JAPANESE BOTANICAL LITERATURE. 



Aso, K., Injurious action of acetates and formates on 

 plants. (Bulletin of the College of Agriculture, Tokyo Imp. 

 Univ. Vol. VII. No. 1. 1906, p. 13-24). 

 Using the shoots of Sorghum, barley, onion, pea and 

 young branches of Quercus acuta, Photinia glabra, Capsicum 

 longum as well as Spirogyra the author came to the following- 

 conclusion : 



1. Acetates and formates of alkali metals and calcium act 

 injuriously on Phanerogams in solution of 0,5 % and over, 

 while they are under the same" condition, harmless to Spirogyra. 

 This forms a marked contrast to the action of neutral potas- 

 sium oxalate which at the same concentration is not only a 

 more powerful poison for Phanerogams but also poisonous to 

 Spirogyra. 



2. The poisonous action of acetates and formates is prob- 

 ably caused by the hydrolytic dissociation of these salts into 

 acid and base in the living cells, whereby the base is absorbed 

 by proteids and the acid set free injures the living protoplasm. 



K. Miyake. 



Aso, K., On a stimulating action of calcium fluoric! on 



Phaenogams. (Bulletin of the College of Agriculture, Tokyo 



Imp. Univ. Vol. VII. No. 1. 1906, p. 85-89). 



Plants experimented were pea and barley. The former was 



cultured both in water and in soil, while the latter was only 



in water culture. In both cultures calcium fluorid was added 



in small quantities varying from 0.1 % to 0.0001 °/ in water 



and from 0.006 gr. to 0.2 gr. in 1.5 kg. soil. In every case a 



slight increase in height and weight was observed as compared 



to check culture. The author concludes that calcium fluorid 



being soluble slightly in water, can act as a stimulus to 



growth. K. Miyake. 



