ABSTRACTS. 



1185 



not due to the direct transmission of acquired characters, but to the 

 spontaneous (" selbstthiitige ") reaction of the organism to its surroundings, 

 the strengthening (or weakening) of the venation, coming gradually into 

 -operation, becoming more fixed, and finally maintained. This, we note, 

 is a Neo-Lamarckian conclusion. — M. H. 



Red Cedar, Notes on the. By Charles Mohr, Ph. D. {U.S.A. Dep. 

 Agr. Div. For. Bull. No. 31). — In a truly commercial sense, this may 

 be considered as one of the most useful, valuable, and interesting of forest 

 trees : in fact no wood is more frequently in the hands of civilised man, of 

 • every station of life, than the Red Cedar of his lead pencil. Unfortunately, 

 however, like many other trees, the demand for the Red Cedar is far in 

 ^excess of the supply, and the question of its reproduction and main- 

 tenance is therefore of no little importance, and is at present receiving 

 attention at the hands of the Department of Agriculture. Some idea 

 may be formed of the consumption of Red Cedar wood when it is stated 

 •that for lead pencils alone fully 500,000 cubic feet, the produce of at 

 least 125,000 trees, are annually required. Large quantities are also 

 -consumed in the manufacture of small cooperage — buckets, churns, tubs, 

 &c. — while it has a wide range of application in naval construction and 

 in various mechanical arts and industries. 



North of the Tennessee River the Red Cedar was at one time abun- 

 dant, but the removal, a few years ago, of the cedar pencil works at 

 Gurley clearly points out that the supply of wood for this particular 

 purpose is wellnigh exhausted. 



The present scarcity, coupled with the great importance of a steady 

 and adequate supply, makes systematic forest management of the Red 

 Cedar imperative ; but fortunately it is a tree that readily reproduces 

 itself on suitable soils, is of fairly rapid growth, and not at all subject to 

 disease. In this country the Red Cedar grows with perfect freedom, a 

 specimen felled at Esher, Surrey, having exceeded fifty feet in height, and 

 when measured having been found to contain forty-five feet of excellent 

 timber. In Central Germany the attempt to establish a forest of pure 

 •Cedar has so far met with promising results. — A, D. W. 



Rhododendron Gall, The. By F. Martin Duncan (Gard. Mag. 

 No. 2548, p. 565 ; 30/8/1902). — A somewhat uncommon fungoid disease 

 attacks the European alpine Rhododendrons, B. ferrugineum and B. hir- 

 sutitm, and the fungus called Exobasidium Bhododendri is described by 

 the writer, and illustrations are given showing how the leaves of these 

 Rhododendrons are attacked. Fortunately, the disease does not attack 

 the American and ponticum races, but confines itself chiefly to the less 

 popular species. — W. G. 



Rhododendron ponticum Hybrids. By E. Wocke (Die Gart. 

 p. 161, 3/1/1903, with illustrations). — The author describes Dutch 

 hybrids of 50-60 years ago inferior to those of our time, but perfectly 

 hardy, although in the N.-E. of Germany, in the neighbourhood of 

 Danzig, with its severe arctic winters, the plants have to be protected 

 •during the winter. — G. B. 



