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in such soils due to soil sterilization, (5) the difference in conclu- 

 sions reached by the Rothamsted workers and by Mr. BoUey; 

 the injurious effect (after soil sterilization) upon the first growth 

 of the (wheat) seedlings is thought to be due to fungi, parasitic 

 upon the wheat itself rather than in the soils — fungi which with 

 soil fungi account for the deterioration of wheat and other cereal 

 crops, instead of protozoa affecting the ammonia-making bacteria 

 as claimed by the Rothamsted workers. 



In a paper read before Section G at Minneapolis Mr. Bolley 

 describes several genera of imperfect fungi responsible for cereal 

 crop deterioration (Science, February 17). The fact that quack- 

 grass is a common host for most of these is thought to account 

 for the destructive influence attributed to that plant. 



The January Plant World, which by the way is appearing in a 

 much more attractive cover, contains an article by Professor 

 F. E. Lloyd on the behavior of tannin in persimmons. Recently 

 several scientific papers have printed short articles on tannin, 

 or have referred to problems connected with the presence of 

 tannin in plant tissues. Professor Lloyd does not consider this 

 paper his final word on the subject; nevertheless among his 

 conclusions are: (i) the colloid character of tannin, (2) the cause 

 of its insolubility (intimate and complete association with a 

 second carrier, also a colloid), and (3) the absence of intercellular 

 tannin in normal tissue. 



Under "Some Useful Plants of Mexico" Dean Rusby describes 

 (Journal of New York Botanical Garden, January, 191 1) a large 

 number of interesting plants of economic value in Mexico. 



The Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station calls attention 

 to the perennial character and the vegetative propagation of the 

 cotton plants grown there — older plants yielding sometimes a 

 hundred cuttings each. The continuous growing season makes 

 it possible to regulate the harvest time by judicious pruning — 

 a great commercial gain. 



