RECENT PUBLICATIONS. 



Any of these books will be sent by the publishers of "Forestry and Irrigation," postpaid, to any 

 address on receipt of the published price, with postage added ivhen the price is marked ''net.'" 



Silviculture. By ALBERT FRON, Agricultural 

 Engineer and Assistant Inspector of 

 Streams and Forests. With an introduc- 

 tion by Dr. P. Regnard, Director of the 

 National Agricultural Institute. Illus- 

 trated by 55 half-tone engravings and text 

 figures. i6mo. Pp. 563. Price, paper, 

 5 francs ($1.00) ; bound, 6 francs ($1.20). 

 This volume is the latest of a series of man- 

 uals published by J. B. Balliere & Fils, Paris, 

 under the general title of Encyclopedic Agri- 

 cole. 



As the preface states, it is intended to be a 

 popular exposition of the principles of silvi- 

 culture, or forestry, as we too often say in this 

 country, and at the same time to be a practical 

 guide to woodland owners, large and small. 



The book follows the usual line of European 

 works of the kind, and goes even farther than 

 most of them in considering general principles 

 briefly and practical methods in detail. This 

 is perhaps no fault in a work distinctly intended 

 for French farmers, yet one cannot help re- 

 gretting that such books are not broader in 

 their scope. If a Canadian or an Algerian, for 

 instance, wanted to learn something of silvi- 

 culture, this would avail him little. This point 

 of view, however, has not yet found many sup- 

 porters in Europe, and the book before us is 

 not to be condemned on that account. Within 

 the lines that the author has laid down he has 

 done well. 



For American foresters the only especial 

 value that the book has is a good French for- 

 estry bibliography, a list of French forestry 

 associations and journals, and a chapter upon 

 forest fire insurance. From the last it appears 

 that while the French companies do not seek 

 such business, it is possible to insure forests in 

 almost any part of France against loss by fire. 

 The indifference of the insurance companies 

 seems to be due largely to the lack of knowl- 

 edge upon which to base equitable rates, but 

 when it is stated that the maximum premium 

 is 10 per cent on young pine forests and less 

 than i per cent on mature deciduous forests, 

 the difference between the security in that 

 country and' in this is emphatic. 



ALFRED GASKILL. 



Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. 

 By FLORENCE MERRIAM BAILEY. Pp. 

 512. Illustrated. Houghton, Mifflin & 

 Co., Boston. Price, $3.50 net. 



This book describes the birds of the United 

 States found west of the looth meridian, each 

 species being designated by plumage, distri- 

 bution, nest, and food. Some idea of the great 

 number of birds in the western United States 

 may be gained from the fact that though the 

 descriptions are brief, the volume contains 



over 512 pages. The introduction contains 

 much valuable information, condensed to a 

 point to be of use to the amateur ornithologist, 

 and to students of the subject generally. The 

 volume is abundantly illustrated with over 600 

 text drawings and 33 full-page plates by Louis 

 Agassiz Fuertes, recognized as the best bird 

 artist since Audubon. Valuable bibliographies 

 are given, with bird lists, and many useful 

 hints on the study of ornithology from the 

 viewpoint of the general naturalist, collector, 

 oologist, or economic ornithologist. 



Analytic Keys to the Genera and Species of North 

 American Mosses. By CHARLES RKID 

 BARNES, Professor of Botany, University 

 of Wisconsin. Revised and extended by 

 Fred De Forest Heald, Fellow in Botany, 

 with the cooperation of the author. Pub- 

 lished by the University, Madison, Wis- 

 consin. Pp. 368. Price, $1.00. 



This work, with its careful details, has a 

 value to bryologists and amateurs which can- 

 not easily be calculated. To persons making 

 a life study of mosses it presents some new 

 ideas in the presentation of genera and species, 

 and in a sensible method of nomenclature. 

 Through amateurs, who by its help may be 

 able to better gather the facts of distribution, 

 variation, and relationships, the use to the bry- 

 ologist will be apparent. An earnest student, 

 equipped with microscope and this manual, 

 ought to be able to identify any mosses which 

 he may collect in this country, and it is with 

 the idea of encouraging a study of the mosses 

 that the keys are published. More than 100 

 pages of the publication are given up to an 

 appendix giving descriptions of species and 

 varieties. 



Public Roads in New Jersey. Ninth Annual 

 Report of the Commissioner of Public 

 Roads. By HENRY I. BUDD. Pp. 243. 

 Illustrated. Public Printer, Trenton, New 

 Jersey. 



The question of building good public roads 

 in the United States is one that is receiving an 

 increasing amount of attention. The move- 

 ment for better highways is becoming one of 

 the most important before our people, and 

 New Jersey is well in the lead of the action 

 along this line. For several years past a large 

 amount of work has been done, and each report 

 of the road commissioner shows a gratifying 

 increase in the mileage of good roads con- 

 structed. In addition to containing a detailed 

 statement of all the road work done during 

 the past year, which will be of great interest 

 to citizens of the state, this report could be 

 used to advantage as a text-book on the sub- 

 ject of good roads, as it contains descriptions 



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