314 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [APRIL 
used was the biologic form of E. graminis on wheat. This form will not infect 
tye, but by subjecting rye leaves to various treatments it was found that the 
fungus could be made to infect this plant also. When leaves of rye were injured 
either by cutting or bruising or by slugs, the cells around the injured parts could 
be infected with conidia or ascospores from E. graminis on wheat. Other 
experiments showed that rye leaves subjected to the influence of alcohol, ether, or 
heat become susceptible to infection from conidia taken from wheat. In some 
of these cases the fungus produced vigorous growth nearly covering the leaves. 
Conidia grown on barley in this way retained the power of infecting their original 
host, but were unable to infect normal untreated leaves of barley. These experi- 
ments are especially interesting, since they contribute an experimental proof 
to the generally current notion that plants of ‘weakened vitality” are more easily 
attacked by fungi than vigorous plants. The experiments show that at least 
in certain cases plants may become more susceptible as a result of injurious 
agencies affecting the general health of the plant.—H. HassELBRING. 
THE COMPLETED FORM of CLINTON’s??7 monograph of the North American Usti- 
lagineae has recently appeared. This monograph is the result of studies carried 
on for a series of years at the University of Illinois and completed at Harvard 
University. The descriptions are based on the author’s personal examination of 
type material so far as this was possible. To the technical descriptions are 
appended notes of interest giving the distribution of the species, and special 
characters of aid in separating closely related species. Complete synonomy and 
references to exsiccati are given, while a bibliography of over 200 titles is found 
at the end of the volume. A feature of the book is the tabulated list giving the 
distribution by continents of the species treated in the work. This volume forms 
an excellent handbook for the study and determination of the smuts of North 
America. It will prove extremely useful to students and station workers by whom 
the lack of monographs of groups of parasitic fungi has been long felt. It would 
have added to the utility of the work to have had the index of hosts arranged 
alphabetically, with page references for the parasites; instead of classifying the 
hosts according to orders, which is a time-robbing arrangement.—H. HASSEL- 
BRING. 
Wa Inn shoots 
GOEBEL”* has previously shown that Bryophyll 
from the growing region at the margin of the leaves if the midrib be severed, OF 
if all the buds be removed from the shoot. Further studies’? show that the 6 
result follows if the buds be left intact, but inhibited from growing. Ale 
J ist. 
27 CLINTON, G. P., North American Ustilagineae. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. His 
31: 329-529. I904. 
28 GOEBEL, K., Ueber Regeneration im Pflanzenreich. Biol. Ce 
1902. 
29 GOEBEL, K., Morphologische und biologische Bemerkungen. 1 
Studien tiber Regeneration. Flora 92:132-146. figs. 6. 1903- 
ntralbl. 22:418- 
4. We jtere 
