May, rgII SANDE RLCAN SOMES AND GARDENS 
xXxV 
been previously treated with a bacterial 
poison possesses the property of agglutinat- 
ing bacteria of its own sort floating in some 
medium, such as, for example, water—a 
property not possessed by normal blood 
serum. 
Ricinus in solution possesses a like prop- 
erty, since within a short time it causes the 
red corpuscles to form a gelatinous clotted 
mass. 
But different kinds of blood vary in sus- 
ceptibility to this action. For example, 
pigeon’s blood and dog’s blood show the 
reaction immediately, while it is absent or 
very slight in that of goats, lambs, and 
cattle. 
Besides ricinus there are some rare seeds 
which contain bodies exhibiting similar 
properties. 
It is certainly very singular and note- 
worthy that on the one hand highly devel- 
oped plants and on the other hand the low- 
est forms of life, should produce poisons 
which so strikingly resemble each other in 
their fatal qualities, in their creation of 
immunity, and in their power of agglutin- 
ation. 
HOW LEAVES KEEP CLEAN 
HE shape of leaves is one of the first 
things a student of botany learns to 
distinguish. Even the most careless 
observer sees that some trees and plants 
have leaves with smooth, rounded edges, 
while others have their leaves furnished 
with long points or divided into narrow 
lobes terminating in drooping or curved 
ends. While these leaf shapes have formed 
a subject of study ever since botanical 
science has existed, it is only within recent 
years that one of the most remarkable 
purposes which the points of leaves serve 
has been clearly brought out. It was shown, 
as the result of some special investigations 
made in Germany, that the long points 
quickly drain off the excess of moisture 
deposited upon the foliage in heavy rains. 
This ready method of disposing of a sur- 
plus of moisture is important to some 
plants. It also serves as a means of cleans- 
ing the surface of the leaves. Round leaves 
do not so easily get rid of the rain-water, 
and it has been noticed that they remain 
dusty and dirty after a shower, the escape 
of the water by evaporation not tending to 
cleanse them, while long, narrow and point- 
ed leaves are washed clean and bright. 
STANDARDIZING BREAD 
IR ALFRED FRIPP, Surgeon in 
Ordinary to the King of England, 
and some other equally eminent 
British medical authorities, have issued a 
jointly signed statement in which they ex- 
press the opinion that there is a national 
necessity for the fixing of the nutritive 
value of what is sold as bread. They argue 
that milk must confrom with a certain 
standard, and there seems to be no reason 
why bread, which is equally important as 
a food, should not be made the subject of 
governmental control. Indeed, the stand- 
ardization of bread is somewhat more im- 
portant, since it constitutes about two-fifths 
of the weight of the food of the working 
classes. To quote the statement: “In view 
of the inferior nourishing qualities of the 
white bread commonly sold we urge legis- 
lation making it compulsory that all bread 
sold as such should be made of unadult- 
erated wheat flour, containing at least 8 
per cent. of whole wheat, including the 
germ and semolina.” 
B. 
gs 
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