566 
thronium is, therefore, essentially the same 
as in Lilium philadelphicum, and it seems to 
the writer that a transverse, qualitative 
division is the only interpretation possible. 
‘The Flora of Franklin County, Ohio,’ 
by A. D. Selby, Wooster, Ohio. 
A comparison of the known flora of 
Columbus, Ohio, with that listed in the cata- 
logue of Wm. S. Sullivant in 1840, in tabu- 
lar form. It shows a gain of the known 
list amounting to 353 species ; of which 117 
are introduced; in other words, 184 species 
of the present known flora, or 167 per cent. 
of the present, are of introduced species, 
‘The Fungus Infestation of Agricultural 
Soils in the United States,’ by Erwin F. 
Smith, Washington, D.C. 
A continuation of studies begun by the 
writer in 1894 on the parasitic soil Fusaria 
of the United States. Results are detailed 
of completed experiments on soil infections 
with the watermelon fungus, over 500 of 
which have been obtained. It shows that 
related species are likely to prove equally 
destructive to plants of other families, e. g., 
cabbage, tomato, sweetpotato. The fact to 
be specially emphasized is that these fungi 
live in the soil over winter and attack the 
plant from the earth. Further, the soil 
once infected with one of these resistant 
fungi becomes worthless for growing the 
agricultural plants subject to it for a long 
series of years, and consequently the great- 
est care should be taken to avoid the spread 
of these parasites to land which is now free 
from them. 
‘Are the Trees Advancing or Retreating 
Upon the Nebraska Plains’? by Charles 
Ewing Bessey. 
To appear in ful] later. 
‘Useful Trees and Shrubs for the North- 
west Plains of Canada,’ by Wm. Saunders, 
Ottawa, Canada. 
In this paper is given the results of a 
large number of experiments conducted dur- 
ing the past eleven years in testing the 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Von. X. No. 251. 
hardiness and usefulness of many species 
and varieties of trees and shrubs, both native 
and foreign, on the Canadian experimental 
farms in Manitoba and the northwest terri- 
tories. Some particulars are given as to 
the success which has attended this work 
and attention called to some of the groups 
to which the hardiest forms belong. Ref- 
erences are also made to many individual 
species and varieties which have been found 
most useful. 
‘The Occurrence of Calcium Oxalate and 
Lignin during the Differentiation of the 
Buds of Prunus Americana,’ by H. L. Bolley 
and L. R. Waldron, Agricultural College, 
N. D. 
The paper consists of a short résumé ot 
the occurrences of crystals of calcium oxa- 
late and of the presence of lignified tissues, 
as observed by Mr. Lawrence Waldron in 
a study conducted upon the development of 
life history of the buds of Prunus Americana. 
It was found that the crystals of calcium 
oxalate occur in quite surprising abund- 
ance in the meristematic tissues of the bud 
and in the very youngest stages of the scales 
of the bud; and that the oxalate becomes 
lessened in proportionate quantity as the 
tissues develop. Lignification of the hairs 
and scales of the bud commences at a very 
early period of their development. While 
it is usually assumed that calcium oxalate 
is a waste product of metabolism, its occur- 
rence in such large quantities in the meriste- 
matic cells of the bud and scales would 
seem to indicate a question as to whether it 
has a definite value at this point, at this par- 
ticular time, in the life history of the 
plant. 
‘Two Diseases of Juniperus,’ by Herman 
Von Schrenk, St. Louis, Mo. 
The species of Juniperus are trees which 
have few fungous and insect enemies. The 
author describes two destructive diseases of 
Juniperus Virginiana, one of which is also 
found in Juniperus Bermudiana and Thuya 
