SSO DISEASES OF PLANTS. 



animated narrative. One's first feeling, in fact, is of surprise that 

 so much that is interesting has been buried away in the discussion. 

 Prof. Ward has obviously gone out of his way to do this successfully 

 and at length, and he deserves special thanks for it. In succeeding 

 chapters he deals with the diseases of timber, — first with such as 

 attack the living tree, — for example, Trametes radicipenla, Agaricns 

 weUeus, and Polyporus sulphureus, and next with those which attack 

 it when down, for example. Dry Kot. We next have a lucid 

 account of the cortex and bark of trees, and the healing of wounds 

 by occlusion. Such "diseases of the bark" (as foresters term 

 them) as canker come naturally next, and the larch-disease is 

 selected for illustration. Then follows " leaves and leaf-diseases," 

 which brings us to " pine-blister," Coleosporium. Senecionis (Peri- 

 dcnnium Pini), and this gives occasion to explain the seductive 

 subject of hetercEcism. Finally, there is a short chajDter on the 

 "damping off" of seedlings [Phytojihthora omnivora being selected 

 for illustration), thus dealing with a disease of timber in posse. 

 Those who as yet have known only the somewhat formidable style 

 of writing in which Prof. Ward delights to tell us of his original 

 researches, have a pleasant sur^Drise in store for them when they 

 open this well-written, concise, and remarkably lucid little book. 



The second book named in the heading, ' Diseases of Plants,' by 

 the same author, appears as one of a series termed the " Komance 

 of Science." It is difficult to imagine where the romance comes in 

 when a subject like Plant-disease is being discussed, but if it 

 should, one can easily understand its being a disagreeable feature ! 

 It is doubtful if even a publisher ever invented a more idiotic 

 combination of titles than we have here. An intelligent (and 

 literal) foreigner to whom this book was shown expressed something 

 like horror that the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge 

 should deal in the Komance of Science ! He was reassured (as we 

 all are) on seeing Prof. Ward's name on the title-page. 



This book is by no means prepossessing in appearance. The 

 illustrations are about the worst of their kind. Those who know 

 Prof. Ward's excellence as a draughtsman will be the more dis- 

 appointed at finding any production of his so atrociously illustrated. 

 Whether the drawings are " after " another authority or not, it is all 

 one ; they have been reduced to one abject level by some process or 

 other. As to the text, if one had not just read ' Timber, and some of 

 its Diseases,' and learned what Prof. Ward is capable of, undoubtedly 

 this book would inspire friendlier feelings. It is good, it is correct, 

 and for the most part clear enough, but it lacks the animation of 

 the other. Here and there we have it, but for the most part the 

 sentences are loaded with facts, and yet these are not given con- 

 cisely. There is more of the detailed style of narration which is to 

 be found in the author's scientific papers — cast, it is true, into 

 simpler language — than of the happy grasp of prominent and 

 critical facts to be found in the other book. If the reader were to 

 come upon a sentence such as the following in • Timber, and some 

 of its Diseases,' instead of at p. 4 of the * Diseases of Plants,' he 

 would think the author had carelessly admitted the passage from 

 some indifferent and muddled writer: — 



