209 



Reviews of Local Publications. 



From a perusal of the recent publications of the Scientific de- 

 partments of the surroundino- countries one is struck with a notice- 

 able change in the type of article now appearing. Hitherto one 

 has had the preliminary records and interim reports of the pioneer 

 who tackled any subject that from time to time assumed economical 

 importance. Now one sees on all sides attempts to sum up the 

 information so far gathered and jjublished piecemeal and the result 

 is a series of comprehensive papers, one might almost say mono- 

 graphs, which are now appearing and which deal exhaustively so 

 far as our knowledge u]i to date goes of whole subjects rather than 

 isolated and unconnected items. It would seem that the first 

 period of preliminary investigation of the poineer who was an all 

 round scientific and technical man has closed and that in future 

 the specialists who have been arriving in these parts in recent years 

 will each conduct liis investigations heneceforth in a much more 

 restricted field but correspondingly probing into his subject all the 

 more deepl\'. 



In illustration of these comprehensive articles referred to the 

 following are representative. 



Flanics el iiroduiis fihinienfeux et textile.'^ de VJndocliine. 

 Crevost et Lemasie. Bulletin Economique de I'Indochine, 1919, 

 Xo. 138. A brief description is given of each plant and the 

 manner in which the fibre is obtained. The plants are arranged 

 according to their Xatural Orders. The article is illustrated by 

 fifteen wood cuts wliich greatly facilitate the determination of the 

 l>lants, and five photographs sheAving plantations and the prepara- 

 tion of fibres. 



Studxps of PhiUijpinc Bananas. E. Q. y Arguelles. The 

 l'hili})pine Agricultural Keview Vol. XII, Xo. 3. This is a com- 

 prehensive study of tlie varieties of bananas in cultivation in the 

 Phili])pines. It is estimated that the College of Agricultural has 

 over 600 varieties under culture and about one third of them have 

 been definitely identified. A key is given which enables these 

 varieties to be recognised, and is followed by descriptions of varie- 

 ties of Mu.^a mpientum. Thirtv four plates are given at the con- 

 <c-lusion of the article which enables one readily to distinguish the 

 ■differences between the different kinds of flowers and fruits. 



.1 hiulofjical and systematic study of Philippine Plant Galls. 

 L. B. Uichanco. The Philippine Journal of Science Vol. XIA" 

 Xo. T). This subject has been treated in a series of articles on 

 Javanese, Sumatran and Celebes galls by W. and J. Docters Van 

 Leenwen-Eeijanvaan of Buitenzorg, but the present article on the 

 Philippine galls is in English and therefore much more accessible 

 to residents of Malay. 



The galls and their causative insect agents are described in 

 detail and the fifteen plates accompanying th^ article gre.itly assist 

 in their identification. 



