158 
“ Taking these figures asa basis, the gross value of tamar 
dates per acre of Shat Al ‘Arab date lands would seem to lie 
somewhere about 272 Rs. Many conversations with garden- 
owners tend to confirm this figure. The value per acre over the 
whole district of the ‘‘ khalal ” (second stage in the development, 
generally yellow) and “ratab”’ (soft, juicy—between the hard 
“ khalal ”’ stage and toffee-like “tamar ”’ stage) dates sold might 
be estimated roughly at 20 Rs.” 
“No attempt was made during the inquiry to ascertain the 
value of the fruit other than dates produced in this region. Its 
value per acre in Areas A and D (vide Table xiv.) must be 
considerable : elsewhere it is negligible.” 
e primary object of the inquiry was stated to be that of 
providing reliable statistics of the average yield of dates per unit 
area with the view to discovering a broad basis for equitable 
taxation.”’ For the rest the work covers Cultivation, Marketing, 
Uses, Diseases, Vocabulary of Terms and Map—showing distribu- 
tion of Date-palms in the area covered by the report and it is 
well illustrated. The whole is in two parts and a third is 
promised. 
J. HH. Be 
Rangachari’s Manual of Elementary Botany*.— After five years 
Mr. Rangachari has issued through the Madras Government 
Press a second edition of his Manual of Elementary Botany for 
India. The object of the present edition is to enlarge the scope 
of the Manual and to make it more suitable for general use in 
the wider circle of professional colleges. It was originally intended 
for the students of the Coimbatore Agricultural College but 
has proved of much wider use. Five chapters have therefore 
been added dealing with the cryptogams of the Indian flora and 
two more giving introductory essays on evolution, heredity and 
mendelism. 
There must be some doubt, however, whether this edition 
will be widely required in the north of India, for in the interval 
between the issue of the two editions a strong competitor has 
sprung up in the shape of Prof. Bose’s Manual intended especially 
for Calcutta students and a smaller (though of equivalent scope) 
cheaper and better printed book. Under these circumstances 
it is unfortunate that the Government Press of Madras have not 
improved on the first edition. The paper on the contrary is not 
so good and the printing both of the letterpress and of the 
illustrations is much worse. 
It must however be admitted that the matter both of the 
original part and of the additional chapters is excellent and 
et great credit on Mr. Rangachari as a careful and successful 
acher 
* K. Rangachari. A Manual of Piclenebitaes Botany for India. (Second 
edition; revised and enlarged), Madras 1921. 
