NOTES AND ABSTEACTS. 



353 



type of the order to which the genus belongs (Papaveraceae), and the 

 woodcuts; the parents concerned, Argemone mexicana and A. platy- 

 ceras, and the modifications of the offspring obtained in the second 

 generation, which varied very widely in habit and colour and shape, 

 some of the flowers being more or less double, and the colour usually 

 of a bright yellow, varying considerably also. — C T. D. 



Asparagus, Enemies of. By W. J. Goverts {Garten flora, 

 vol. Ixi., pt. xi., pp. 253-255). — The larvae of the Owl moths, Mamestra 

 oleraceae and M. chenopodii, attack the stems of asparagus both above 

 and below ground. The moths are destroyed by means of petroleum 

 lanterns, provided with openings. At the bottom is a receptacle con- 

 taining treacle. The asparagus-fly, Platyparea poeciloptera, produces 

 grubs in April and May, which bore into the stems and penetrate to 

 the roots, causing the foliage to fade and the roots to decay. Burn the 

 old stalks, catch the flies by inserting in the asparagus-bed wooden 

 pegs smeared with liquid glue. The beetles Crioceris asparagi and 

 G. duodecimpunctata are well-known pests. Asparagus-rust {Puccinia 

 asparagi) attacks the stems and foliage. Rhizoctonia violacea attacks 

 the roots. The diseased parts are cut away and permanganate of potash 

 is applied to the wounds. Peziza Fuckeliana lives in the stems. 

 Attacked stems must be cut down and burned. — S. E. W. 



Aspens, their Growth and Management. By W. G. Weigle 

 and E. H. Frothingham (U.S.A. Dep. Agr., Forest Service, Bull. 93; 

 May 31, 1911). — These are treated from a purely economic point of 

 view, their value in that way being very considerable. Pulp wood 

 logging has depleted the North American forests of much of their 

 popular timber, but the trees spring up so readily where forest fires 

 have occurred that the amount still available is quite considerable. 



A. D. W. 



Bacteriologrical Studies of the Soils of the Truckee-Carson 



Irrigation Project. By K. F. Eellerman and E. R. Allen {U.S.A. 

 Dep. Agr., Bur. PI. Ind., Bull. 211, April 1911).— The soil investi- 

 gated was an arid one, and attempts were made to determine the 

 activities of the ammonifying, nitrifying, and denitrifying bacteria 

 especially. These types of bacteria were well represented in the soil 

 and universally distributed, becoming physiologically active as soon as 

 favourable conditions were provided. Lack of proper decay, &c., is 

 due to unfavourable bacterial conditions brought about by certain 

 physical and chemical conditions. Nitrification is active at greater 

 depths than in Eastern soil, and is intense, while the conditions rarely 

 favour denitrification.— F. J. C. 



Bambarra Ground-Nut, Voandzeia subterranea (L.) Thon., 

 The Home of. By H. Harms {Not. Konig. Bot. Berlin, vol. v. 

 No. 49, pp. 253-258; June 1912).— A great deal of uncertainty exists 

 regarding the actual habitat of the Bambarra ground-nut {Voandzeia 

 subterranea). Linnaeus described this species, and gives its home as 



