BOOKS AND CURRENT LITERATURE 



A Manual of Weeds. — This delightfully written book 1 forms a part 

 of the series of Rural Manuals edited by Dr. L. H. Bailey. The vol- 

 ume begins the subject by denning a weed as "a plant that is growing 

 where it is desired that something else shall grow." The duration of 

 life of the different kinds of weeds is discussed, also some general rules 

 for preventing the growth of weeds, and the financial loss due to weeds. 

 We are told that the loss to Minnesota alone from dockage because of 

 weed seeds amounts to $2,000,000 annually. 



Weeds may be useful because they enforce tillage. This discussion 

 is followed by a brief account of the dissemination of weeds and chemi- 

 cal herbicides. Then follows the descriptive list of the weeds of the 

 United States and Canada. The descriptions are all ample and most 

 of the weeds are figured. These drawings are for the most part excel- 

 lent. It would be difficult to recognize quack grass on p. 62, to dis- 

 tinguish Setaria viridis and Setaria glauca, 32 and 33. To these and a 

 few others detail drawings of the spike and the floret would have aided 

 in recognition. 



A most useful feature of the book is the listing of all common names. 

 Thus for Johnson grass there are given eight English names, for the 

 common horsetail, six. The accepted common name is given in bold 

 faced type followed by the botanical name. This is a most commenda- 

 ble feature. Time of bloom, seed time, range and habitat all precede 

 the description.* In some cases then, the author gives a little history 

 on the introduction of the weed. When poisonous, something is said 

 about its attack on animal and man. When the plant is useful for 

 food or in medicine, the fact is mentioned. This is followed by means 

 of control of the weed. The statements are very concise and will be 

 most helpful to those who are interested in this important subject. 



Some of the plants described are weeds only in a few places in East- 

 ern North America. It is always difficult to draw a sharp line between 



1 Georgia, Ada E., A Manual of Weeds, with descriptions of all of the most 

 troublesome plants in the United States and Canada, their habits of growth 

 and distribution, with methods of control. Pp. 593, 385 illustrations by F. 

 Schuyler Mathews. The Macmillan, Company New York. 1914. 



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