58 NATURAL SCIENCE [July 
BorTANY FROM THE GERMAN 
A Trxt-Boox oF Borany. By Drs E. Strasburger, F. Noll, H. Schenck and A. F. W. 
Schimper. Translated from the German by H. C. Porter, Ph.D. 8vo, pp. x + 632, 
math ops illustrations, in part coloured. London: Macmillan & Co., 1898. Price, 
Leurnvcn per Boranrk rir Hocuscavnen. Von Drs 2, Strasburger, F. Noll, 
H. Schenck und A. F. W. Schimper. Dritte verbesserte Auflage. 8vo, pp. viii+ 
570, with 617 illustrations, in part coloured. Jena: Fischer, 1898. Price, 7 M. 
_ 50 Pf. in paper covers ; 8 M. 50 Pf. bound. 
WHEN we reviewed the original German edition of this book shortly 
after its appearance in 1894 (Natural Science, vol. vi., p. 423) we 
congratulated the publisher (Fischer of Jena) on the issue of a text- 
book of the first order for the small sum of seven shillings, and at the 
same time hinted that a translation into English had been arranged. 
The translator, Dr Porter, assistant instructor in Botany at Penn- 
sylvania University, has taken more than three years over his work, 
and in the meantime the ‘ Lehrbuch,’ which has apparently met with 
a well-deserved success, has run into a third, much improved, edition. 
So the book as it is put into the hands of our students is two editions 
behind, which, considering certain advances in knowledge and modi- 
fications of views which were accepted four years ago, places its 
readers at some disadvantage. Apart from this defect the edition 
now before us is a good reproduction of the original text, for which 
we believe some thanks are due to Mr A. C. Seward, who revised the 
proofs. It is, however, unlikely that the translation will meet with 
the success that has attended the ‘Lehrbuch.’ This might have been 
the case had the publishers seen their way to issuing it at half-a-guinea, 
but at its present price it is the most expensive text-book of its kind, 
and has, moreover, to compete with one which, though in some respects 
inferior, is three shillings cheaper, and has already become established 
in many of the English botany schools. It is matter of special regret 
that only a small number of students should have the advantage of 
reading Prof. Strasburger’s excellent imtroduction to Morphology, 
which is by far the best of the four sections. Dr Noll’s contribution 
on Physiology is unequal, though fair on the whole, but the section 
dealing with the Cryptogams, by Dr Schenck, is perhaps the least 
satisfactory, the chapters on the Bryophyta and Pteridophyta are 
scarcely full enough. Prof. Schimper’s account of the families of 
seed-plants is useful and well-arranged. 
The foregoing criticisms as to the relative value of the different 
sections of the book apply also to the third edition of the ‘ Lehrbuch.’ 
Prof. Strasburger remains facile princeps with his introduction to 
Morphology and Anatomy. In this part also we find the most 
evidence of revision and bringing up to date. The intimate structure 
of the cell, its nucleus, and other contents is at present one of the 
most favourite objects of study, and the modification of former views 
or the birth of new ones find expression in the text-book in the altera- 
tion of old figures and the introduction of new. We regret to find in the 
section on Physiology that the antiquated explanation of the formation 
of starch as the first product of assimilation by direct union of carbon 
dioxide and water still finds a place. The equation is an absurd one 
from the purely chemical as well as from the physiological point of view. 
The small increase in size of this third edition (the original con- 
