July 25, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



137 



the year 1901. The conditions which ex- 

 isted retarded the development of such 

 fungi as Cercospora and Phyllosticta, but 

 favored the growth of Alternaria upon the 

 blighted leaves of a number of plants, es- 

 pecially those of the sugar beet, potato, 

 pumpkin, cantaloupe and plantain. 

 Effect of Acetylene Gas-light on Plant 



Growth, Plant Environment and Plant 



Diseases : Prank William Rane, New 



Hampshire College, Durham, N. H. 



The effect of acetylene gas-light has a 

 marked effect upon plant growth, especial- 

 ly under glass, during the winter months. 

 Experiments show more effect upon cer- 

 tain plants than others. Illustrated by 

 photographs of plants. 

 Plant Environment and Plant Diseases: F. 



W. Rank. 



Healthy plants seem to evince the law of 

 self preservation to more or less an extent. 

 Just how far certain well-known plant dis- 

 eases are brought about through a mis- 

 understanding of ideal environment is 

 thought to be a problem with possible grad- 

 ual solution. Plant depredations it is be- 

 lieved are not naturally associated with 

 plants where the environment or culture is 

 most favorable. Plant diseases and plant 

 culture are closely associated. Examples 

 are offered. 

 Soil Temperatures and Vegetation: D. T. 



MacDougal, N. Y. Botanical Garden. . 



A description of a method of making ob- 

 servations on soil temperatures by means of 

 the newly designed Hallock thermograph. 

 The influence of the divergent tempera- 

 tures of the soil and air is touched upon. 



Conditions Influencing the Vitality and 

 Germination of Seeds: J. W. T. Duvel. 

 The above article treats of the vitality 

 of seeds as affected by various climatic .con- 

 ditions, especially the deleterious influences 

 r f warm, moist climates such as we have in 

 the Gulf States. The condition and meth- 



ods for keeping seeds in such unfavorable 

 climates are discussed at some length, show- 

 ing that the first requisite for prolonged 

 vitality of seeds is a reduction in the 

 amount of hygroscopic moisture present, 

 thereby diminishing the respiratory activ- 

 ity and consequently a prolongation of the 

 life of the seeds. 



Some Neglected Factors in Discussions of 



Heredity: George J. Peirce. 



Certain influences to which organisms 

 are exposed are constant in operation and 

 intensity ; there is no escape from these in- 

 fluences ; they have never been eliminated in 

 experiments, and their importance can only 

 be guessed. Among these influences are 

 the atmosphere, the earth as a whole, water, 

 gravity, which have been uniform in phys- 

 ical and chemical properties for millions of 

 generations, if not always. The reaction of 

 the living organism to these influences 

 should be considered in all discussions of 

 heredity. 



Sclerotinia Fructigena: J. B. S. Norton, 



College Park, Md. 



Studied by Woronin, Smith, and many 

 others; conidial stage (monilia) destruct- 

 ive fruit disease; apothecia not previously 

 discovered. Found abundant on buried 

 peach and plum fruits two years old in 

 many Maryland orchards ; the disk appears 

 just above ground. Description of apothe- 

 cia, asci, spores, etc. Connected with mon- 

 ilia by many laboratory cultures on flowers, 

 fruit, and various culture media. Cycle of 

 development completed in a few days. 

 Spores germinate in ten hours. Economic 

 importance; fruits should be burned or 

 otherwise destroj^ed. 



A Bacterial Soft Bot of Certain Crucifer- 

 ous Plants and Amorphophallus Sin- 

 ense; A Preliminary Report: By H. A. 

 Harding and F. C. Stewart, N. Y. Ag- 

 ric. Exp. Sta., Geneva, N. Y. 



