130 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



America of the fungus Exoascus filicinus {Taphrina filicina Eostr.) is 

 reported, its host being the fern Dryopteris acrostichoides, on the 

 fronds of which it produces well-defined yellowish areas up to a 

 centimetre wide. Hitherto the fungus had been reported only from 

 Sweden, on Polystichum spinulosum. — j^. J. C. 



Farm Seeds, Testing" in Home and Rural School. F. H. Hill- 

 man {U.S.A. Dep. Agr., Farmers' Bull. 428, p. 47, Feb. 1911; 

 82 figs.). — The author justifies the publication of the bulletin by a 

 reference to the am^ount of adulteration carried on by some seed firms, 

 and the need of an easy means of checking it. 



The apparatus recommended consists of a stand magnifying-glass, 

 a balance (particulars of a cheap and fairly easily home-made one are 

 given), saucers and cloth for germination tests. 



The author classifies impurities as follows : (a) inert matter ; 

 (b) harmless weed seeds; (c) noxious weed seeds. The rest of the 

 bulletin gives general methods of testing, and also a few examples of 

 tests of particular samples of seed. 



Descriptions and diagrams (magnified and natural size) are given of 

 various weed seeds. — W. W. 



Fern-Cultures. By H. Fischer (Beih. Bot. Cent. Bd. 27, Abt. i. 



Heft 1, pp. 54-62 ; with 2 figs.).— The author sowed fern spores in 

 water cultures, and found most suitable for the purpose Meyer's solu- 

 tion (1 per cent. K^HPO^, .03 per cent. MgSO^, .01 per cent. GaCl^, 

 .01 per cent. NaOl, .001 per cent. Fe20l6), with an addition of .1 per 

 cent. NH4. NO3. He found it possible to raise fern plants 3-4 cm. in 

 height by this means, and could then plant them in peat or loam. He i 

 found that spores of Polypodium vulgare germinated in the dark, but 

 points out that in no case has it been proved that darkness favours the 

 germination of fern spores. — G. F. S. E. ) 



Fern-prothallia, Distribution of Sex in. By D. M. Mottier I 

 (Bot. Gaz. pp. 209-213, Sept. 1910).— -Spores of Onoclea Struthiopteris | 

 produce three kinds of prothaUia, small with antheridia only, larger if 

 with archegonia only, and also others with both antheridia and arche- j 

 gonia. The author thinks it probable that the sexual tendency is (| 

 determined in the spore, and is not due to conditions of nutrition. h 



G. F. S. E. jl 



Ferns, Imbedded Sexual Cells in. By M. 0. Ferguson {Bot. i 

 Gaz. pp. 443-8, June 1911 ; 2 plates).-— Describes deep-seated antheridia 1 

 and archegonia in Pteris sp. — G. F. S. E. 



Fertilizers for Special Crops. By A. F. Woods and R. B. B. 

 McKenney {U.S.A. Dep. Agr., Year Book 1902, pp. 553-73, reprint). ' 

 This deals with the soils and manures most suitable for growing 

 roses, violets, carnations, chrysanthemums, tomatos, and lettuce under 

 glass. By using a mixture of coal ashes and peat it was found that' 



