Mabch 2, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



355 



following courses in botany are given in the 

 Shaw School of Botany : (1) 'Elementary Mor- 

 phology and Organography,' (2) ' Cytological 

 Technique,' (3) ' Plant Physiology, including 

 Ecology,' (4) ' Systematic Botany,' (5) ' Plant 

 Pathology and Applied Mycology.' When one 

 takes into the account the growing plants in 

 the garden, the great collection of dried speci- 

 mens in the herbarium, and the large library, 

 it is evident that here are admirable oppor- 

 tunities for study by those wishing to obtain 

 a thorough knowledge of botany. 



The report of the director shows that the 

 customary growth has occurred in the year 

 just closed: 1,769 species of living plants were 

 added to the collections; 34,535 specimens 

 were incorporated in the herbariimi, and 5,382 

 books or pamphlets and 97,676 index cards 

 were added to the library. The number of 

 visitors reached 100,830 — of whom nearly one 

 fourth were drawn by a successful exhibition 

 of 211 choice varieties of chrysanthemums, in 

 November; and the director reports an in- 

 creasing loan-use of the herbarium and library 

 by investigators who are unable to go to St. 

 Louis for study. 



LABORATORY OUTLINES FOR GENERAL BOTANY. 



Under this title. Professor Schaffner, of the 

 Ohio State University, has prepared what 

 must prove to be a very useful laboratory 

 guide in general botany for college students. 

 It is a pamphlet of nearly a hundred pages, 

 and includes suggestions for one hundred and 

 six studies, distributed throughout the vege- 

 table kingdom. After three studies of living 

 cells the student is started up the series be- 

 ginning with Pleurococcus, Merismopedia, 

 Lynghya, etc., to Closterium, Spirogyra, 

 Vaucheria, Hydrodictyon, Cladophora, Fucus, 

 etc. Then follow Mucor, Empusa, Sapro- 

 legnia and Plasmopara, and after these Chara 

 and Polysiphonia. Some higher fungi follow, 

 as Morchella, Uncinula, UsUlago, Puccinia, 

 Fames, Psalliota, Bovista, with the lichen- 

 fungi Parmelia to Cladonia. Following these 

 are Oedogonium and Coleochaete, leading to 

 Riccia., Marchantia, Sphagnum, Polytrichum 

 and Anthoceros. He then takes up Ophio- 

 _glossum, Botrychium,, Adiantum, Pteridium, 



etc., and Lycopodium and Selaginella, finally 

 reaching the seed plants, where he takes 

 Cycas, Ginkgo, Pinus, etc. In the angio- 

 sperms he properly begins with Sagittaria, 

 Ranunculus and AlismM, following with 8e- 

 dum, Trillium,, Cypripedium, Catalpa, Gornus, 

 Ageratum, Ghrysanthemum and Taraxacum. 

 This is an admirably arranged series, and it 

 brings out clearly the author's idea of the 

 evolution of the vegetable kingdom, and the 

 natural relationship of the various groups. 

 The twenty histological studies and the pages 

 on microtechnique will be useful to those who 

 wish to give some time to the elements of 

 cytology. Tke book might be introduced into 

 many botanical laboratories with great profit 

 to the students. 



MORE PHILIPPINE PLANTS. 



Erom the Bureau of Government Labora- 

 tories at Manila we have Bulletin 29, bearing 

 date of September, 1905, and containing two 

 papers, viz : (I.) ' New or Noteworthy Philip- 

 pine Plants, III.,' and (II.) ' The Sources of 

 Manila Elemi,' both by Elmer D. Merrill, 

 botanist. In the first paper seventy-two new 

 species are described, and twenty-seven hith- 

 erto described species are included and in 

 some cases further described. Since many 

 new species were described in bulletins 6 and 

 17 under the same title, a full index to all 

 the species in the three bulletins is added for 

 the convenience of botanists who may wish 

 to consult them. The species of two genera 

 are summarized, viz: Medinella (with 21 spe- 

 cies) and Rhododendron (with 14 species). 

 Of the former eleven species are new, and of 

 the latter four. 



THE NORTH AMERICAN FLORA. 



Under date of December 18, 1905, Part 2 

 of Volume 22 of the ' North American Flora ' 

 was issued by the New York Botanical Gar- 

 den. Eight families are monographed, viz: 

 Saxifragaceae and Hydrangeaceae (by Dr. 

 Small and Dr. Rydberg), Cunoniaceae, Itea- 

 ceae and Hamamelidaceae (by Dr. Britton), 

 Pterostemonaceae (by Dr. Small), AUingia- 

 ceae (by Percy Wilson), and Phyllonomaceae 

 (by Dr. Busby). The family Saxifragaceae 



