1897.) Vegetable Physiology. 717 
The Asa Gray Bulletin for June appears in an enlarged and im- 
proved form. The editors say in regard to it: “For some time it has 
been felt that there is room in the United States for a botanical maga- 
zine of a more popular nature than any which now occupy the field,” 
and they hope to make the little magazine fill this place. G. H. Hicks 
of Kensington, Md., the Editor-in-Chief, is to be aided by a number of 
well known botonists. It should be widely circulated in the public 
schools. 
M. C. Fernald’s “Second Supplement to the Catalogue of Maine 
Plants” appears in the Proceedings of the Portland Society of Natural 
History (Vol. I], Part4). It contains 101 species and varieties, several 
of which are described as new to science. Among the interesting addi- 
tions are Prunus cuneata Raf., Lythrum alatum Pursh, Coreopsis tinc- 
toria Nutt., Fraxinus viridis Michx. f., Solanum rostratum Dunal, and 
Sassafras officinalis Nees. 
A new book on fossil plants i is now appearing in parts from the pub- 
lishing house of Ferd. Dummlers, Berlin. It is the work of Dr. H. 
Potonié, and bears the title of Lehrbuch der Pflanzenpaleontologie. The 
first lieferung contains 112 pages, and includes chapters on “ fossil 
plants in general,” “ doubtful fossil plants,” and a “systematic discus- 
sion of fossil remains.” It is freely illustrated. 
Professor F. Lamson-Scribner, the ‘agrostologist of the Department 
of Agriculture, in Washington, D. C., has made a valuable contribution 
to our knowledge of the grasses of the United States by bringing out 
an illustrated bulletin (No. 7) under the title of “American Grasses,” 
consisting of excellent figures of three hundred and two species. Ac- 
_ companying each is a brief description. It is to be hoped that larger 
editions of these useful publications may be made in the future, so that 
they may receive wider distribution —Cuar.es E. Bessey. 
VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY. 
Chemotropism of Fungi.—Manabu Miyoshi, a student of Pfeffer 
in Leipsic, has considerably extended our knowledge of the behavior 
of fungi toward particular substances, and has opened up a wide field 
for speculation and experiment relative to the causes of parasit- 
ism. He experimented at first with six common fungi, all usually 
designated as Saprophytes, viz.: Mucor mucedo, M. oo Phy- 
comyces nitens, Penicillium PER, Aspergillus niger and Sapro- 
