4 i 8 Lawson . — The Gametophytes , Fertilization and 
definite rearrangement of these two families, it might be well to complete, 
as far as possible, the history of the gametophytes and embryo of some 
of the most important forms, and this is one of the objects of the present 
investigations on Cryptomeria Japonic a. 
Arnold! (’01) is the only writer who has recorded any important 
observations on the gametophytes of Cryptomeria, and his account is very 
incomplete. He finds that the archegonia are arranged just as in the 
Cupresseae, with a common jacket surrounding the group, but he reports 
that no ventral canal-nucleus is formed. The pollen-tube is very like that 
of the Cupresseae. As soon as fertilization is accomplished, the fusion- 
nucleus passes to the bottom of the archegonium, where a number of free 
nuclei are organized. Cell- walls are formed about the lower nuclei. 
These cells and nuclei are now arranged in three tiers, the lowest one of 
which forms the embryo and the middle one the suspensors. The upper 
tier consists of free nuclei. 
Methods. 
Growing on the campus of Stanford University, there are about 
a dozen young trees of Cryptomeria Japonica. Collections of cones from 
these trees furnished most of the material upon which the following investi- 
gation is based. Two trees growing near the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory 
at Pacific Grove furnished the rest of the material. The collections were 
made during the years 1901, 1902 and 1903. During the period of the 
development of the seed, from October until the following J uly. collections 
were made almost daily. Although the trees are young they produce an 
abundance of male and female cones every year. 
The following fixing fluids were employed : 
1. plemming’s strong solution. 
2. Flemming’s weak solution. 
3. Flemming’s strong solution diluted with one part water. 
4. Chrom-acetic mixture. 
5. Chromic acid i°/ o sol. 
Of these, Flemming’s weak solution, and strong solution diluted with one 
volume of water, gave the most satisfactory results, but very good prepara- 
tions were also obtained by the chrom-acetic mixture. The larger quantity 
of osmic acid in the strong solution of Flemming caused a considerable 
shrinkage of the protoplasm and altogether proved unsatisfactory. When 
this solution was diluted with water the shrinkage was very much 
diminished, and very good preparations were obtained. 
The fixing fluids were invariably taken into the field and the material 
was killed as soon as the dissections were made. For the early stages the 
young ovules were removed and killed without further dissection, but after 
pollination the integument was removed and the nucellus alone was fixed. 
