700 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 592. 



stances are associated with cells containing re- 

 serve materials. In the case of the carrot the re- 

 serve materials are utilized by the plant of the 

 second year, and in the case of the buttercup they 

 are utilized in the development of the akene. 



4. The feeding of plants with chemicals for the 

 purpose of controlling color, as certain iron, 

 aluminum, potassium and other salts as well as 

 certain organic acids, has not so far, in the au- 

 thor's experiments with carnations, roses and 

 violets, produced any marked changes in the colors 

 of the flowers, only some slight effects being noted 

 which might be attributed to other causes. Know- 

 ing that plants have a certain individuality and 

 •certain inherent qualities or tendencies, other 

 ithan negative results could hardly be expected. 

 On the other hand, the plant is a rather plastic 

 organism, and for this reason experiments along 

 the line indicated are more or less justified. 



5. Experiments in supplying plants and cut 

 flowers with vegetable coloring matters and aniline 

 dyes showed that none of the vegetable color sub- 

 stances were taken up and that only a com- 

 paratively few of the aniline dyes would color 

 flowers. The fact that of thousands of dyes or color 

 substances, only a few are carried as high as the 

 flower, would tend to show that only certain chem- 

 icals or substances would be taken up by the 

 plant, and thus exert an influence on the coloring 

 matter in the flower. If such profound changes 

 occur in plants as are provided by the mutation 

 theory, is it too much to suppose that certain 

 definite changes might be produced by means of 

 which we have knowledge or control? 



Dr. Kraemer's remarks were illustrated by 

 a hundred or more freshly cut fiovcers such 

 as carnations, roses, hyacinths and callas, 

 which had been artificially colored in the few 

 hours preceding the demonstration by placing 

 the stalks of the flowers in solutions of cer- 

 tain dyes. Numerous dried specimens of arti- 

 ficially colored flowers of various plants were 

 also exhibited. 



Dr. Eusby showed fresh fruits of the so- 

 called ' tree-tomato,' a species of Cyphomandra 

 native to South America. 



Marshall A. Howe, 

 Secretary pro tern. 



THE ST. LOUIS CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 



The regular meeting of the society on 

 March 12 was devoted to a consideration of 



matters connected with the organization of 

 the society. 



April 9. The paper of the evening, com- 

 municated by the secretary, was entitled 

 ' Phosphorescent Zinc Sulphide.' The paper 

 dealt with phosphorescent zinc sulphide pre- 

 pared by Mr. John Esmaker. The method 

 followed was detailed briefly, with a view to 

 emphasizing the slight changes in procedure, 

 which result in failure to obtain the phos- 

 phorescent variety of zinc sulphide. The 

 changes in the method were so slight, that ap- 

 parently they should have had no influence on 

 the character of the result. The remainder of 

 the paper, and the general discussion which 

 followed, dealt with phosphorescence and sim- 

 ilar phenomena, and endeavored to assign 

 some reason for the observed effects. 



C. J. BORGMEYER, 



Corresponding Secretary. 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. 



A PLAN TO ENSURE THE DESIGNATION OF GENERIC 



TYPES. AN OPEN LETTER TO SYSTEMATIC 



ZOOLOGISTS. 



Probably no other single factor has caused 

 so much confusion in systematic zoology and 

 nomenclature as has the failure on the part 

 of some authors to definitely designate the 

 type species for the new genera they have de- 

 scribed. Such failure, indeed, so frequently 

 produces confusion, that the suggestion has 

 been made that a rule be inserted in the 

 International Code of Nomenclature to the 

 effect that no new generic name proposed after 

 a given date, say December 31, 1909, may 

 claim recognition unless its author definitely 

 designates its type at the time of the publica- 

 tion of the name in question. A rule of this 

 nature, extreme though it may appear to some 

 persons, seems to he fully warranted in view 

 of the experience zoologists have had with 

 genera proposed without types. It seems 

 somewhat doubtful, however, whether the 

 International Congress would see its way clear 

 to adopt the proposition just referred to. 



Another plan has occurred to me by which 

 practically the same result may be obtained, 

 without recourse to the adoption of the pro- 



