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Some time ago the Alabama Polytechnic Institute issued a 

 circular on school improvement. The joint authors, R. S. 

 Machintosh and P. F. Williams, have given good general advice 

 for the successful work and maps showing various treatments of 

 plots of various sizes. The short descriptive list of trees, shrubs, 

 vines, and herbs adds much to the value of the pamphlet and 

 suggests that such a boooklet would be useful for every state and 

 prevent the mistakes often made — not only in the planning of 

 the grounds but in the yearly Arbor Day work. Too often 

 schools have little or nothing to show for the energy spent in such 

 exercises, or else a quantitative success with a tiresome sameness. 



Investigating the assimilation of atmospheric nitrogen by fungi, 

 L. H. Pennington (Bulletin Torrey Botanical Club, March) 

 worked with several common molds and secured results "in 

 harmony with the generally accepted notion that fungi do not 

 have the ability to assimilate atmospheric nitrogen." The defi- 

 nite reports to the contrary may be explained by experimental 

 error; or probably by variation in the different strains of fungi. 

 With this last explanation in view distinct strains are being 

 isolated to test variations in this ability. 



Protective enzymes have been studied in pomaceous and other 

 fruits by several workers from the Delaware Agricultural Station 

 {Science, April lo). The work was suggested by experiments on 

 the toxicity of tannin, and the conclusions follow: (i) Normal 

 living fruits contain two enzymes, a catylase and an oxidase. 

 (2) Tannin, as such does not exist in any part of the normal un- 

 injured fruit previous to maturity, except possibly a small amount 

 in the peel. (3) The oxidase acts only in an acid solution; it 

 helps form a tannin or tannin-like substance which can precipitate 

 proteid matter and form a germicidal fluid. (4) These changes 

 may be caused by injuries to normal immature fruits by fungi, 

 insects and mechanical agencies. 



Under "A Universal Law" Wilder D. Bancroft calls attention 

 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society to the universal 

 law known to biologists as the survival of the fittest and to 



