Spring wheat, variety “Cooperation No. 3”, and winter wheat variety “Jilin”, grown in the field during the autumn in Ghangchun. Some physiological characteristics between them in fall winter period have been investigated. It was found that with the gradual falling in temperature, the growth rate, water content and respiratory rate of spring wheat and winter wheat both decreased; however, the dry weight of subterraneous part and subterraneous main stem, the percentage of bound water and the permeability of them increased as the temperature fell. The physiological characteristics of spring wheat and those of winter wheat under fall winter condition show great differences: the growth rate, water content and respiratory rate of winter wheat being lower than those of spring wheat, the dry weight of subterraneous part and main stem and the percentage of bound water of winter wheat being however, higher than those of spring wheat, the permeability of winter wheat being also more stable. Based on the experimental data, it is concluded that the physiological processes and the colloid property of protoplasm of winter wheat growing under autumn condition rapidly and strongly harden so as to adapt to unfavorable environment.

The life history of Keteleeria evelyniana Mast. has been studied as early as 1939 and since then two articles have been published elsewhere by the senior author. The present investigation deals with the early embryogeny of the species in question. The material was collected in 1957 in the suburb of Kunming. Based upon the observations of both dissected and sectioned preparations, the following results are obtained: 1. The pollen tube discharges its contents including the sperms and other nuclei into the same archegonium. 2. The ventral canal cell is intact during the penetration of the pollen tube. 3. The size of the sperms is variable and the two sperms are either equal or unequal in size. 4. The organization of the proembryo is the same as that of Pinus, namely: it consists of four tiers of four cells each. 5. As soon as the suspensor tier elongates to a certain length, the suspensor is reinforced by the embryonal tubes (secondary suspensor) derived from the posterior end of the embryo proper. Usually 5–6 segments of embryonal tubes are formed in succession before cleavage occurs. Cleavage may take place much earlier in some deviated embryos. 6. Polyembryony is a constant feature during the early embryogeny and the embryos are derived from the following sources: (1) fertilization of more than two archegonia in the same ovule; (2) cleavage of the embryo and (3) formation of the suspensor embryos. 7. Rosette cells divide very rarely. 8. Four phases of embryogeny in Keeleeria are divided as follows. (1) proembryo phase; (2) phase of embryonic selection; (3) phase of embryonic organogenesis; (4) phase of embryo maturation. The possible application of the scheme to other conifers is proposed.

1. The present investigation deals with the embryogenesis and the origin of the polyembryony of Hosta caerulea, These observations will serve as a basis for further experimental studies on the biological meaning of the polyembryony. 2. The development of embryosac of Hosta caerulea belongs to Adoxa type and the development of endosperm to helobial type. Along with the development of zygotic embryo from the fertilized egg the development of adventive embryos is initiated from some epidermal cells of nucellus at the micropylar end by cell divisions. Usually two embryos are developed in the mature seed and during the proembryo stage there are often 3–5, even as many as 7 embryos being developed. 3. The initials of adventive embryos may be recognized as early as embryo-sac stage. These cells are not fertilized but the functional cells are found only around the place where the pollen tube is passing through. 4. The development of adventive embryos usually precedes that of zygotic embryo. Under certain circumstances the zygote is going to degenerate. During the proembryo stage it is occasionally difficult to find the zygotic embryo. However, it is still uncertain whether the two embryos as found in mature seed are all adventive embryos or one of them is the zygotic embryo.

1. Amitosis is of general occurence in different tissues (epidermis, parenchyma, meristematic, and sexual cells) of different organs (root, stem, leaf, and flower) of Allium fistulosum L. 2. The types of Amitosis observed are the following: fission, budding, breaking, endoamitosis and partition. 3. The intercellular migrations of nuclear substances are generally through the passages of plasmodesmata, but the cell wall may dissolve or break open, and the nuclear substances pass through the opening to neighboring cells. 4. Amitosis may occur simultaneously with mitosis, or progress simultaneously with the prophase of mitosis. 5. Differences to stain reaction, affinity to acid and basic dyes of the chromatic substances of the nuclei in different cells in the same root tip, or in different cells in the same locule of pollen sac, or in different nuclei of the same cell, or even in the same nucleus of pollen mother cell, or in different nulcei of pollen grain are observed. Thus the problem of change of acid toward basic affinity to acid and basic dyes of the chromatic substances of old and new nuclei and “Nuclear Renovation” needs further study. 6. Meiois is not normal and the chromosome number observed is variable both in somatic and sexual cells. Is it under the influence of amitosis and intercellular migrations of nuclear substance? Are the phenomena observed contradictory to chromosome theory? The problem needs further study. 7. The nuclear substances of epidermis and guard cells may migrate out of stomata; those of pollen mother cells may migrate to tapetum and empty spaces of pollen sac and those of ripen pollen grain may migrate out, leaving thus empty cell wall degenerated. The notion of intercellular migrations of nuclear substances as a means of translocation of organic material undoubtedly needs further study.