REVIEWS 783 



There are nearly 14,000 licenses in good standing or reinstatable, 

 but the annual expiration in the last three years has been very marked ; 

 in 1914 and 191 5 over 2,000 and in 1916 over 1,000 licenses were al- 

 lowed to lapse. Somewhat less than one million acres is private timber 

 land, which is valued at less than $10 per acre, on the average, varying 

 from $3 to $18.31. 



The usual fire statistics are elaborated, and show that 1916 was a 

 favorable year when compared with the two years previous. Improve- 

 ment work in the way of trails, telephones, etc., was cut down to the 

 most necessary limit, less than $8,000 being spent. 



B. E. F. 



The Effect of the Weight of Acorns upon the Development of Tivo- 

 year-old Oak Seedlings. G. P. Eytingen, Lesopromishleny Vestnik 

 Nos. 41 and 42. 191 5. 



Prof. N. S. Nestorov, in the spring of 1914, in the nursery of the 

 Moscow Agricultural College, made an experiment upon the effect of 

 the weight of acorns upon the seedlings. He used in this experiment 

 three grades of acorns: Very small acorns up to 33^ grams in weight, 

 with an average weight of 2.2 grams; medium acorns, ranging from 

 4/^ to 53^ grams, with an average of 4.7 grams, and large acorns, 

 ranging from 6^ grams upward, with an average weight of 6.54 

 grams. The following spring from 2)7 to 40 seedlings of each class 

 were examined. The following deductions were made on the basis of 

 this examination : The increase in the weight of the acorns has a con- 

 siderable effect upon the growth of the young oaks. It affects favorably 

 the total weight of the plant, especially the weight of the root system, 

 and less the longitudinal organs. The height of the stem, however, 

 depends more upon the weight of the acorn than the length of the root. 

 The transition from the smallest acorns to the medium acorns is marked 

 also by an increase in the average characteristics of the oak, and the 

 variability for that group of seedlings is greatly reduced. Further in- 

 crease in the weight of the acorns affects but little the growth of young 

 seedlings. The small acorns resulted not only in plants which were 

 characterized by poor development, but which also showed a marked 

 variation in its organs. This has been particularly noticeable in the 

 number of leaves ; also in the weight of the different seedlings. 



