1912] The Ottawa Naturalist. 119 



Plant Breeding in Scandinavia.- By L. H. Newman, 

 B.S.A.. Canadian Seed Growers' Association, Ottawa, 1912; 

 193 pp., with 63 illustrations (photographs, diagrams and tables) 

 in the test. Price $1 (cloth $1.50). 



In this book the author, for many reasons, has confined 

 his investigations largely to the work which is being prosecuted 

 at the plant breeding station at Svalof, in southern Sweden. 

 This work became known to English speaking nationalities 

 chiefly through Hugo de Vries' well known book "Plant Breed- 

 ing," published in Chicago, 1907; but unfortunately the in- 

 formation given in the said book, and the conclusions drawn 

 from statements made, were not in full accordance with the 

 actual work and results at Svalof. The same can be said, 

 more or less, of practically all accounts of the above work 

 published outside of Scandinavia. 



Anv charges of the kind indicated cannot be laid against 

 the book presented by Mr. Newman. On the contrary, the 

 statements made and the conclusions drawn are in most perfect 

 accord with the actual facts and can therefore be accepted with 

 absolute confidence. The accuracy and completeness with 

 which the different problems have been treated, do the author 

 the greatest credit. They are due to his efforts "to know 

 what is true in order to do what is right," a most difficult task 

 in this particular case, as practically all original publications 

 on the breeding work at Svalof are published in Swedish, a 

 language which it requires hard and untiring efforts to become 

 familiar with. 



The book deals not only with the plant breeding methods, 

 as they have been developed in Scandinavia, but it also gives 

 in concise form a general survey of the different theories on 

 which breeding methods are based. For this reason it becomes 

 of interest to all students in any Avay connected with the study 

 of breeding in general. 



M. O. Malte. 



Ontario Natural Science Bulletin, 1912; Journal of 

 the, Wellington Field Naturalists' Club, Guelph, Ont. 



We were glad to receive, recently, Bulletin No. 7, of the 

 above club. This annual publication contains contributions 

 of much interest to naturalists in Canada. In the present issue 

 of 77 pages, the following articles appear: The Myxos of Middle- 

 sex, by John Dearness; The Plant Formations of the Bruce 

 Peninsula, by A. B. Klugh ; Ginseng and its Diseases, by H. H. 

 Whetzel ; The Rosacea? and Leguminosae of Gait, Ont. and Vicinity, 

 by W. Herriot ; Jungle Life on the Hills of South India, by 

 G. J. Spencer; Liliaceae of County Peel, by J. White; The 



