470 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



constitution of the milk secreted by the mammary glands of the 

 herbivora. The sequel to these researches will show if galactose, 

 existing in plants in a state of varied combination, is the only source 

 of the galactose of milk sugar ; or if the animals during lactation 

 can produce this sugar by the help of substances, the fundamental 

 molecule of which is different, thus carrying on synthesis and trans- 

 formations which we are more accustomed to meet with in the vege- 

 table world. 



RosanoiF's Crystals in Endosperm-cells of Manihot Glaziovii.* — 

 Mr. S. Le M. Moore describes the occurrence of the above as the 

 first recorded instance of the existence of crystals in a resting-tissue. 

 They consist of calcium oxalate, and occur in four different forms — 

 clinorhombic, sphere-crystals, five- or six-sided short prisms with plane 

 faces, and twin-crystals. They are in various ways surrounded and 

 attached to the wall of the inclosing cell by cellulose. 



^ AUantoin, Asparagin, Hypoxanthin, and Guanin in Plants.f— 

 Pursuing their previous researches on this subject,^ Herren E. 

 Schulze and E. Bosshard gives details of the occurrence and the pro- 

 portion of these substances found in various plants. They find the 

 quantity of amides formed to be larger when the plants are grown in 

 the dark. 



Excretion of Salts from Leaves.§ — Herr A. Andree claims to 

 have established, as the result of experiment, that leaves transpire 

 not only water, but soluble salts which have become superfluous for 

 their vital processes ; and that this takes place especially through the 

 water-pores. Chlorides of magnesium and sodium were found to be 

 excreted in this way. 



Growing-point of Phanerogams. |1 — Mr. P. Groom has come, on 

 this subject, to quite a different conclusion from Dingier and 

 Korschelt, who maintain the existence of a single apical cell in the 

 growing-points of the stem of some Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. 

 He considers their statement to result from errors of observation, 

 resulting from the mode of preparation with potash, or from unequal 

 focusing of the Microscope. Mr. Groom's observations were made 

 exclusively on the apex of old stems, or of the lateral branches of 

 old trees. The medium found to be most efficient was Noll's eau de 

 Javelle ; optical longitudinal sections and surface-views were taken 

 of nearly all the objects. The subjects were : — among Gymnosperms : 

 Abies pectinata, Pinus canadensis and sylvestris, Taxodium distichum, 

 Juniperus communis, and Ephedra altissima ; among Angiosperms : 

 Elodea canadensis, Panicum plicatum, Festuca, MyriopJiyllum spicatum, 

 Geralophyllum demersum, Hippuris vulgaris, and TJtricularia minor. In 

 none of these was an apical cell found, although a longitudinal section 

 often gave a deceptive appearance of one. 



* Journ. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.), xxi. (1886) pp. 621-4 (8 figs.). 

 t Zeitschr. Phys. Chem., ix. pp. 420-44. See Journ. Chera. Soc. (Abstr.), 

 1885, p. 1007. 



1 See tliis Journal, v. (1885) p. 97. 



§ Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesell., iii. (1P85) pp. 313-G. |1 Ibid., pp. 303-12 (I'pl.). 



