THE PLANT WORLD 77 



NOTES ON CURRENT 

 LITERATURE 



Recent advance sheets from the Report of the Missouri Botanical 

 Garden, Vol. 12, contain descriptions of a new Agave from Arizona (A. 

 Treleas'd), by Professor J. W. Toumey, and a new cristate variety of the 

 cliff-brake {Pellaea atropurparea crisfafa), by Dr. William Trelease. 

 Both papers are accompanied by excellent plates made from photo- 

 grajihs. 



A catalogue of the flowering plants and ferns gro^\ang without cul- 

 tivation in the vicinity of Grand Rapids, Michigan, by Emma J. Cole, 

 has recently been issued. It is carefully prepared, and reflects credit 

 on the compiler for the excellent general arrangement, the full citations 

 of habitat and locality, and the neat typography. The introduction 

 contains chapters on the geology and geography of the region, together 

 with its ecology, a discussion of Avhich alwaj-s adds interest to a local 

 flora. The Index Kewensis is adopted as the guide for nomenclature, 

 a somewhat remarkable innovation, since the Index departs quite 

 wddely from the usage of Gray's Manual, and hence is not closely fol- 

 lowed by even conservative American botanists. 



Farmers' Bulletin No. 121, of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

 on "Beans, Peas, and Other Legumes as Food," is similar in scope to a 

 number of popular bulletins published by the Dei)artment, summariz- 

 ing the available information on different food materials which enter 

 largely into the diet of most families. It was prepared under the direc- 

 tion of the Director of the Oflice of Experiment Stations by Mrs. Mary 

 Hinman Abel who has made an extensive study of the literature of the 

 subject, and has also embodied the results gained by practical experi- 

 ence and many experiments, some of which were undertaken especially 

 in connection with this bulletin. The geographical distribution of the 

 legiime family, representatives of Avhich are found in all climates and 

 countries, is given, and their nutritive value, nitrogeneus constituents, 

 and digestibility are discussed. Vegetable protein is compared with 

 animal protein, the various species of beans and peas are described, the 

 many ways of preparing them for food are noted, and a table is given 

 showing the comparative value of legumes in relation to their cost. 



