PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION ix 



ment now being published, as evidence for the justice of the 

 above statement. 



Among these latter, Kirchner's Die Krankheiten ^lnd Beschdd- 

 ignngen unserer Landwirthschaftlichen Pflanzen stands high 

 in the list as a treatise on the diagnosis and treatment of 

 agricultural and horticultural plant-diseases. Far more of a 

 classic, however, but dealing more especially with the diseases 

 of forest trees, is Robert Hartig's beautiful text-book now intro- 

 duced to the English public. Another encyclopaedic work, Hess's 

 FortschutZ) deals more particularly with the " dodges," if I 

 may use the word, practical foresters are devising to combat 

 the principal maladies to which forest trees are subject, and 

 of this work English , readers are also promised a translation 

 at an early date. These more special treatises may be men- 

 tioned as supplementing and in part supplanting the more 

 academical and general works of Frank and Sorauer previously 

 referred to. 



The great charm of Hartig's book lies as much in the ex- 

 cellent plan and simple method of exposition of the facts and 

 principles concerned, as in the astounding richness of infor- 

 mation it conveys. This is unquestionably owing to Hartig's 

 prominence as the* leading investigator and authority in Ger- 

 many in this special branch of knowledge the fungoid diseases 

 of forest trees. 



His pre-eminence as a sturdy and patient inquirer, as an 

 admirable anatomist and physiologist, and as a bold and 

 original thinker, is well known to the few who are acquainted 

 with his special scientific publications, particularly his laborious 

 memoir on the destruction of timber by fungi. In the present 

 work I think he shows himself also a master of the art of 

 teaching the principles as well as the facts of his subject. 



Of course there are points of view to be considered in 

 criticising such a book. 



The specialist on the Morphology of the Fungi will probably 

 complain of the author's classification of these organisms, and 

 of his somewhat lax use of certain morphological terms ; but 



