XIV 



AGRICULTURAL BOOK REVIEWS 



SMITH, JOHN WARREN— Co7itinued 

 on the yield of grains, the effect of weather on 

 vegetables and miscellaneous crops, weather 

 forecasts and warnings, frost and the protec- 

 tion of crops from frost damage, and vaUie of 

 lightning rods. . ., , ,. 



Incidentally, the book emphasizes the fact 

 that while weather and crop yield data are 

 abundant and easily obtained, there is great 

 nee(^ -* -^-.ore svstei^.at'c phenological observa- 

 tioi : /:.ich dal<^ as can probably be best 



secured by agricultural and meteorological sta- 

 tions in connection with the agricultural experi- 

 ment stations in the principal crop-growing 

 areas. — Exp Sta Record 



STEVENS, FRANK LINCOLN, and HALL, 

 JOHN G. Diseases of economic plants, rev 

 ed '21 Macmillan $3.90 

 In this just published revision, all the new 

 knowledge concerning this most important sub- 

 ject that has been acquired in recent years has 

 been incorporated. No subject assuredly is more 

 vital than that of safeguarding the feeding of 

 the world through plants consumed directly or 

 through meat produced from them. 



Every agriculturist, horticulturist and floricul- 

 turist would do well to master the chapter on 

 General Diseases before studying in the book 

 the topic of particular interest to him. He will 

 find a most gratifying clear, concise and accu- 

 rate treatment of diseases affecting the special 

 crop, with sufficient illustrations, and refer- 

 ences to a bibliography for more detailed inves- 

 tigation and the handling of the problem in 

 varying local phases. In the bibliography are 

 placed, in 556 different groups, the titles of the 

 reliable ti-eatises. most of which are fortunately 

 in the form of free public bulletins. The index 

 should be used to supplement the table of con- 

 tents; but both the botanical and the common 

 name, like pseonia and peony, must be looked up. 

 In the matter of ornamental plants alone are 

 there deficiencies; but they are to a great ex- 

 tent necessary deficiencies, for "aside from a 

 few standard flowers, as, for example, roses, vio- 

 lets, chrysanthemums, carnations, etc.. and cer- 

 tain nursery stock, so few individuals are in- 

 terested, or the financial risk in these crops is 

 so small, that large expenditures of public funds 

 have not been made for investigation or control 

 of the diseases." — Gard Chron Am 



TAUBENHAUS, JACOB JOSEPH. Diseases of 

 greenhouse crops and their control. '20 Dut- 

 ton $8 20-13540 



Author is Chief of the Division of plant path- 

 ologj' and physiology, Texas agricultural experi- 

 ment station, Agricultural and mechanical col- 

 lege of Texas. 



The value of the greenhouse industry in the 

 United States is placed, conservatively, at 

 $40,000,000. The average yearly losses approxi- 

 mate 30%. The aim of the author in writing 

 this book has been to gather all available infor- 

 mation on the subject of diseases of greenhouse 

 plants and place it at the disposal of greenhouse 

 men, research workers, and students of plant 

 pathology. 



Contents: Healthy soil; Sick soils; Treatment 

 of sick soils; Light in its relation to greenhouse 

 culture: Moisture and water requirements; 

 Breaking the rest period of plants; Nature of 

 plant diseases; Germination troubles; Beet dis- 

 eases; Cauliflower diseases; Cucumber diseases; 

 Lettuce diseases; Mushroom diseases; Pars- 

 ley diseases; Radish diseases; Tomato diseases; 

 Althernanthera diseases; Aster diseases; Carna- 

 tion diseases; Chrysanthemum diseases; Cycla- 

 men diseases; Hyacinth diseases; Lilac diseases; 

 Orchid diseases; Primrose diseases; Sweet pea 

 diseases; Tulip diseases; Plant pests; Green- 

 house thrips; Methods of control. 



