g6 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



has been merged into Oenothera, many species of the latter were exam- 

 ined to see if any such thing occurred in them, but no trace of such 

 growth was detected. This would seem to indicate that if Godetia is 

 not entitled to generic rank, it is at least that part of (Enothera which 

 looks towards Epilohium. 



A discrepancy must be noted here, however. In EpUohium the 

 hairs of the coma do not begin to form until the ovule has become 

 completely anatropous. But in the Gcdetia observed the incipient 

 coma had all disappeared by the time the ovule had become anatrop- 

 ous, beginning to form before the nucleus is half covered by the coats. 

 These hairs appeared in greatest size and abundance when the axis of 

 the ovule was at right angles to its anatropous position. — J.M.C. 



Botany for High Schools and Colleges, by Charles E. Bes 

 sey, M. Sc , Ph. D ; Henry Holt and & Co., New York, 1880— The 

 question may naturally arise in the minds of many teachers, what 

 need is there of another botany? We have Gray's, Wood's, You- 

 man's, etc , almost every pubHshing house being represented by a 

 botany; surely it is but publishers' rivalry that is throwing this new 

 book upon the market. Even a casual glance will show, however, 

 that we have here no stereotyped repetition of books that have gone 

 before, but a new departure in American botanical text books. The 

 time has long past when the study of any of our botanical text 

 books will be sufficient to impart even a general knowledge of the 

 science of botany. Once the study of a little morphology, the learn- 

 ing of a few terms in the glossary, and the analysis of a few flowers 

 was thought to be all the profitable study that botany could furnish 

 students. But this state of things has entirely changed and plants are 

 getting to be recognized as living organisms that have life histories, 

 and that have digestion, nutrition, assimilation, circulation, respira- 

 tion, reproduction and other functions just as remarkably performed 

 as in animals. The question then arises, is it more profitable to 

 study the plant in its life work, or simply to dissect and name its parts 

 and their probable function. It is evident that we can study plant 

 physiology as well as anatomy, and it is this very thing that has 

 been so Tong neglected in our schools, neglected from lack of suita- 

 ble text books. Our great botanists have been systematists, as is per- 

 fectly natural in a country just developing its flora, hence all botanical 

 work in the schools has followed the same bent. Such work is not to 

 be decried, for it is absolutely necessary and well enough as far as it 

 goes, but it is not all of botany. To our country belong some of the 

 finest works on morphology and classification published and they rank 

 as the very highest authorities, but our physiology remains yet to be 

 written. Prof. Goodale has for several years had such a work in con- 

 templation, but its publication has been delayed, and now Prof. Bes- 

 ey is the first to occupy this new field. 



His book is divided into two parts. Part I is upon the sub- 

 ject of General Anatomy and Physiology. Part II treats of Special 

 Anatomy and Physiology. To give our readers a general idea of 



