490 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
Mr. J ames Breen has also died at an early age, since our last summary was 
written. 
BOTANY. 
j Effects of Fungi in Flowering Plants. — M. C. Davaine presented a memoir 
on this subject to the French Academy at one of its recent meetings. His 
observations were confined to the effects of some half-dozen species, and refer 
in greater part to the discolouration which they produce. Fungi develop 
themselves on fruits with greater or less facility, according as they are hard 
or soft, sweet or acid. It sometimes happens, too, that one mould which has 
just attacked a fruit is succeeded by another species, for which, as it were, it 
has prepared the way. Certain fruits, such as the cucumber, and certain fatty 
plants, as Stapelia, oppose the inoculation of fungi by means of a peculiar 
gummy fluid, which surrounds the spores and prevents their development. 
Humidity is the most favourable condition to the development of these parasitic 
fungi M. Davaine inoculated sound apples with the spores of Penidlium ; 
some he kept in a dry and others in a moist atmosphere. The former 
remained uninjured, but the latter were soon invaded by the fungus. Hence 
he concludes that apples, pears, and wall-fruit may be kept for any length of 
time if entirely excluded from air, as by immersion in oil. He remarks, how- 
ever, that fruit may rot even when it contains no trace of fungi. The “ rot ” 
determined by a Mucor or Penicillium offers certain distinctive features of 
consistence and colouration, and in rapidity of development. The other 
Muceclinece produce “ rots ” having special characters. An Helminthosporium 
which attacks the carrot gives a black rot ; a Selenosporium , which M. Davaine 
has found in the carrot, and which he has propagated on this and other plants, 
gives a fine red colour to the vegetable tissue ; whilst the “ rot ” developed in 
this plant by a Mucor or Penicillium has no distinct colour. From his various 
researches M. Davaine concludes as follows : — The common moulds which 
develop themselves on inert organic substances may also attack living 
organisms. It is not necessary that these organisms should have been pre- 
viously in an unhealthy condition for the invasion of the fungus to take place. 
The consequence of the development of these fungi is the condition known 
as rot or decay, which consists in the invasion of all the tissues by the spawn 
of the fungi. — Comptes Bendus , Aug. 20th. 
Spontaneous Generation. — The controversy upon spontaneous generation has 
again been opened. This time M. Donne, one of the old opponents, has 
become the advocate. He alleges that the air found in hen-eggs, after being 
heated to destroy all traces of organic life, produced mould in large quantity. 
The eggs were first washed, dried, and surrounded with “ carded cotton,” and 
were then heated to 150° centigrade. A needle, previously heated_to pre- 
vent germs attaching themselves to it, was then driven into the top of each 
egg. All the eggs thus pierced were surrounded by hot coals, and the whole 
were covered with a bell-glass. The development of the fungi took place in 
about a month after this operation. M. Pasteur thinks the experiment 
recorded by M. Dormi to be of too loose and unprecise a character to have 
any importance. — Yide a Paper read before the French Academy , Aug. 13th. 
An anomalous Structure of the Boots of Myrrhis odorata has been recorded 
