162 Scientific Intelligence, 



2. The cause of the ascent of sap. — Josef Boehm (Berichte 

 der Deutsch. bot. Gesellschaft, Nov. 28, 1889) states the results 

 of certain interesting experiments which he interprets as proving 

 that in plants which are " transpiring," the absorption of water 

 by the roots is caused by capillarity, while the transfer of water 

 to the parenchyma of the leaf is brought about by the pressure 

 of air within the tissues. The experiments appear to the present 

 reviewer to be capable of an entirely different explanation, and a 

 detailed account of some modifications of Boehm's line of work 

 will be shortly published, but it will be well to give briefly at 

 this time an outline of the suggestive method pursued by Boehm. 

 To show that the absorption of liquids by roots is not due to 

 osmosis (since that depends on the activity of the protoplasmic 

 lining of the cells of the root-hairs and adjacent epidermis) he 

 boils the roots in water in order to kill the living matter. He 

 finds that after this destructive process, absorption of liquids 

 goes on as before ; at any rate, the supply of liquid to the leaves 

 is sufficient to prevent any wilting. To this subject it is proposed 

 to recur at an early day. g. l. g. 



3. Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club. — Vol. I, No. 1, 

 Studies of the Types of various species of the genus Carex. By 

 L. H. Bailey, pp. 85. No. 2, Marine Algae of the New Jersey 

 Coast and adjacent waters of Staten Island. By Isaac C. 

 Martindale. pp. 22. These are in octavo, and are unexception- 

 able in their typographical execution. From the titles of these 

 first two memoirs it is plain that the Club has determined to 

 appeal at the very outset to a wide range of specialists, and we 

 trust earnestly that this praiseworthy effort will meet with the 

 heartiest response. The Bulletin of the Torrey Club is known 

 to all of our botanical readers, and we hope that this their sup- 

 plementary publication will soon receive the substantial aid of 

 all our botanists. 



It is certainly creditable to botanical science in this country 

 that our two botanical journals, the Bulletin of the Torrey Club, 

 and the Botanical Gazette, should be so well patronized. Both 

 of them are excellent, and deserve, and should receive strong- 

 support at the hands of all amateur and professional botanists in 

 this country. g. l. g. 



4. On the nitrification of Ammonia. — Te. Schlossing 

 (Comptes rendus, Dec. 9, 1889) has continued his experiments on 

 the behavior in the soil of certain salts of ammonia, and now 

 reaches the conclusion that the process of nitrification is not only 

 accompanied by the formation of nitrites, as has long been known, 

 but that these products distinctly retard the further progress of 

 nitrification. The nitrifying microbes are plainly hindered in 

 their work by these partially oxidized substances. g. l. g. 



5. On the pai*t which Ammonia plays in the nutrition of the 

 higher plants. — A. Muntz (Comptes rendus, 21 Oct., 1889) first 

 traces the history of the subject, pointing out the successive 

 phases of development of the subject, going as far back as the 

 time in which it was held that only organic compounds of nitro- 



