500 



SCIENCE. 



[X. S. Vol. XXI. Xo. 535. 



substance; or are the result of decomposi- 

 tion or oxidation processes. 



4. Unorganized color substances are dis- 

 tributed usually in largest amount at the 

 terminus of the branch, as in foliage and 

 floAvers, or in roots, or in both tops and 

 roots. 



5. The wide distribution of so-called 

 flower color substances in other parts of the 

 plant than the flower, points to the con- 

 clusion that they are products of plastid 

 activity, and are not to be considered as 

 designated primarily for the attraction of 

 insects when found in the flower. 



6. The occurrence of chromoplasts in a 

 reserve organ, as the tuberous root of the 

 carrot, and the similar occurrence of chro- 

 moplasts and of reserve starch in the petals 

 of the buttercup, suggests that the petals 

 of the buttercup like the root of the carrot 

 have the function of storing nutrient ma- 

 terial. In both cases cells containing 

 chromoplasts rich in nitrogenous substances 

 arc associated with cells containing reserve 

 materials. 



Some Undescrihed Fossil Trees from the 

 Eocene of Vermont: Professor E. C. 

 Jeffrey, Harvard University. 

 As a result of the coal famine of the 

 Avinter of 1902-3 the lignite beds of 

 Brandon, Vt., were considerably exploited 

 for fuel. A number of more or less well 

 preserved specimens of wood were secured 

 by Professor Perkins, of the University of 

 Vermont, and communicated to the author 

 for identification. A few pieces of the 

 material were in a good state of preserva- 

 tion and proved to be a species of 

 Laurinoxylon. Nearly all the remaining 

 fragments belonged to a single species, 

 which proved to be very badly decayed, so 

 that it has not been possible as yet to deter- 

 mine it satisfactorily. 



New Data Bearing on the Phylogeny of 



Pinus (illustrated) : Professor E. C. 



Jeffrey, Harvard University. 



As the result of the study of both inter- 

 nal and external features in a large num- 

 ber of species of Finns ranging throughout 

 North America, Europe and Asia, the fol- 

 lowing conclusions have been reached: 



The genus Finns is divisible into two 

 series, Scleropitys and Malacopitys, which 

 are not coincident with the sections 

 Fmaster and Strohiis of recent authors. 

 In Scleropitys the cones (female) are gen- 

 erally strongly sclerified, and are often pro- 

 vided with a prickle or spine on the gen- 

 erally median umbo, especially when 

 young ; leaf-sheath persistent ; leaf-trace 

 double ; two or more rows of resin canals in 

 the first annual ring of wood, one of which 

 is near the pith ; marginal cells of the wood- 

 rays dentate. In Malacopitys the cone 

 (female) is of softer texture, and is gen- 

 erally quite without a prickle or spine on 

 the generally terminal umbo ; leaf-sheath 

 deciduous ; leaf -trace single ; a single series 

 of resin canals in the first annual ring of 

 the wood, not near the pith ; marginal cells 

 of the medullary rays not dentate. In- 

 ternal features of structure are of greater 

 constancy and consequently of more value 

 in tracing the larger lines of affinity in the 

 pines. 



The Bud Fot of the Coconut Falm in the 

 West Indies (illustrated) : Dr. Erwin F. 

 Smith, Department of Agriculture. 

 General attention was first called to this 

 disease by the reports of army officers dur- 

 ing the American occupation of Cuba. The 

 coconut palms were said to be dying in 

 large numbers of some mysterious disease 

 Avhich should be investigated. Mr. Busck 

 was sent by the U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture to eastern Cuba, and subsequently 

 reported on the entomological aspects of 

 the disease. Later Mr. F. S. Earle reported 



