SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
249 
Anatomy of the Cytinece. — The results of M. Chatin’s investigations 
into the anatomy of these plants maybe thus epitomized : — 1. Tuberous 
tissue is found in the rhizome ( Hydnora ). 2. The cellular tissue is 
disposed in three very distinct concentric zones (rhizome of Hydnora ). 
3. The cortical fibres are absent, and the fibro-woody tissue is exceedingly 
delicate. 4. The vascular bundles are scattered, in the flat stem of 
Hydnora, as in the orobanchs and in monocotyledons. 5. The vessels 
are of two kinds, and are not marked by constrictions, as asserted by 
Meyer. 6. The two forms of direction of the cells in the anther tissue 
are represented here, in Hydnora and Cytinus. 
Chemical Composition of the Brazil Banana . — M. Corenwinder has just 
published an analysis of this fruit, which almost of itself alone consti- 
tutes the food of whole populations in the neighbourhood of the equator. 
Boussingault had already given its qualitative constitution, but here we 
have the quantitative : — 
Water 
Vegetable albumen 
Cellulose 
Fatty matters ... 
Cane and other sugars, organic acids, pectose, \ 
and traces of starch ... ... ... J 
Phosphoric acid, lime, alkalies, iron, chlorine, &c. 
73-900 
4-820 
0-200 
0-632 
19-657 
0-791 
100-000 
The nut had, of course, been previously removed from its husk, which 
was specially analyzed, when its ash was found to contain nearly 48 per 
cent, of carbonate of potash and 25*18 of chloride of potassium. 
Disease of the Colza Plant. — A very formidable malady has of late years 
attacked, the cultivated rape plants of Caen, and threatens to diminish 
the commercial supply of oil. The disease has been very carefully studied 
by M. Isidore Pierre. He selected fifteen plants of both kinds, healthy and 
unhealthy, and taking two leaves from each specimen, he compared the 
normal with the pathologic forms ; from this he was enabled to conclude : 
(1) That the malady prevents the development of organic matter in the 
leaves which have been attacked. (2) That a comparison of equal weights 
(dry or green) of both forms shows an excess of about 20 per cent, of 
nitrogen in the unhealthy leaves. (3) The latter are also richer in mineral 
matters, and especially in phosphoric acid and lime, of which there are about 
80 per cent, more than in the healthy leaves. (4) The tainted leaves also 
possess more soda than the normal ones. (5) In equal weights the two 
varieties contain about the same proportion of salts of potash. In esti- 
mating the total weight of the substances contained by each leaf, his 
results are more interesting. Thus he proved : (1) That the quantity of 
nitrogen in the tainted leaves is one-fifth less than that of the healthy 
leaves. (2) That the total weight of organic matter is about 50 per cent, 
less in the unhealthy leaves than in the same number of healthy ones. 
(3) That the total weight of mineral matters in the unhealthy leaves is 
about one-sixth less than that in the same number of healthy leaves. 
(4) That the unhealthy leaves contain about one-sixth more phosphoric 
