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I919] CURRENT LITERATURE 275

intakeof waterby the rootsand its transpiration fromthe leaves have been
muchinvestigated, but " thebehaviorofthewoodas theintervening conducting
channelhas almostentirelybeenneglected." The methodused was to measure
the amountofwaterpassingin a giventimeand at standardpressurethrougha
definitelengthoftwig,the area ofthe cross-sectionofthewood beingcarefully
measured. The paper includestwo parts, one dealing with evergreensand
the otherwithdeciduousplants.
Some oftheresultsare as follows. The specificconductivityofevergreens
is relativelylow, whilethat of deciduousplantsis relativelyhigh,and witha
higherfluctuation. Some of the deciduous trees are more influencedby
environmentalconditionsthan are others. Considerable difference, in a
loweringof conductivity, was foundbetweenthe adult wood of the tree and
that of "leaders" of youngtrees,a difference whichbecomes "exaggerated"
in themainshootof mostclimbers. The wood ofarborescent monocotyledons
was foundto be defectivein water-conductivity.The factssuggestthat the
lowerconductivity of evergreensmay be attributedto theirnarrowand short
vessels.-J. M. C.
The Journalof General Physiology.-Many will welcomea new journal
of generalphysiology.'3Both plant and animalphysiology from
have suffered
being too littlerelatedand treatedas distinctsubjects. Such a publication
willaid in bringingthemintocloserrelation. This journalis sureof sufficient
financialsupportand no doubt able editorship. Its aim is stated as follows:
" TheJournalofGeneralPhysiology is devotedto theexplanationoflifephenom-
ena on the basis of the physicaland chemicalconstitutionof livingmatter."
The firstnumbercontainsthe followingarticles: On the dynamicsof photo-
synthesis,W. J. V. OSTERHOUT and A. R. C. HAAS; A methodof studying
respiration,W. J. V. OSTERHOUT; The antagonismbetween thyroidand
parethyroidglands,E. UHLENHUTH; Differencein the action of radiumon
greenplants in the presenceand absence of light,C. PACKARD; Amphoteric
colloids,J. LOEB; A theoryof the mechanismof disinfection, hemolysis,and
similarprocesses,S. C. BROOKS; The law controlling the quantityofregenera-
tion of the stemof Bryophyllum calycinum,J. LOEB; Reversalof reactionby
means of strychnine in planariansand starfish,H. R. MOORE; Light and the
muscletonus of insects; the heliotropicmechanism,WV.E. GARREY; Lutear
cells 'and hen-feathering, ALICE M. BORING and T. H. MORGAN.-WM.
CROCKER.

in Oenothera.-ISHIKAWA14 has investigated

Embryosac and fertilization
the behaviorofthe gametophytes phenomenain 0. nutans
and thefertilization

The Journalof GeneralPhysiology,editors,JACQUES

'3 LOEB and W. J.V. OSTER-
HOUT. Published bimonthlyby the RockefellerInstitute for Medical Research.
Vol.I. No. i. September i9i8. Subscription
$5 .00.
in Oenotlkera.Ann.
14 ISHIKAWA, M., Studies on the embryosac and fertilization
Botany 32:279-3I7. pI. 7. figs. I4. i9i8.
276 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [MARCH

and 0. pycnocarpaand theirhybrids,both of which species were formerly

included in 0. biennis. Many valuable confirmatory details need not be
cited,but the followingmay be mentioned. The embryosac is 4-nucleate,
lackingantipodalsand one of the polar nuclei,and this conditionwas found
not onlyin Oenothera, but also in Ludwigia,Gaura,Godetia,and Circaea. The
authorregardsit as a diagnosticcharacterof Onagraceae,and therefore would
exclude Trapa, withits normal8-nucleatesac, fromthe family. This condi-
tion in Onagraceaehe thinksmay have been producedby mutation,but not
by adaptation. The pollentube entersthe synergidand the "mixed plasma"
flowsout and spreadsover the egg. The cytoplasmof the pollen grainwas
foundto containan immensenumberof minutestarchgrains,whichmigrate
throughthe pollentube,enterthe synergid,and finallydisappear. The male
nucleusis inclosedin a distinctplasma sheathuntil it reachesthe egg. The
synergid and theuppertwo-thirds oftheegghave a distinctcellulosemembrane,
of some
the lowerpart of the egg acquiringit afterfertilization.Self-sterility
hybridsis said to be due to thefeeblegrowthofthepollentube.-J. M. C.
Histologyofphloem.-Therehas been a tendencyin recentyearsto assume
thatthedoctrineofrecapitulation is a law as valid and invariableas thelaws of
physicsand chemistry, and to use it as a reliableshortcut in the studyof the
evolutionofplants. However,it is to be emphasizedthata law is a statement
of fact,not a theoryor workinghypothesis. If the doctrineof recapitulation
and similargeneralizationsare to be acceptedas truelaws theymustbe capable
of statisticalor experimentalproof. MAcDANIELS'5 pointsout that,although
in a considerablenumberof woodydicotylswhichhe studiedthereis no funda-
mentaldifference betweenthe type of sieve tube foundin seedlingsand first
annual ringsand thatfoundin the maturecondition,the remaining formspos-
sess a presumablyless primitivetypeof structurein the earlierthan the later
stagesof ontogeny. Furthermore, he showsthat thereis no close parallelism
in thespecializationofsieve tubes,vessels,and floralstructures. It has beena
commonmorphologicalfallacy to assume that because the evolutionof a
selectedstructureprogressesapparentlyin a given directionthe sums of all
structures(organisms)are moving in a similar direction. MAcDANIELS'
comprehensive and painstakingpiece of workis a valuable contribution to our
knowledgeof the histologyof phloem.-I. W. BAILEY.
Enzymesecretion.-The influenceof such inorganicsalts as the nitrates,
chloridesulphates,and monobasicphosphatesof sodiumand potassium,and
the chloridesand sulphatesof calcium and magnesiumon the secretionof
diastase by Penicilliim cacembertiihas been investigatedby ROBBINS.'6

Is MAcDANIELS, L. H., The histologyofthe phloemin certainwoodyangiosperms.

Am. Jour.Bot. 5:347-378. i9i8.
i6 ROBBINS, W. J.,Influenceof certainsalts and nutrientsolutionson the secretion

of diastase by Penicilliumcamnemnbertii.Amer.Jour.Bot. 3: 234-260. i9i6.