TAYLOR, ALBERT D., and COOPER, GOR- 

 DON D. Complete garden, il Doubleday 

 $6 21-7181 



"In the case of no other book has the re- 

 viewer been disposed to give more hearty as- 

 sent to what the publishers, with their very 

 extensive knowledge and experience claim for 

 this work; "Whether your problem is to in- 



troduce a bit of Nature into a congested city 

 street, or to develop large areas into a har- 

 monious landscape setting; whether you are 

 a professional of wide experience, and with 

 extensive grounds vinder your care, or the 

 average small home owner, laying out a back 

 yard, you will find vital information, the ex- 

 act information you need, in this, the most 

 practical and comprehensive garden book yet 

 published." 



There should even be added, to the distin- 

 guishing features of practicalness and compre- 

 hensiveness, that of saneness. In common 

 language the work inay be said to start from 

 the bottom and to build, not upon fancies, 

 theories or ideas, but upon knowledge of 

 plants and their idiosyncrasies, of soils and 

 their effects, of sites and their conditions, 

 which vary with the weather and the seasons. 

 No detail connected with plants other than 

 those generally regarded as greenhouse plants 

 only, seems to have been overlooked. There is 

 a glossary that should be welcomed and a 

 good bibliography which includes references to 

 reliable articles in magazines. 



A few references to the index, which, by 

 the way, appears to contain the first publica- 

 tion of the names of plants as revised by the 

 American Joint committee of Horticultural no- 

 menclature, to such topics as annuals, bulbs 

 and winter, would convince one of the com- 

 pleteness of the work. But it is not made up 

 of isolated items like a dictionary or encyclo- 

 pedia. Tlie book is a connected and coher- 

 ent whole, enjoyable to read, excepting per- 

 haps, for some, the interspersed lists of plants, 

 and made attractive by its many illuminative 

 pictures, pictures in which one is enabled 

 leadily to see what is illustrated by well 

 chosen explanations that are appended. Those 

 in color are exquisite."- — Gardeners' Chronicle 



THATCHER, ROSCOE WILFRED. Chemistry 

 of plant life. '21 McGraw .$3 21-991 



Contents: Introduction; Plant nutrients; Or- 

 ganic components of plants; Photosynthesis; 

 Carbohydrates; Gums, pectins and cellulose; 

 Glucosides; Tannins: Pigments; Organic acids, 

 acid salts and esters: Fats and oils, waxes and 

 lipoids; Essential oils and resins; Vegetable 

 bases; Proteins: Enzymes; Colloidal condition; 

 Physical chemistry of protoplasm: Hormones, 

 auximones, vitamines and toxins; Adaptations. 



The first American textbook devoted to the 

 chemistry of plant cell activities. The material 

 is the development of the course in phyto-chem- 

 i.stry offered by the author for several years to 

 the .students of the Plant science group of the 

 University of Minnesota. The book aims to 

 furnish a proper foundation upon which to build 

 a scientific knowledge of how plants grow. 



Professor Thatcher is Dean of the Department 

 of agricvilture and Director of the Agricultural 

 expeiiment station. University of Minnesota. 



VILMORIN-ANDRIEUX et cie. Vegetable gar- 

 den; descriptions, and culture of the garden 

 vegetables of cold and temperate climates; 

 English ed., pub. under the direction of W. 

 Robinson, with an addendum by W. P. 

 Thomson. 3d ed '20 Dutton $10 

 "Tliis book is generally recognized as being 

 the most complete and authoritative of its kind. 

 For easy reference the vegetables are arranged 

 in alphabetical order; and under each is given 

 a clear, concise, illustrated description, full of 

 cultural directions, a list of varieties, and an 

 account of the plant's uses. The present edi- 

 tion has been brought up to date by the inclu- 

 sion of an addendum by Mr "W. P. Thomson." 



WEAVER, JOHN ERNEST. Root development 

 in the grassland formation: a correlation 

 of the root systems of native vegetation 

 and crop plants. '20 Carnegie inst. $4 



"Deals with the root development of both 

 natural vegetation and crop plants in the grass- 

 land formation. Data are given from investiga- 

 tions at more than 25 stations in Colorado, 

 Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota and from 

 the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountams. 



