54 BOOKS AND CUERENT LITERATURE 



ening subject of Mycology rather than Plant Pathology alone admits 

 the consideration of many subjects closely related to Plant Pathology 

 concerning which the pathologist should be informed, although they 

 are not ordinarily given space in texts on pathology. This statement 

 applies especially to Part I, Mycology, yet even here the dominant 

 thought of pathology and the general presentation is made with pathol- 

 ogy ever in mind, and the illustrations are in so far as possible drawn 

 from pathogens. The chapters on General Plant Pathology are ex- 

 ceptionally valuable from their broad view point. In Special Plant 

 Pathology the chapter listing specific diseases is long (64 pp.) and is 

 essentially no more than a list, which being available elsewhere might 

 have been omitted without real loss. The "detailed account of spe- 

 cific diseases" is good, concise, clear and reasonably comprehensive, 

 though in many instances important diseases are left without discus- 

 sion, e. g., only two diseases, rust and smut are considered on oats, 

 one only on sweet potato, and one on tobacco. The laboratory exer- 

 cises are helpful, but are largely those of general botany or bacteriology 

 rather than of plant pathology and here especially is the author bur- 

 dened by the breadth of his subject in the attempt to give the tech- 

 nique of micrometry, staining, preparation of culture media, etc., 

 microtome sectioning, photography, the terminology of descriptive 

 bacteriology, etc., etc. These directions in many instances will be 

 found inadequate and had best be learned by the student from several 

 separate books. Yet even here there is much that is valuable for ref- 

 erence. Particularly^ useful is the list of media, with directions for 

 making them, including several not readily accessible in all laboratories. 

 This book is well illustrated, the figures being in the main good. 

 The diagrams are especially valuable. Very rich bibliographies ac- 

 company the text. Mechanically, typographically and rhetorically the 

 book is commendable, though a few minor lapses in accuracy occur; 

 on p. 488, "Alterniose" is given for "Alternariose;" on p. 644, it is 

 said that lettuce drop "may be inoculated by means of the sclerotia 

 of fungus, or by the mycelium laid upon the surface of scarified areas 

 of the leaf." Mature sclerotia will in reality germinate only by form- 

 ing ascospores, the mycelium is very short-lived, and scarification of 

 the leaf is not necessary; on p. 646, Neocosmospara is recognized as the 

 ascigerous stage of the wilt of cotton, etc. This was disproved by both 

 Higgins and Butler. The book is perhaps not quite so nearly up to 

 date as might be wished, e. g., on p. 118, Urophhjctis alfalfae is re- 

 corded as of South America and Germany, Spongospora subteranea is 



