REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. 6^ 



Sylva : The Annual Publication of the Edinburgh University 

 Forestry Society. No. 4, 1923. Price is. 



Sylva, like the Forestry Society, is a product of the post-war 

 period when classes at the University were abnormally large. 

 With the passing of the ex-ofificer students, the numbers in the 

 classes have naturally fallen considerably, but the Society's 

 membership has not suffered correspondingly, as most of those 

 who have gone out from the Edinburgh school have become 

 life members. Thus, though the number of students may be 

 small, there is quite a large and fruitful field from which the 

 Editor has been able to reap a rich harvest of copy. Hence 

 we are glad to see that Sylva, far from languishing as might 

 have been feared, is steadily growing year by year. 



Much of the matter is necessarily only of interest to past and 

 present students, but the Editor has been fortunate in gathering 

 together a number of letters from ex-students who are now 

 forest officers in different parts of the Empire, and from these 

 much may be learned of the conditions now prevailing in these 

 several countries. Readers should find several of the contributed 

 articles of considerable interest, amongst which may be mentioned 

 Dr Steven's account of the lives and discoveries of Menzies and 

 Douglas, a paper on " Conditions in the Gold Coast," a short 

 article on " Counter-erosion Work in the Punjab," and an 

 interesting but very brief description of the method of artificial 

 seasoning of timber. 



We congratulate Mr Oldham on this successful number. 



NoUs on La Foret de Tronfais. By R. Maclagan Gorrie, 

 B.Sc, I.F.S. 



This little book is based partly on a similar work in French 

 by Professor Chevalier and M. G. Raffignon, who was for 

 many years Inspector in charge of the celebrated oak forest 

 of Troncais, and partly on Mr Gorrie's own studies in the forest 

 itself. After a brief description of the topography and other 

 physical conditions, the writer gives an interesting historical 

 sketch, showing how the wealth of the natural oak was 

 squandered, and the steps that were taken to arrest the destruc- 

 tion and introduce conservancy. There follow a synopsis of 



