BOTANICAL (lAZllTTE. 235 



of the cut end so that the overlapping seems to be exag:ger^ted. \\\ 

 a young and growing plant if the pith and woody zone are separated 

 the former will elongate and the latter contract and hence make quite 

 an obvious difference. But elasticity is diminished in the older and 

 more established parts of a plant, and to have such a difference be- 

 tween the layers of forming and permanent tissue in the wood is 

 more than I looked for. — J. M. C. 



Fourteen Weeks ix Botany by Alphonso Wood, A. M., and J. Dor- 

 man Steele, Ph. D. (A. S. Barnes & Co., 1879).- -The parts of Steele's 

 "Fourteen- Weeks" series have not been remarkable for their accu- 

 racy of statement nor for peculiar aptness of i)resentation and the 

 present volume fully sustains the reputation of its predecessors. We 

 are not told whether the plan of the work was originated by Prof. 

 Wood or Dr. Steele or whether it was produced by the combined wis- 

 dom of the authors. Certainly in its use they lay the book open to 

 very severe criticism. Instead of presenting the subject in a logical 

 way, the pupil is introduced at once to Polytrichum commune and 

 Bartramia pomiformis, two mosses, under each of which is a very 

 meager description. Following these are lessons on Pobjpodiiim and 

 Osmunda in the order which is pursued throughout the book. Descrip- 

 tion, Analysis, Name, Classification with a list of terms defined in 

 the section and with them the Cryptogaftis are dismissed. Seventy 

 plants are thus described and from these, with an utter lack of treat- 

 ment in any general way, a pupil is expected to obtain an idea of the 

 science of botany. The technical terms, being defined only as they 

 are needed in speaking of a particular species, are of course present- 

 ed without any regard to their correlation. We take a list of these 

 at random. "Aestivation. Albumen, Centripetal inflorescence. Her- 

 baceous, Imbricated, Introrse,. Opposing stamens, Pedicel, Pyxis, 

 Quincuncial, Raceme, Rachis, Sessile, Tuber.'' (p. -13.) But we are 

 told in the preface that the book "is not designed for infants ; the 

 rather for learners capable of thought and reason." Now is there 

 any reason in thus mixing things in order to present them to learners 

 "capable of thought and reason"? 



Not content with veinlet, on page 21 we have the term veinukt in- 

 troduced. We are also told that the genera Cardamiue and Dentaria 

 are one, taking the older name Cardamiue. (p. 103 } In speaking of 

 hairs (foo|-note, p. 104,) it is said, "In the Nettle they are hollow 

 with a bag of poison concealed." Why not tell a reasoning puj^il the 

 exact truth which is more wonderful than this fiction? On page 116 



