NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



127 



Coniferous Seedling's, Damping- off. By Perley Spaulding ( U.S.A . 

 Dep. Agr., Circ. 4 ; April, 1903). — Relates the experience derived from 

 experiments on the treatment of damping off in coniferous seedlings. The 

 powders used were sulphur, dry Bordeaux mixture, and copper sulphate 

 and lime. The solutions were potassium sulphide, potassium per- 

 manganate, formalin, and sulphuric acid. The results hitherto obtained 

 are not regarded as conclusive, but it is hoped that the present season's 

 work will develop results from which definite conclusions may be 

 drawn.— M. C. C. 



Crataegus in North America. By C. S. Sargent {Jour. Bot. 

 536, pp. 289-292; 8/1907).— Five hundred species have been described 

 in the last eight years, which fall into twenty natural groups ; but the 

 species, if species they are, are fertile, and do not vary or hybridise. Some 

 of the groups are confined to distinct geographical areas. Herbarium 

 specimens are unsatisfactory, as flower and fruit should be got from the 

 same tree, with notes on the colour of the anthers. — G. S. B. 



Crinum Vassei. By D. Bois (Rev. Hort. March 16, 1908, pp. 132-3 ; 

 1 plate, coloured). — Native of Portuguese West Africa, at 750 metres 

 altitude. The plate illustrates a very handsome plant bearing fine white 

 flowers, with long slender petals, striped centrally with bright red. The 

 flowers are about 8 inches long and the inflorescence about 18 inches 

 across.— C. T. D. 



Croton. By S. Moore (Jour. Bot. 540, p. 406; 11/1907).— 

 C. sparsiflorus, a native of South America, which has turned up at 

 Calcutta, is the original redescribed as C. nivifer and as C. rivinoides. 



G. S. B. 



Crown Gall, Cross Inoculation. By Geo. G. Hedgcock (U.S.A. 

 Dep. Agr., Bull. 131, part 3 ; March 1908). — The results of five years' 

 experiments show that the soft galls from almond, apricot, blackberry, 

 cherry, peach, plum, prune, and raspberry have been transferred easily 

 to seedlings of almond, apricot, peach, and raspberry ; less readily to 

 blackberry, cherry, plum, and pear, and with difficulty to apple, chestnut, 

 walnut, and rose. 



The soft galls of apple, chestnut, walnut, rose, and pear have not been 

 transferred readily to any of the plants mentioned. Evidence has been 

 obtained of a wide range of susceptibility in different varieties of the same 

 plant. 



The results of these experiments show that the opportunity presented 

 for breeding and selecting races of plants resistant to this common and 

 destructive disease is excellent. — M. C. C. 



Cypripedium debile. By E. A. Rolfe (Bot. Mag. tab. 8183).— 

 Nat. ord. Orchidaceae, tribe Cypripedieae. China and Japan. Herb 

 4-6 inches high ; leaves broadly ovate ; scapes |-1| inches long ; flowers 

 small, pale green ; sepals and petals with dark purple blotches at base ; 

 lip \ inch long, white. — G. H. 



