Early  Journal  Content  on  JSTOR,  Free  to  Anyone  in  the  World  
This  article  is  one  of  nearly  500,000  scholarly  works  digitized  and  made  freely  available  to  everyone  in  
the  world  by  JSTOR.    

Known  as  the  Early  Journal  Content,  this  set  of  works  include  research  articles,  news,  letters,  and  other  
writings  published  in  more  than  200  of  the  oldest  leading  academic  journals.  The  works  date  from  the  
mid-­‐seventeenth  to  the  early  twentieth  centuries.    

 We  encourage  people  to  read  and  share  the  Early  Journal  Content  openly  and  to  tell  others  that  this  
resource  exists.    People  may  post  this  content  online  or  redistribute  in  any  way  for  non-­‐commercial  
purposes.  

Read  more  about  Early  Journal  Content  at  http://about.jstor.org/participate-­‐jstor/individuals/early-­‐

journal-­‐content.    

JSTOR  is  a  digital  library  of  academic  journals,  books,  and  primary  source  objects.  JSTOR  helps  people  
discover,  use,  and  build  upon  a  wide  range  of  content  through  a  powerful  research  and  teaching  
platform,  and  preserves  this  content  for  future  generations.  JSTOR  is  part  of  ITHAKA,  a  not-­‐for-­‐profit  
organization  that  also  includes  Ithaka  S+R  and  Portico.  For  more  information  about  JSTOR,  please  
contact  support@jstor.org.  
i9i6] CURRENT LI TERATURE 443

had alreadynoticedthattemperatureaffectstherateof cell division,and con-

sequentlyhe carriedon his experimentsin a large thermostatat a constant
temperatureof 25'. The most extensiveinvestigationwas made upon the
root tips of seedlings of Vicia Faba. From 7:00 P.M. to ii:oo P.M. mitoses
are slightlymorefrequent, and about 4:oo P.M.thereis somediminutionin the
number. Roots ofZea Mays showeda uniform rateofmitosisthroughout the
24 hours. Stem tips of seedlingsof Pisum sativum, grownin the dark at a
temperatureof 25', showed a largernumberof mitosesbetween 9:30 P.M.
and I :30 A.m. By 3:00 A.M. the mitoseswere muchless frequent,and con-
tinued to diminishuntil the minimumwas reachedat 6:00 A.M. Stem tips
of seedlingsof Zea Mays, grownunderthe same conditions,beginto showan
increasein thenumberof mitosesabout io :oo P.M.and a maximumis reached
at 4:00 A.M., afterwhichthe numberdiminishes,reachingthe minimumat
about 8: oo A.M. Whenthe stemtips werelightedfrom6: oo A.M. to 6:0oo P.M.,
by an electriclight,the behaviorwas practicallythe same; but when they
werelightedfrom6:oo P.M. until6:00 A.M. and keptin thedarkfrom6:00 A.M.
until 6:oo P.M., the periodicitywas accentuated; while continuouslighting
made the periodicityless conspicuous.
The generalconclusionis that, so faras mitosisis concerned,rootshave
no periodicity, but stemsshowit in a markeddegree,withthemaximumperiod
in the night. It is evidentthat this investigationsuggestsfurtherworkby
those who,like KARSTEN, have facilitiesforisolatingand controllingfactors.
Whileso manyobservationshave been made upon growth,and so manycurves
have been plotted,the literaturedoes not seem to contain any curves for
mitosis. Growthand cell division are two distinctlydifferent phenomena
whichare oftenconfused,or it mightbe morenearlycorrectto say that the
cell divisionhas been altogetherdisregarded.-C. J. CHAMBERLAIN.
Strobilus of Gnetum.-PEARSONA6 has made a carefulstudyof thepuzzling
inflorescence of the Gnetales,and has added much to our knowledgeof the
facts. Not onlyhave the structuresinvolvedbeen confusing, but the termi-
nologyas well, forhow to apply the termsstrobilusand flowerhas been per-
plexing. Callingtheunit structurea "flower,"and thewholeclustertherefore
an "inflorescence," thefollowingstatementofPEARSON'S resultsmaybe made.
He findsthatwide differences occurwithinthe same speciesin the numberof
staminateflowersproducedin basipetalsuccessionat each node,in G. scandens
thenumberofsuchflowersin a singleinflorescence sometimesbeingas manyas
3ooo. The "antherophore"apparentlyelongatesrapidlyjust beforedehis-
cenceoftheanthers,freeingthemfromtheenvelope. In G. Gnemonthestami-
nate inflorescence "usually bears one or more completefemaleflowers,"and
in somematerialtheseovulateflowersare moreabundantin oldinflores cences,
fromwhichsome or all of the staminateflowershave fallen. In G. scandens,
i6 PEARSON, H. H. WV., A note on the inflorescence
and flowerof Gneturn. Ann.
Bolus HerbariumI: I52-I72. pis. 24-26. I9I5.
444 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [MAY

