THE PLANT WORLD 313 



Methods Used for Controlling and Reclaiming Sand Dunes ' ' * and 

 " Reclamation of Cape Cod Sand Dunes "t are the titles of two especially- 

 interesting papers on an aspect of applied ecology which is illustrative of 

 the application of the knowledge of the natural history of plants to matters 

 of economic importance — the reclamation of land otherwise useless and 

 the prevention of loss of useful land by sand movement. The illustra- 

 tions are well chosen to convey knowledge on this subject. For example, 

 in Mr. Westgate's paper the interaction of two plants, the beach-grass 

 and the bayberr3^ is strikingly shown. Thus, the bayberry alone grows 

 badly, and is unable to hold the sand, so that the roots become in part 

 exposed. By planting beach-grass, sufficient protection is afforded so 

 that the bay-berry is enabled to thrive and to produce abundant foliage. 

 In Mr. Hitchcock's paper the plates illustrate the methods used in 

 various parts of Europe in reclaiming and in fixing dunes. In ele- 

 mentary classes to which ecology is taught, such articles as these are 

 profitable scientificall}^ and equally so in indicating the practical appli- 

 cation of botany. 



"The Method of Botanical Instruction " + is the title of a book by 

 Dr. Felix Kienitz-Gerloff, Professor in the School of Agriculture at Weil- 

 burg, Germany, which presents in much detail the educational situation 

 in that country as regards botany (pp. 1-29) and sets forth the aims and 

 methods of botanical teaching (pp. 29-99) as understood by the author. 

 In a third part (pp. 103-276) various elementary courses — preparatory, 

 morphological-systematic, physiological-anatomical, cryptogamic, and 

 sexual-physiological are gone into extensively. Here the question-answer 

 scheme of illustrating class procedure is used to some extent. The use 

 of the book to American teachers lies chiefly in enabling them to get a 

 view of the condition of botanical teaching in Germany at its best. A 

 digest of its more important features will be published later. 



A PAMPHLET containing ' ' A Key to the Genera of the Forest Trees 

 of Indiana based chiefly upon Leaf Characters ' ' has been published by 

 Stanley Coulter and H. B. Dormer. The many teachers and students 

 who so often wish to cultivate the ability to identify the trees when 

 divested of their summer attire will find the little work of much help. 

 It has been used by the authors in large classes, and has proved its worth, 

 which is, of course, not restricted merely to the political limits of the 

 State appearing in the title. It may be had by addressing the author at 

 Lafayette, Ind. 



*By A. S, Hitchcock. U. S. Dept. Agri., Bur. PI. Industry, Bulletin 57. 

 tBy J. M. Westgate. Ihid, Bulletin 65. 



f'Methodik des Botanischen Unterrichts," von Dr. Felix Kienitr-Gerloff, Professor a. d. Land- 

 wirtschaftsshule zu Weilburg a. d. Labu. VII, 290. 8vo. Berlin : O. Salle, 1904. 



