452 The American Natu, 



[.hn,-. 



(No. 5). A much branched large vine, bearing many 

 leaves, at least 60, the breadth of the best ones being 17 cm. 

 The distance from the cut stem to the extremity of the longest 

 shoot measured 218 centimeters. March 20, 1:52 p. m. The 

 basal part of the stem was plunged into gelatine at 45° C, 

 severed smoothly and left 40 minutes, the temperature of the 

 gelatine when the cut stem was removed being 34° C. At 

 1:30 p.m. the dry bulb registered 18° C, and the wet bulb 

 16.5° C, and transpiration during the afternoon was probably 

 not very active. On removing the cut stem from the melted 

 gelatine, it was immediately plunged into water at 16° C, and 

 kept there 10 minutes, i. e., until the gelatine was congealed. 

 At 2:38 p. m. the stem was shortened about 3 millimeters and 

 plunged into 1 per cent eosine water at a temperature of 16° C. 

 A careful examination of the 3 millimeter segment showed 

 that by far the larger number of the vessels of the stem 

 (nearly all) were full of the black gelatine, but for unknown 

 reasons, some of the spirals and a very few of the larger pitted 

 vessels were not filled. 4:10 p. m. No trace of color in the 

 veins of any of the leaves. 4:50 p. m. Not a trace of color in 

 any of the leaves. The stem has now been in the eosine 

 water 2 hours and 12 minutes. March 21, 11:30 a.m. The 

 house is dryer than yesterday, and the demand on the plant 

 for water is enormous. The foliage is shriveled or flabby, in- 

 cluding the petioles,and hangs down, but not a trace of eosine 

 is to be seen anywhere in any of the leaves, although the 

 lowest leaf is within 24 centimeters of the cut end. There 

 has also been no perceptible lowering of the level of the 

 eosine water in which the stem rests. The sun shines hot 

 through the glass, the temperature in the shade on a level 

 with the bench being 24° C, while in the sun, four inches 

 above, it is 29° C. 12:20 p. m. No trace of eosine visible ex- 

 ternally in any part of stem or leaves, although it is nearly 

 22 hours since the stem was plunged into the stain. The stem 

 was now removed and cut for examination with the following 

 results : 2 cm. up.— There is a trifling stain. Nearly all of 

 the vessels are full of gelatine, and in some of the bundles 

 the stain shows only in those spirals which did not fill 4 cm. 



