NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 
209 
in poor soil, can resist great cold, requires very little attention , and is both nouris h 
ing and generally relished. This list of good qualities seems to mark it out as a 
suitable war-time crop. — M. L. H. 
Assimilation of Iron by Rice in Nutrient Solutions. By P. L. Gile and J. O. 
Carrero (U.S.A. Jour, of Agr. Res. vol. vii. No. 12, Dec. 1916, pp. 503-528). — 
Rice was grown in acid, neutral, and alkaline solutions with different quantities 
of iron to determine if rice was sensitive to the reaction of the substance, and 
if this reaction influenced the assimilation of iron. 
In nearly all cases growth was much better in the nutrient solutions con- 
taining 'Oo8 grm. of iron per litre than in solution containing '002 grm. per litre, 
FeS0 4 , ferric citrate, and ferric tartrate afforded sufficient iron when used in 
acid and alkaline solutions for the growth of the plants. 
Plants grown in the acid solutions contained the highest percentages of iron ; 
those in neutral solutions contained higher percentages of iron than those in 
alkaline solutions, but the percentages of nitrogen , phosphoric acid ,lime, magnesia, 
and carbon -free ash in plants did not vary appreciably in six different solutions. 
The amount of available iron could not be determined analytically because 
of the impossibility of distinguishing between colloid and soluble iron. Calcu- 
lations, however, showed that the concentration of available iron in many cases 
must have been less than one part in 10,000,000 of solution. 
A short bibliography is appended. — A. B. 
Astilbe Taequeti. By S. Mottet (Rev. Hort. vol. Ixxxviii. pp. 188-189 
1 plate). — Astilbe Taequeti was raised from seed collected in east China. It is a 
hardy and vigorous plant about thirty inches high. About the beginning of 
July it bears numerous small flowers of a lilac hue in panicles. — 5. E. W. 
Beech Disease caused by Bulgaria polymorpha. By R. J. Tabor and K. 
Barratt (Ann. Appl. Biol. iv. p. 20 ; Sept. 1917). — The symptoms of the attack 
upon the beech are the exudation of a brown gummy liquid from various points 
in the bark, the bark is killed, and the life of the tree threatened ; the living 
diseased trees are rendered unsightly by the gum. The parasitism of the 
organism was investigated, and the indications point to it being a bark parasite, 
but healthy young trees resisted infection. — F. J. C. 
Bees, Isle of Wight Disease (Nosema apis), Recommendations to Reduce this 
Disease. By F. R. Beuhne (Jour. Agr. Vict. Oct. 1917). — (1) Not to locate 
hives in shady places. (2) To keep the ground around the hives bare and clean. 
(3) To keep water from penetrating the hives during winter. (4) To re-queen 
all colonies which,from no visible cause, lag behind the average, and are therefore 
possibly disease carriers. (5) To use for re-queening only queens from stocks 
which, by their yields of honey, due to the longevity of the workers, have proved 
their resistance to disease. — C. H. H, 
Berberis levis. By Dublin (Irish Gard. xii. p, 20). — A desirable robust- 
Chinese shrub growing to the height of six feet or more. Produces yellow 
flowers in clusters in the spring. — E. T, E. 
Black Currant Eelworm. By Miss A. M. Taylor (Jour. Agr. Sci. vol. viii. 
2, pp. 246-275 ; 1 fig., 1 pi.). — This ecto-parasite, a member of the group An- 
guillulidae, has hitherto escaped attention, owing to the fact of its close associa- 
tion with the black currant mite with which it lives in unison. It has recently 
caused much damage in plantations near Cambridge. The symptoms produced 
by the two parasites are very similar in certain respects, and the nematode is 
responsible for at least an equal share of the damage hitherto attributed wholly 
to the mite. Both attack the bud ; in the life-history of both there is a period 
when a nomadic existence is led, while the buds are in a rudimentary condition, 
followed by a longer period spent in the developing and mature buds. Both 
gain entrance to the buds between the scale leaves ; both reproduce throughout 
the year. On the other hand, the nematode does not produce " big-bud." 
Also bud leaves attacked by the worm show isolated discoloured areas, which are 
moist and transparent, and these appearances may occur throughout the year, 
whereas the discoloured tissue due to the mite is opaque, and is usually noted 
only in the fall of the year. Further, the mites migrate from the buds definitely 
in the spring (there may be, however, individual migration in the summer and 
autumn). The nematodes, on the other hand, are driven to migrate at frequent 
intervals as soon as the buds which they have attacked die. 
The diameter of the nematode does not at the most exceed half that of the 
mite. Hence it has no difficulty in entering the bud. They are gregarious, 
vol. xliii, p 
