230 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



1 .11 1 lupins to increase when the flower begins to fade ; this latter is due 

 to the commencement of the growth of ovary into fruit. Part TL deals 

 frith the ( 'rassulacea, a family of succulent plants. Succulents have long 

 been known to be peculiar in their absorption and excretion of oxygen 

 and carbonic Mid gas, as well as in their acidity. M. Astruc shows that 

 the acidity (chiefly due to malic acid) increases considerably during dark- 

 ness ; in a leaf partly exposed to full sunlight, the acid-content is distinctly 

 greater in the shaded parts, and less in the exposed parts. This disap- 

 pearance of acids in succulents is not due to their fixation (which goes 

 on slowly), but is due to the processes of respiration and assimilation 

 coupled with the fact that darkness is more favourable to their formation 

 than light. The greatest variations are in the external leaves of the 

 rosettes. The transpiration of Crassulacea succulents is influenced more 

 by the salts present in their organs than by their acid-content. — W. G. S. 



Acrospeira mirabilis, Facts in the Life-history of. By R. H. 



Bitten, M.A. (Trans. Brit. Myc. Soc. 1902; one plate). — This curious 

 mould, found within Spanish Chestnuts, in 1861, by Berkeley has since 

 been credited with being a parasite of the fruit of Castanea. Hence the 

 present note acquires some importance. The paper describes a series of 

 cultures of the mould, on various media, and carrying it on from spore form 

 to -pore form, until it ultimately results in the production of an ascomycete, 

 leading to the conclusion that the mould described by Berkeley as Acrospeira 

 mirabilis is but a stage in the life-history of a Spkceria, and it is suggested 

 again, as it has been suggested before, that a careful study of the life- 

 histories of some of the black moulds, or Dcmaticce, would in all probability 

 show that many more of them are merely stages in the life-history of 

 species belonging to that group. — M. C. C. 



African Flora (continued). By A. Engler (Engl. Bot. Jahrb. xxxiii. 

 1903, pp. 209-384 ; 13 /3 ' 1903).— Comprises mainly a description of 

 in' a genera and species in the following orders of seed-plants ; Capparidacece 

 and Ochltacea, by E. Gilg : Euphorbiacca, by F. Pax ; Verbenacece and 

 Malvacea, by M. Giirke ; TMacea, Stcrculiaccce, Apocynaccce, Asclcpia- 

 dacea, Bignoniacea, Rubiacece, and Commclinaccce, by K. Schumann; 

 and Myristicacea, by O. Warburg. — A. B. B. 



Agave Bakeri. By Sir J. 1). Hooker (Bot. Mag. tab. 7890).— Nat. 

 onl. Amaryllidea, tribe Agavea. Native of Mexico? This has a trunk 

 about 1 ft. high, with a crown of numerous spreading and recurved leaves, 

 and bean a raceme 9 ft. high. The perianth has recurved lobes, pale 

 o- en on border and a dark green median line.— (7. //. 



Agricultural Research and Education in America (U.S.A. 

 Dep. Ayr. Ann. Hop. 1902).— This report contains a summary of the 

 whole of the work undertaken by the Department of Agriculture during 

 1902- tt appears thai -V7H9 persons are employed by the department, 

 and thai the expenditure amounted to #4,503,960 (as compared with 

 02,467,920 in L898). The Weather Bureau expended #1,148,320; 

 »lMiei of other departmental employees amounted to #378,820; the 

 " f publication for distribution #173,000; and the cost of valuable 

 seeds for distribution #270,000. — F. J. C. 



