' 
170 General Notes. [February, 
In March, before the opening of vegetation, the last class of 
freshmen began with the study of young branches of numerous 
kinds of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. I send you 
the notes of W. F. Hoyt, one member of the class. I do not 
know that they are any better than many others which were pre- 
sented: 
“ A comparison of the leaves, buds and young branches of the 
Scotch pine with those of the Austrian pine. 
“To a casual observer there is little difference between these 
two pines, but on close inspection it will be noticed that the Aus- 
trian bears a medium-sized cone, while the Scotch has a very small 
one, grown sparingly. [It was not intended to study cones at 
this time. 
“ Again, the leaves of the Austrian pine are from five to five 
and a-half inches long. They are thick and stiff, while those of 
the Scotch pine are from two to three and a-half inches long, and 
are quite slender and limber. In both the leaves have the same 
shape ; in both the leaves are in pairs, and when placed together 
make a long round body. The covering of the lower part of the 
leaves extends much farther up on the Austrian, and is of a much 
darker color than on the Scotch pine. “ The leaves of the Scotch 
pine are lighter in color; the tree and branches more slender. 
“The outer bark of the Austrian is thicker and darker, and 
the primary leaf scales shows very plainly. The leaf scales do 
not show plainly in the Scotch pine. Both have three layers ot 
bark, the outer being tough and thin, the next dark-green and 
spongy, the inner white; in the Austrian quite tender; in the 
Scotch tougher and more compact. 
“ As a general rule the Scotch pine sends out five branches in 
a whorl, while the Austrian pines show no such regularity in this 
respect. On cutting the limb the Scotch pine discharges more | 
pitch than is discharged by the Austrian pine. The wood of the 
Scotch pine is a little lighter in color, the rings more plainly 
marked and the pith a little larger.” 
In a comparison of the twigs of butternut with those of the 
epperidge, A. E. Hager observed, among other things, that the 
pith of pepperidge contained numerous hard transparent parti- 
tions. Our text-books all tell us of the cavities in the pith of 
butternut. 
_ Work done later in the course was better done—W. J. Beal. 
Lansing, Mich. 
THe Stupy oF Parasitic Funct.—One of the hopeful signs of 
the times, so far as botany is concerned, is the increasing interest 
taken in the study of the lower plants in this country. The 
Fungi and the minute forms of Algæ have been too long neg- 
lected excepting by a few lonely specialists here and there who 
_ quietly worked away, while almost entirely ignored by the mass 
__ of botanists and collectors. Now, however, the eyes of collectors, 
