804 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXII. No. 572. 



The arrangement of the Monocotyledons is 

 merely begun, the families of the Helobiae 

 alone being given {Butomaceae, Alismaceae, 

 Hydrocharitaceae, Potamogetonaceae, Apono- 

 getonaceae, Juncaginaceae, Triurdiaceae) . 



We can agree with the author in regard to 

 the general plan of his system, of which he 

 says : " I freely confess that it gives only an 

 approximate idea of lines of descent and of 

 the natural relations of the flowering plants : 

 it is only one step in the further progress of 

 phylogenetic botany. But I am sure that 

 this step is not a wrong and useless one, and 

 that it will lead to a broader knowledge of 

 the flowering plants." 



THE AMERICAN FOREST CONGRESS. 



Early in the present year (Jantiary 2 to 6) 

 the American Forest Congress was in session 

 in Washington, D. C. Its purpose was ' to 

 establish a broader understanding of the forest 

 in its relation to the great industries depend- 

 ing upon it: to advance the conservative use 

 of forest resources for both the present and 

 future need of these industries : to stimulate 

 and unite all efforts to perpetuate the forest 

 as a permanent resource of the nation.' The 

 papers read in this congress have been col- 

 lected ,by Mr. H. M. Suter and published in a 

 volume of 475 pages. These have been ar- 

 ranged systematically under the following 

 heads. (1) ' Forestry as a National Ques- 

 tion ' ; (2) ' Importance of the Public Forest 

 Lands to Irrigation ' ; (3) ' The Lumber In- 

 dustry and the Forests ' ; (4) ' Importance of 

 the Public Forest Lands to Grazing'; (5) 

 'Railroads in Relation to the Forest'; (6) 

 ' Importance of Public Forest Lands to Min- 

 ing ' ; (7) ' National and State Forest Policy.' 

 The book possesses much value, not only to 

 foresters, but to botanists as well. 



MORE PLANT CELL STUDIES. 



The series of articles by Bradley M. Davis 

 entitled ' Studies on the Plant Cell,' which 

 began in the May number (1904) of the 

 American Naturalist, has been brought to a 

 close in the October number (1905), and we 

 have now the whole work before us. In look- 



ing over its pages, we are more and more im- 

 pressed with its value and importance to stu- 

 dents of plant cytology, since it presents a 

 summary of the results of recent work not 

 attainable elsewhere. It is to be hoped that 

 the author may be able to push to early com- 

 pletion the preparation of a book on cytology 

 planned to follow pretty closely the outlines 

 given in these studies. In , the meantime, 

 many botanists will be glad to know that re- 

 prints of these papers are obtainable of the 

 author, at the University of Chicago. 



The closing section, which covers about 

 forty-five pages, is devoted to the ' Comparative 

 Morphology and Physiology of the Plant Cell.' 

 About a dozen pages are given to the simplest 

 types of cells, as they occur in the blue green 

 algae', the bacteria and the yeasts, and a clear 

 summary is made of the views of the investi- 

 gators of these low plants. The author is able, 

 from the incomplete and somewhat conflicting 

 testimony, to find some justification of the 

 belief in the presence of nuclear structures, 

 even in the smallest bacteria. Interesting 

 comparisons are made of the structure of 

 simpler plant cells with those of higher types, 

 in which many gaps in our knowledge are 

 pointed out, one of which is the connection 

 of the Schizophyta with the lower green algae. 

 The structure of the trophoplasm, the repro- 

 duction of plastids, the individuality of the 

 chromosomes, the functions of the vacuoles, 

 the nature and occurrence of centrosomes, the 

 balance of nuclear and cytoplasmic activities, 

 are among the topics discussed in the closing 

 pages of this interesting section, which, like 

 the preceding sections, is followed by an ex- 

 tensive bibliography. 



Charles E. Bessey. 



The University of Nebraska. 



THE AMEBIC Al^ CHEMICAL SOCIETY, 

 The sessions of the thirty- third general 

 meeting of the American Chemical Society 

 and those of Section C of the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science will 

 be held in the lecture rooms of Tulane Uni- 

 versity, New Orleans, from December 29 to 

 January 2. 



The preliminary program is as follows : 



