190 



JOUKNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Springer, of Berlin, is warranty of the workmanship. We give the titles 

 of the more important papers, which will indicate the scope of the work ; 

 later we hope to rev iew these in detail as they appear : — 



Bd. 1, ht. 1, 1900(5 marks) : Rorig — "Investigations on the Contents 

 of Stomachs of Birds important in Agriculture and Forestry." Frank — 

 (1) "The Bean-Weevil/' with illustrations; (2) "The Influence on 

 Enemies of the Wheat Crop of Time of Sowing, and of Manuring with 

 Nitrate of Soda." 



Bd. i. ht. 2, 1900 (7 marks) : Frank—" The Combating of Weeds by 

 Solutions of Metallic Salts," with plates. Hiltner — "Root Tubercles of 

 Leguminosje." Jacobi — " The Eating of Stones by Birds." 

 There are also several short papers on various subjects : — 

 Bd. ii. ht. 1, 1900 (10 marks) : Rorig—" The Crows and Rooks of 

 Germany in relation to Agriculture and Forestry." C. von Tubeuf — (1) 

 " Leaf -cast of the Pine," with plates ; (2) Short papers : (a) " Methods of 

 Carrying on Infections on the Experimental Fields of the Department ; " 

 (6) " Experimental Infections with ^cidium Strobilinum, parasitic on 

 Cones of Spruce " [this paper proves the connection of this with a Puccinia 

 on Bird Cherry] ; (c) " Fusoma iximsiticum, a parasite on Seedling 

 Conifers ; " (c?) " Tuberculina maxima, a Fungus parasitic on Blister-rust 

 of the Weymouth Pine ; " (e) " Experimental Infections with Peridermium 

 Strobi, the Rust of Weymouth Pine " [prove species of Ribes as hosts] ; 

 (/')" Observations on Distribution of Parasitic Fungi by Wind;" 

 (g) " Experimental Infections with Gymnosporangium on conmion Juniper 

 and Mountain Ash." W. (i. S. 



Catalase, a new Enzyme. 



Catalase, a new Enzyme. (U.S. Dep. Agri. Bep. 68.)— Oscar 

 Loew gives a very full account of the ferment, or enzyme, discovered by 

 himself, first in the Tobacco plant, and subsequently proved to exist in a 

 whole series of seeds, leaves, and other parts of plants. According to the 

 author, " there does not exist a group of organisms, or any organ, or even 

 a single vegetable or animal cell that does not contain some catalase, so 

 far as his observations go." It is called by him catalase, and has the 

 efiect of decomposing hydrogen peroxide. This substance is of a highly 

 poisonous character, and it is suggested that hydrogen peroxide is formed 

 in the process of respiration, and at once removed by the catalase existing 

 in the cell. A very full account of the reactions and general behaviour of 

 both a and /3 Catalase is given in the paper, to which reference must be 

 made by all interested in the question of enzymes and fermentations. 



(x. F. S.-E. 



Club-root Experiments. 



Club-root is a well-known and widely-distributed disease that specially 

 attacks Cruciferous plants, and is caused by a Myxomycete or slime- 

 fungus known to science as Plasmodiophora brassicce, Woronin. Its 

 direct attack is invariably confined to the roots, which under the excite- 



