812 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S.. Vol. VII. No. 180. 



sary for the formation of cellulose. It was 

 found that when the cell contents were plas- 

 molysed, the protoplasmic masses usually re- 

 mained connected by protoplasmic threads. 

 When these threads were broken, so that there 

 was no possible connection with a mass of pro- 

 toplasm containing a nucleus, no new cell walls 

 were formed. If a protoplasmic mass was com- 

 pletely separated from the nucleus in its own 

 cell it was found that the influence necessary 

 for the formation of cell walls could travel 

 from the adjacent cells by means of the proto- 

 plasmic connections. Simple contact without 

 living protoplasmic connections was not sufli- 

 cient to induce the formation of cell walls. If, 

 however, the protoplasmic connections were 

 not broken the influence of the nucleus was 

 capable of traveling over a distance of several 

 millimeters. ' ' 



Edwaed S. Burgess, 



Secretary. 



NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES — SECTION 



OF GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY, 



MAY 16, 1898. 



Mr. Geo. F. Kunz exhibited specimens of 

 quartz crystals found in massive gj'psum from 

 Gallineo Springs, New Mexico, and announced 

 the discovery of a new meteorite from Ottawa, 

 Kansas. 



The first paper on the program was by 

 Professor D. S. Martin on ' The Geology of 

 Columbia, South Carolina, and its Vicinity.' 

 Professor Martin described the granitic and 

 gneissic rocks of that region and their residual 

 products. He also commented on the character 

 of the Potomac, Lafayette and Columbia for- 

 mations, which are well exposed in the railroad 

 cuts to the south of the city. 



The paper was discussed by Professor Dodge 

 and Dr. Ries. 



The next paper of the evening was by Pro- 

 fessor Kemp, entitled ' Some Remarks on 

 Titaniferous Magnetites.' The speaker dis- 

 cussed the formula of ilmenite, and stated that 

 it was probably a mixture of FeOTiOj and 

 ?iFe203. The amount of titanium present in 

 the titaniferous magnetites is very variable, 

 running sometimes as high as 40fo ; in the 

 Adirondack areas it is 10-20 % . 



Magnetic separation has not yet proved suc- 

 cessful for the elimination of titanium from 

 these ores. Nearly all of the titaniferous mag- 

 netites show small amounts of MnOjCrjOs, 

 CoO,NiO and MgO. The latter suggests the 

 presence of spinel. SiOj and AI2O3 have also 

 been found, and V2O3 has been recorded in a 

 few instances. Professor Kemp suggested that 

 these minor constituents might have some in- 

 fluence on the metallurgical behavior of the 

 ore. Phosphorus and sulphur are very rare. 

 The native and foreign occurrences of the 

 titaniferous magnetites were also alluded to. 



The paper was discussed by Professor Martin, 

 Dr. Ries and Mr. Kunz. 



Heinrich Ries, 

 Secretary of Section. 



BOTANICAL SEMINAR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF 

 NEBRASKA. 



At the meeting of the Botanical Seminar of 

 the University of Nebraska on April 23d papers 

 were read as follows : ' Recent Investigation of 

 the Cyanophyceaj,' by F. E. Clements; 'The 

 Morphology of Ginkgo,' by C. E. Bessey ; 

 ' Hitchcock's Ecological Plant Geography of 

 Kansas,' by Roscoe Pound; 'Cell Division iu 

 Ascomycetefe, ' by A. T. Bell. 



At the meeting on May 21st the following 

 papers were read : ' The Proper Conception of 

 Plant Ecology and Plant Geography, ' by Roscoe 

 Pound; 'Vegetation Pressm-e,' by F. E. Clem- 

 ents ; ' The Development of the Pistils of Alis- 

 macese, Ranunculacese and Rosacese, ' by Ernest 

 A. Bessey. 



NEW BOOKS. 

 Revised Text-book of Geology. James D. DanA. 



Edited by Wm. North Rice. New York, 



American Book Co. 1898. Pp. ix+482. 

 La famille Neuropathique. Ch. Fer:^. Paris, 



Alcan. 1890. Pp. 352. 

 A Manual of Quantitative Chemical Analysis. 



E. F. Ladd. New York, John Wiley & Sons. 



1898. Pp. vi+82. 

 Political Crime. Louis Proal. New York, D. 



Appleton & Co. 1898. Pp. xxii+355. 

 Die Zelle und die Gewebe. Oscar Hertwig. 



Jena, Gustav Fischer. 1898. Pp. viii-|-314. 



7 Marks. 



