540 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVJIl. Xo. 4(i0. 



raphy will afford ample returns to science, 

 and that the key-note of the inquiry should 

 he the more precise observation of lineamental 

 orientation, 



WiLLusi Herbert Hobbs. 

 University of Wisconsin, 

 September 25, 1903. 



BOTAXIGAh NOTES. 



A NEW EDITION OP DETMEE's PRAKTIKUM. 



For many years botanists have been ac- 

 quainted vcith the very useful little book on 

 plant physiology prepared by Doctor Detmer, 

 of the University of Jena, and intended to be 

 a laboratory handbook under the title of ' Das 

 Kleine Pflanzenphysiologische Prakticum." 

 This little book has passed through a number 

 of editions, and has been used widely in plant 

 physiological laboratories. The present edi- 

 tion, which bears date of February, 1903, is 

 an enlargement and improvement of the pre- 

 vious editions. It is essentially the same as 

 the earlier editions and is illustrated in the 

 same admirable manner. American botanists 

 can not but envy the German botanists when 

 it is remembered that this book of nearly three 

 hundred pages is sold for a little more than 

 six Marks. It should be even more largely 

 used than its predecessors. 



THE ALG^ OF NORTHWESTERN AMERICA. 



An interesting paper entitled ' The Algse 

 of Northwestern America ' came to hand re- 

 cently, as one of the University of California 

 publications. It is by Professor W. A. 

 Setchell and N. L. Gardner. It is an attempt 

 at a rather exhaustive account of the algse 

 of the northwestern coast of North America. 

 It is illustrated with eleven good plates,, and 

 altogether is a very excellent paper. The 

 bibliography appears to be quite complete. 



The two numbers of Engler's ' Pflanzen- 

 reich,' which have recently made their ap- 

 pearance, are devoted to the Orehidacese (in 

 part) and the Eriocaulacese. The first takes 

 up merely one section of the great family, 

 but this is of interest to us since it includes 

 tlie lady slippers (of the genus Cypripedium 

 and related genera). The treatment is very 



full, and can not help tlirowiug a great 

 amount of light upon this portion of the 

 orchid family. In passing it may be re- 

 marked that Pfitzer, the author, insists upon 

 the spelling Cypripedilum, instead of that 

 which is ordinarily followed. The illustra- 

 tions are excellent. The other number is by 

 Ruhland, and here the treatment is very 

 much like that given by Pfitzer. These suc- 

 cessive numbers of Engler's publication indi- 

 cate that this is to be one of the great publi- 

 cations in botanical literature. 



Charles E. Bessey. 

 University of Nebraska. 



STUDIES OF THE FOOD VALUE OF FRUIT 

 AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 



According to a bulletin of the U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture Professor M, E. Jaffa 

 has carried on at the University of California, 

 in cooperation with the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, a number of investigations which 

 have to do with the food value of fruits and 

 nuts, the special object of this and the earlier 

 work which it continues being to study the 

 value of such foods when they constitute an 

 integral part of the diet. 



Nine dietary studies and 31 digestion ex- 

 periments were made, part of them with per- 

 sons who had lived for a number of years on 

 a strictly fruit and nut diet, and others with 

 university students who had been accustomed 

 to the ordinary fare. In the majority of the 

 dietary studies and all but one of the diges- 

 tion experiments fruit and nuts constituted 

 all or almost all of the diet. Thus, in one 

 series of tests the daily ration consisted of 

 apples and bananas, alone or in combination, 

 eaten with walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, or 

 pecans. In other experiments different com- 

 binations of grapes, pears, figs, walnuts, and 

 other fruits and nuts were eaten with small 

 quantities of milk, cereal breakfast foods, etc., 

 the latter articles being taken simply to give 

 a relish to the experimental dietary combina- 

 tions, some of which were rather unusvuil. 



In connection with this work the nutritive 

 value of individual fruits and nuts was 

 studied and many data were collected and 

 summarized regarding the composition and 



