERY LARGE private herbarium and library of Capt. John Don- 
nell Smith, consisting of about 80,000 sheets and 1,300 volumes, has 
been offered to Johns Hopkins University on condition that a suitable 
building be prepared for their ion and provision be made for thei? 
maintenance in connection with a department for instruction and 
orginal work in botany. We long since understood that this inte 
“on was cherished by Mr. Smith, and we trust that the generous offer 
will stimulate the University to establish a thoroughly manned | 
equipped botanical department, to which Mr. Smith’s accumulations 
may be of service. A list of the chief collections comprised im the 
herbarium and abbreviated titles of the works in the library are pu 
lished in the J. H. U. Girculars, No. 109, Jan. 1894, in order that st 
dents (to whom they are already made accessible) may know what 
to be found there. We hope that Mr. Smith may long continue his 
enthusiastic investigations and add greatly to this important her)® 
“ieee SEMI-ANNUAL report (Oct. 1893) of Schimmel & Co. (Fritsche 
P ros.) of Leipzig and New York, who are special distillers and manu 
acturers of essential oils, is something more than a mere trade pam 
Pict _A lage amount of information, both botanical and ebesiS 
‘Annals of Botany 7: 291-327. Bl. 13-15. 1893. 
