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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
then again encircling a prolonged axis with minute bracts and rudimentary 
flowers. The smallest of these tertiary flower-buds examined measured 
l-jig- inch in diameter, and consisted merely of a central dome or pimple of 
cellular tissue, encircled at the base by a shallow cup, whose edge was 
slightly three-lobed, the lobes indicating possibly the future sepals. In other 
minute buds the central dome was surrounded at the base by a foim, five, or 
six-lobed cup. So far as Mr. Masters is aware, these flowers present the only 
recorded instance of median floral proliflcation in Orchids. — Vide The J ournal 
of Botany j November. 
The Process of Ripening in the Corn-grain. — A memoir upon this subject, 
which possesses features of interest both for the agriculturist and botanist, 
was presented a couple of months since to the French Academy. The writer, 
M. Isidore Pierre, endeavoured to show the relation which exists between 
the various constituents of an ear of com, in regard to increase in weight. 
His experiments were made upon plants in which the process of fertiliza- 
tion had terminated, and in which the seed could be separated from the 
surrounding husk, and w'ere carried out upon specimens of various ages, 
intervening between the stage alluded to and the fully matured condition. 
The results of his inquiries go to prove that, up to the latest moment the 
grain continues to increase in weight, as also does the entire ear ; but that 
those portions of tissue which surround the seed undergo a diminution of 
weight proportionally to their age. Thus, while a certain volume of com cut 
on the 25th July weighed 2735’6 kilogrammes, that gathered on the 6th of the 
same month weighed only 1537T kilogrammes. This shows the absolute in- 
crease ; but the relative change is still more remarkable. In the volume col- 
lected on the 5th of July, the grains alone weighed 755 kilogrammes, and the 
other parts, taken together, 781 '4 kilogra mm es ; but in that examined on the 
25th of the same month the weight of grain amounted to 2070*4 kilogrammes, 
whilst that of the surroimding parts did not exceed 665*2 kilogrammes. 
The important feature in this observation is the absence of a direct ratio of 
increase to decrease. Hence follows the important conclusion, that, in the 
process of ripening, the grain does not derive its increased weight of matter 
solely from the surrounding parts. According to M. Pierre’s ideas, the 
supply of additional matter is derived from the stem, and especially from 
that division of the upper portion which lies between the ear and the first 
upper joint or node. Another of the writer’s observations relates to the 
relative quantities of mineral matter and nitrogen which the dried grain 
possesses when the plant has been cut early and late respectively in the 
season. In the specimens gathered on the 5th he found, per kilogramme, 
25 grammes of mineral matter and 18 grammes of nitrogen, but in those 
collected on the 25th he found but 19 grammes of mineral matter and as 
many as 22 grammes of nitrogen. — Vide Comptes Rendus, October 31st. 
Importance of the Study of the Development of the Algce. — A very valuable 
article which, under another title, bears most decidedly upon the necessity 
of studying the development of the so-called unicellular plants, in order to 
lead to their correct identifi.cation, has been contributed to science by Dr. 
Braxton Hicks’s, F.R.S., Commentary on Mr. Archer’s beautiful papers upon 
Palmoglcea, abstracts of which will be found in Yol. III. of this Keview. 
He shows that no one set of characters is sufficient to prove the individuality 
