132 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



ject common sense into what is now too often a matter of 

 sentiment. 



BOOKS AND WRITERS 



"American Plant Names'" is being mailed to adxance sul)- 

 scribers of the work. * * * Now one may find amuse- 

 ment in discovering which of the 63 lilies, 66 oaks, 61 violets 

 or 68 thistles his region contains. * * * There are ten 

 thousand names distributed among al^out seventeen hundred 

 species. * * * Even the most unassuming plant may fall 

 heir to several. * * * There are 63 plants named for 

 the Indian and 71 others connected with the rattlesnake or 

 snakes in general. * * * ^\^^^\ ^\^q ]\^^ actually contains a 

 blue dandelion i * * * But all the names are now an- 

 chored to the correct technical terms and that's that! * * === 

 The book is not a reprint of "Plant Names and their Mean- 

 ings" as some seem to think.* * * We hear that James P. 

 l^erry has issued "North American Woodlot Trees". * * * 

 The Wiley's also announce as ready "American Forage 

 Plants" by Arthur W. Sampson and [tromise a "Textbook in 

 General Botany" by Holman and Robbins in August. * * * 

 A little 93-page book by J. B. S. Haldane of Cambridge Uni- 

 versitv will likely interest philosophical readers. * * * Its- 

 title is "Daedalus" and it deals with the science of the future. 

 * * * If all comes to pass that could come to pass, this 

 world is in for some remarkable transformations. * * * 

 Iv P. Dutton is the publisher. * * * Col. W. B. Thomp- 

 son is about to start a new arboretum for desert i)lants in 

 the vicinity of Phoenix, Arizona. * * * Looks as if we 

 would soon have first-hand information on the fine points of 

 the cacti ! 



