THE STRUCTURE OF WHEAT. 157 
had been given. It is often difficult or impossible to tell in what 
relation the names here used for the first time as applied to British 
which is used by Focke, has many years’ priority over rusticanus ; 
and horridus of C. F. Schultz, “tally described in 1819 (Fl. Starg. 
ene 3 30), has many years’ Boe over dumetorum ferox, The 
metorum as used by Weihe & Nees is intended to cover 
ocrylifolins, as well as ou dumetorum, A WS 
The Structure of Wheat : shown in a series of Photo-micrographs, with 
explanatory remarks. y Rovert H, Dunnam. ondon : 
unham, Mark Lane. 1892. Pp. 26, and 21 photo- 
lenin 8vo. 
Terr are some admirable and instructive photographs in this 
volume, though they are not bag equally good. They are chiefly 
devoted to the flower and fruit, but two deal with the stem, and 
one of these i is very good, seit the structures through the solid 
portion of a node. The details of the flower do not lend them- 
selves to the production of satisfactory photo-micrographs, but the 
sections : s grain are valuable. The p ena of the gluten- 
containin orem 17 and 18), which form the outer series 
of the cane {v3 the seed, are unhappily weatoraiee as being an 
inner skin of the grain. It must however be said that a careful 
investigation of the pipes will supply an accurate idea of the 
structure and parts of the grai 
It is to be regretted that Mr. Depa, in issuing his original 
illustrations, did not obtain the help of some one acquainted with 
histological botany. He would have avoided some incorrect inter- 
n 
sperm,” he says, ‘ consists of gluten-walls and starch, and the 
ee is arranged in a fine network, which extends to the centre of 
the berry, forming, with the starch, the inside of the wheat berry,’’ 
The reader will meet with many novel notions in the book, such as, 
to give a single example :—‘‘ The hairs of the beard are hollow. 
These hollow hairs are, in effect, conduits, of which it is the function 
to draw off the su uperfluous moisture that would otherwise cause 
ibrar fermentation. On the other hand, it is the proper func- 
tion of this moisture to convey to the kernel its mineral and gaseous 
food. Another duty of the beard is connected with the earliest life 
of the plant, for when the seed is first sown, these hair ducts suck up 
the moisture necessary for the process ae germination.” 
Wc, 
