THE FORESTER. 



J 



species of the broadleaf trees only. The coni- 

 fers are omitted. Technical descriptions are 

 given for 126 native trees (one of which is 

 usually considered a shrub), with partial de- 

 scriptions of ii other natives and 8 exotics. 

 The leaf characters of 129 native trees and 16 

 exotics are illustrated by half-tones. One hun- 

 dred and sixty-two line drawings aie intended 

 to illustrate many characters not displayed by 

 half-tones. Eighteen half-tones give the general 

 appearance of as many different trunks ; while 

 a few other half-tones show additional leaf-forms 

 of species already illustrated. 



The author has added to the formal descrip- 

 tions some wood lore and popular notes includ- 

 ing poetic and historical allusions to the species, 

 with occasional mention of its geologic history. 

 As a help in understanding the technical de- 

 scription the book concludes with a short chap- 

 ter on the form and structure of roots, stems, 

 leaves, flowers and fruits ; together with a 

 glossary of botanical terms. 



The sequence of families, genera, and species 

 conform to that of botanical text-books. 



In brief, the author has endeavored to give for 

 about 145 trees the common and botanical names, 

 and their distinguishing characters by technical 

 descriptions and illustrations, together with the 

 natural habitat and all available notes of popular 

 interest. She does not say how far she has de- 

 pended on nature in her descriptions, but makes 

 grateful acknowledgement to a long list of re- 

 liable descriptive tree books. We mention this 

 doubtful point to show that readers of to-day 

 like to know how much the author has person- 

 ally seen and gathered from a study of the trees 

 themselves, and how much has been compiled. 

 However, the technical descriptions are scrupu- 

 lously accurate, and have the ring of text-book 

 botany. It is to be regretted, however, that 

 these descriptions were not presented in un- 

 technical language. Busy people are apt to sigh 

 at their inability to translate "dioecious," 

 "axillary panicles," "petals papilionaceous," 

 "stamens diadelphous inferior," and "fruit 

 echinate loculicidally 3-parted." But when 

 they compare their specimens with the excellent 

 half-tone figures they will not fail to get help. 

 The accuracy and the clearness of these pictures 

 give a high value to the book. As much, how- 

 ever, cannot be said of the line drawings, and 

 one only wishes that the author had photo- 

 graphed the subjects of these drawings too. The 

 skill of the artist is very poor, and in some cases 

 has added confusion. 



In the treatment of the various topics under 

 each species there are some errors of omission ; 

 the author seems to have nodded or supposed 

 the reader would not care if omissions were 

 made. For example, we are given the meaning 

 of a number of botanical names, and then sud- 

 denly several species are slighted. Similarly, 

 also, we learn where a lot of trees are found, 

 and then for some others we are left to guess 

 their habitat, or are given a part only of the 

 range. 



There are some errors of commission, 

 learn for the first time that the "White P: 

 the tallest of all cone-bearing trees." 

 dently the author has not seen or read o 

 Western Pines, nearly joo feet higher tha 

 eastern White Pine. The cone-bearing 

 quoias, at least 200 feet higher are passed 



It would be discouraging to forestry, if, a 

 author says, " White Pine cannot come aga 

 a tract devastated by fire." But fire doe 

 bar its return, if the ground is not burned 

 again soon. 



The Sycamore is said to occur singly 

 The author has not yet stumbled into a i 

 more swamp where these trees prevail 

 many acres. 



Black Cherry is said to be ordinarily 40 

 feet high, but " in Nebraska, Kansas and 1 

 region " it is 100 feet high. We are sure 

 trees of this dimension are to be found or 

 the southern Alleghany Mountain region, 

 statement is also made that "all native A 

 east of the Rocky Mountains are shri 

 Alnus marilima is an eastern species anc 

 tainly not a shrub. The author tells us ii 

 other place that Juniperus Virginiana 

 Jumper) is found in the Rocky Mount 

 This is not true. The Rocky Mountain 

 wooded species is Juniperus scopulorinn, 

 very distinct from the eastern Red Juniper, 



Tilia Europcza is described as a species i 

 vated in this country. The author should 

 known that as represented in the United Si 

 T. Europcea includes three very distinct spe 

 T. platyphyllos, T. vulgaris and T. cordati 



The plate marked Cornus alternifolia ] 

 more like a Ceanothus. The leaves of Cc 

 alternifolia are quite different from those i; 

 plate, and the fruit is borne in a large, '. 

 stemmed, flat cluster (cyme). 



The author's statement that the Cucu 

 tree has two forms, one when grown in 

 open, and the other when found in the f( 

 is quite true, but might lead one to infer 

 this is not true also of other species. As a 

 ter of fact many other trees exhibit these 

 forms, the low-branching form of open gr 

 being produced very frequently if the seed 

 begin life in the open. 



G. B. 



The Forest Tent Caterpillar. By Clarenc 

 Weed. Bulletin 64 of the New Hamp 

 College Agricultural Experiment Station 

 pp. Illustrated. 



During the last three years the Forest 

 Caterpillar has been doing a great deal of < 

 age to orchards, groves of sugar maples, an< 

 ciduous forests generally in different pan 

 New Hampshire and the neighboring st 

 Bulletin 64 of the New Hampshire College j. 

 cultural Experiment Station is a popular 

 profusely illustrated account of the life 

 habits of this insect. It ends with a dii 

 sion of different methods of preventing its 

 ages. 



