NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



243 



Coffee-bean Weevil, Additional Notes upon the Breeding- of 



the. By E. S. Tucker (Jour. Econ. Entom. vol. 2, pt. 6, pp. 373- 

 381. December 1909). — This weevil (Amecerus fasciculatus De Geer) 

 has been previously recorded attacking the green stems of maize (see 

 Jour. R.H.S., vol. xxxvi. p. 774). It attacks a number of different 

 plants, including the cotton, breeding in the bolls. Some additional 

 notes on its habits are given and a bibliography. — F. J. C. 



Cold Resistance of Alfalfa and some Factors Influencing- it. 



By G. J. Brand and L. E. Waldron {U.S.A. Dep. Agr., Bur. PI. Ind., 

 Bull. 185; September 1910; plates). — The results of a long series of 

 trials of hardiness are reported and it is concluded that lucerne (Alfalfa) 

 " appears to be quite as diverse physiologically as it is botanically, and 

 in the majority of cases botanical or morphological lines of descent 

 seem to have no correlation with the physiological." 



It is thought that several different causes may contribute to the 

 hardiness of different strains, e.g. " in some it may be due to the faculty 

 of becoming dormant at the proper time, in others to the habit of 

 growing from deep-seated crowns, in still others to the power of re- 

 establishing a root system quickly when heaving or freezing has broken 

 off the root." 



By varying the time of cutting so as to leave considerable growth 

 on the field in the autumn, even the strains of inferior hardiness endured 

 though the conditions were severe. 



The authors suggest that seed should be saved from individuals 

 that pass through severe winters unharmed and that this system should 

 be maintained. They bring but little evidence to show that it would 

 be successful. — F. J. G. 



Colours, Handy Notebook of. By M. Chantrier [Jour. Soc. 

 Nat. Hort. Fr.; Ser. 4; vol xi. p. 629; October 1910). — A description 

 of a handy guide for identifying shades of colour, which may be carried 

 in the pocket for outdoor work and used in connexion with the more 

 cumbrous colour- chart now in existence. It was the invention of the 

 author. — M. L. H. 



Columnea Oerstediana (-Bof. Mag. tab. 8344). — Nat. ord. Gesne- 

 riaceae; tribe Cyrtandreae. Gosta Rica. Epiphytic herb, or under- 

 shrub; leaves opposite, 5-8 lines long; flowers axillary, solitary, erect; 

 corolla pink, 3 lines long; stamens 4, exserted. — G. H. 



Coniferae, Remarks on the Oecolog-y of. By Percy Groom 



{Ann. Bot. vol. xxiv. April 1910, pp. 241-268).— The following 

 problems concerning the north temperate Goniferae are discussed: 

 (1) the cause of their xerophytic foliage and tracheidal wood, (2) the 

 cause of their survival in competition with dicotyledonous trees, and 

 (3) the cause of the suppression of many forms in past ages. The 

 author summarizes his results much as follows : The northern ever- 

 green Goniferae are architectural xerophytes in which the extensive 



R 2 



