trees was strewn with flakes, not only numerous, but unusually 
large. In France, where the peeling commenced in July, flakes 
of bark have been observed to be occasionally as ery as 6 ft. 
in length. It is many years since our plane trunks have shown 
so clean and well-groomed an appearance. The plane, of course, 
sheds its bark regularly, and what has happened this autumn 
is that, in seer to the normal release of bark, a future shed- 
of the freshly-stripped trees. In attempting to account for this 
decortication there are two circumstances that suggest themselves 
as having possibly some connection with it. These are the severity 
of the winter and early spring of nea and the especially 
good growing weather of the past summer. The winter frosts 
may have loosened the hold of the outer “lets Certainly the 
favourable summer of 1917 must have induced an unusual expan- 
sion of the trunk, and this would, of course, also help towards the 
detachment of the outside and effete layer of bark. It can be 
noticed that the trunks, as a general rule, but with exceptions, 
are at present more denuded of bark on the south side than 
on the north. This may be due to the influence of the sun, or 
to that side being more exposed to strong winds, or to both. 
Plant Materials of Decorative Gardening.* 
a copy of a little work bearing this title from the author, Prof. 
‘anywhere except on the more pretentious estates, or in nurseries 
or botanical establishments. The volume is a thin one, measures 
only 6 in. by 45 in., and is composed of 204 pages. It 
is, Bisetans, of very convenient pocket size. Making allowance 
for its dimensions, we consider the book very creditably achieves 
its aim. The keys are ig on the dichotomous system, and 
as regards the genera, we they work very well. And for 
the gardens of Eastern North America, the keys of species, no 
doubt, are equally useful. But for this country, where the 
number of cultivated trees and shrubs is much greater, we find 
the lists of species, especially of the more important genera, often 
too meagre to fulfil their purpose. Of Cotoneaster, for instance, 
siX species mgs are ‘‘ keyed,’’ of which but one, C. microphylla, 
is commonly grown in our gardens. Such common species as 
C. frigida, C. y poche iy C. bacillaris and C. Simonsii are not 
Bi dares Of Elaeagnus, again, the evergreen and most popular 
iri are not included. In ne of this, cota the book 
* Plant materiais of oe Gandentie —The Woody Pi ants. By 
William Trelease, Profes of Botany in the University of Tlinois. 
Published by the Author. “Uivank: 1917. 
