﻿Botany. 
  85 
  

  

  may 
  be 
  strong 
  enough 
  to 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  origination 
  of 
  a 
  variety, 
  as 
  

   this 
  research 
  has 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  possible, 
  we 
  have 
  here 
  in 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   cess 
  of 
  grafting 
  a 
  valuable 
  appliance 
  which 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  wide 
  

   utilization 
  in 
  initiating 
  new 
  forms 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  preserving 
  old 
  

   ones. 
  The 
  action 
  of 
  grafting 
  on 
  the 
  reproductive 
  elements 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  transmission 
  of 
  these 
  new 
  characters 
  opens 
  up 
  to 
  seed 
  

   cultivators 
  an 
  inviting 
  field 
  of 
  practice. 
  It 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  over- 
  

   looked 
  that, 
  as 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  variation 
  does 
  not 
  come 
  in 
  the 
  

   grafted 
  plants 
  themselves, 
  but 
  manifests 
  itself 
  in 
  the 
  embryo 
  

   alone. 
  The 
  author 
  emphasizes 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  this 
  process 
  of 
  

   grafting 
  in 
  the 
  improvement 
  of 
  sorts, 
  and 
  shows 
  that 
  such 
  work 
  

   can 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  the 
  utmost 
  system. 
  The 
  process 
  is, 
  by 
  

   no 
  means, 
  confined 
  to 
  woody 
  plants, 
  but, 
  as 
  the 
  investigation 
  

   shows 
  abundantly, 
  it 
  is 
  applicable 
  to 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  herbaceous 
  

   species. 
  Merely 
  from 
  a 
  utilitarian 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  the 
  research 
  is 
  

   a 
  valuable 
  contribution, 
  while 
  regarded 
  from 
  a 
  purely 
  scientific 
  

   standpoint 
  it 
  possesses 
  deep 
  interest. 
  The 
  Avork 
  already 
  done 
  is 
  

   of 
  consequence, 
  but 
  its 
  best 
  service 
  is 
  in 
  opening 
  up 
  new 
  practi- 
  

   cal 
  questions. 
  g. 
  l. 
  g. 
  

  

  2. 
  Researches 
  concerning 
  certain 
  features 
  in 
  the 
  appropriation 
  

   of 
  nitrogen 
  by 
  plants; 
  by 
  L. 
  Lutz. 
  Ann 
  sc. 
  ?iat., 
  Jan. 
  and 
  

   Feb.., 
  1899. 
  — 
  Alter 
  a 
  good, 
  although 
  brief, 
  resume 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  

   important 
  studies 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  relations 
  of 
  plants 
  to 
  nitrogen, 
  

   the 
  investigator 
  gives 
  a 
  detailed 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  researches 
  in 
  

   one 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  field. 
  His 
  results 
  are 
  claimed 
  by 
  him 
  to 
  prove 
  

   that 
  placed 
  under 
  as 
  aseptic 
  conditions 
  as 
  possible, 
  and 
  also 
  under 
  

   conditions 
  which 
  forbid 
  ferment 
  action 
  or 
  the 
  fixation 
  of 
  free 
  

   nitrogen, 
  phanerogamic 
  plants 
  can 
  borrow 
  from 
  amines 
  employed 
  

   in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  salts, 
  all 
  the 
  nitrogen 
  which 
  is 
  necessary 
  for 
  their 
  

   use. 
  And, 
  further, 
  he 
  decides 
  that 
  the 
  assimilation 
  of 
  these 
  sub- 
  

   stances 
  can 
  take 
  place 
  without 
  having 
  their 
  nitrogen 
  previously 
  

   brought 
  into 
  nitric 
  or 
  ammoniacal 
  combination. 
  There 
  is, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  a 
  condition 
  requisite, 
  namely: 
  that 
  the 
  amines 
  arise 
  from 
  

   the 
  substitution 
  of 
  hydrogen 
  in 
  radicals 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  possess 
  too 
  

   great 
  size 
  of 
  molecule; 
  thus, 
  the 
  methylamines 
  are 
  excellent 
  

   sources 
  of 
  assimilable 
  nitrogen, 
  while 
  benzylaraine 
  and 
  pyridine 
  

   are 
  inadequate. 
  The 
  phenol 
  amines 
  are 
  tonic. 
  

  

  The 
  salts 
  of 
  the 
  compound 
  ammoniums 
  and 
  the 
  alkaloids, 
  em- 
  

   ployed 
  as 
  the 
  exclusive 
  source 
  of 
  nitrogen, 
  do 
  not 
  furnish 
  enough 
  

   to 
  plants 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  plants 
  under 
  these 
  conditions 
  may 
  

   even 
  lose 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  initial 
  nitrogen. 
  This 
  loss 
  may 
  be 
  inter- 
  

   preted, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  author, 
  as 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  auto-fermenta- 
  

   tion. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  facts 
  noted 
  by 
  M. 
  Lutz 
  is 
  the 
  

   ready 
  absorption 
  of 
  unassimilable 
  alkaloids 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   assimilable 
  nitrogen. 
  Possibly, 
  he 
  says, 
  this 
  may 
  throw 
  light 
  on 
  

   the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  migrations 
  and 
  disappearance 
  ol 
  alkaloids 
  in 
  the 
  

   plant 
  at 
  certain 
  epochs 
  of 
  its 
  life. 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  series 
  of 
  experiments 
  on 
  three 
  classes 
  of 
  plants, 
  

   Phanerogams, 
  Algae, 
  and 
  Fungi, 
  show^s 
  that 
  these 
  organisms 
  are 
  

  

  