REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. 221 
convenience’ sake, the indigenous conifers are mentioned along 
with them. The chapter is written with the view to describe 
the useful and ornamental trees of the British Islands, but the 
author clearly states that he can only give prominence to those 
of sylvicultural importance. He further says that for convenience 
the genera have been grouped in their natural families, although 
otherwise not classified according to any system of botany. 
Much minute botanical detail is given concerning some of the 
genera and species. 
Throughout the Sylva, it may be mentioned, the individual 
species are dealt with under six headings, viz., distribution, 
description, economic value, soil and situation, cultivation, and 
sylvicultural characteristics. Further, to the descriptions under 
these headings there is frequently added a Continental note. 
The conifers are considered in Chapter II. The natural 
order Conifere is divided into four tribes or groups, viz., 
Araucariee, Abietinee, Cupressinee, and Taxodinee, and short 
descriptions are given to show the differences between these 
four tribes. The author makes a slip, however, when he states 
that in the Advetznee the buds are usually naked, and under the 
Cupressinee he uses the term Gemmuda in a rather unusual 
way. 
The generic descriptions are mostly those adopted by Dr 
Masters in the Report of the Conifer Conference of 1891, and 
the specific descriptions are partly from Loudon and partly 
from Gordon’s Pinetum. The useful and ornamental conifers 
are treated after the same fashion as the broad-leaved trees, 
and the forester will find the information given concerning the 
characteristics of the various species, as well as the locality and 
cultivation best suited to their needs, of much value. 
The nomenclature of the conifers has always presented 
difficulties, both as regards the scientific and the common 
names of the different species, and it would be a great help 
to foresters and nurserymen were something like uniformity 
introduced. 
Part III. treats of Sylviculture proper, or the Formation, 
Tending, and Renewal of Woodland Crops. 
Chapter I., entitled, ““The Scientific Foundations of Sylvi- 
culture,” commences with a discussion of the physiology of 
growth and nutrition of forest trees. A physiologist might 
take exception to some of the statements made by the author, 