on the otherhand,incomplete ovulateflowers,whichare verysmalland always

concealedby the staminateflowers,occur in the staminateinflorescence.It
is suggested,therefore, thatG. scandensrepresentsa reductionstageofovulate
flowersin an inflorescence which is becomingstaminate,a pure staminate
inflorescencebeingreachedin G. africanum and G. Buchlholziacutu.Naturally
thissituationsuggeststhatthepresentmonosporangiate ofGnetum
inflorescence
has been derivedfroma bisporangiateinflorescence.It is suggestedfurther
thattheovulateinflorescence was probablyderived"by thearrestof thenodal
meristem by whichthe later formedstaminateflowersare produced." Since
a terminalovulatefloweris of commonoccurrence,such a flowerreplacingthe
consisted
barrentip of the axis, it is suggestedthat the primitiveinflorescence
of "an axis bearinga cupule, a ringof male flowers,and a terminalfemale
floweror a groupofwhichone is terminal,"whichis certainlysuggestiveofthe
strobilusof the Bennettitales. Furtherevidenceis presentedto indicatethat
the staminateflower,commonlythoughtof as a reducedstaminatestrobilus
("anthostrobilus"),probablyhas no such relationship.-J.M. C.
Plant pathologyin the tropics.-Those who have followedthis branch
ofbotanymustbe impressedby the largeamountofworkaccomplishedin the
past fiveyears. In an interesting paper by ASHBY'7we finda discussionof
(i) bud diseasesof the coconut,in whichthe authorexpressestheopinionthat
the bud rot attributedby JOHNSON (U.S. Bur. PI. Ind. Bull. 228) to Bacillus
colimaybe due also to otherspeciesofbacteria; otherspeciesfoundassociated
withthebud rotwereconnectedto thetypegroupsB. carotovous, B. aerogenes,
and B. typlii;(2) a bud decayof the coconutcausedby Thielaviopsis paradoxa,
whichis also the cause of diseasesofbananas, sugarcane, pineapple,and stem
of the coconut; (3) anotherbud decay apparentlycaused by a speciesof Pizy-
toplitliora;(4) severalleaf diseasesdue to Diplodia epicocosCooke, Pestalozzia
palmarumCooke, and otherfungi; (5) several other fungousdiseases of the
root and stemof the coconut; (6) diseases of the cocoa; (7) diseases of the
banana; (8) diseases of the orange. The authorgives good descriptionsof
thediseasesand of theorganisms.
The Department of Agricultureof Jamaica has issued a bulletin on
"Diseases ofplants,"in whichare givenlaws in regardto theintroduction and
spreadofplantdiseases,and ordersconcerning the" Panama disease" or " wilt"
of the banana. This is followedby a descriptionof the disease whichcauses
a breakingdown of the leaves, withor withoutpreviousyellowing,beginning
withtheoldest. The trunkis sometimessplitand thefruitripensprematurely
and is dry,pithy,and withoutflavor. Internallywill be foundmany dark
red streaksextendingfromthe base upwardthroughstemsand leaves. This
conditionis followedby a stinkingsoft rot. The disease is attributedto a
Fusarium,verysimilarin morphology and habit to F. vasinfectunAtk. It is

I7 ASHBY, S. F., Notes on diseases of cultivated crops observed in I9I3-I9I4.

Bull. 8, Dept. Agric. 2:299-327. 1915.