274 The Botanical Gazette. [June, 
plained the significance of the formation of the endosperm nucleus, 
and the relation of its segmentation to the act of fertilization. The 
strong development of the antipodal region in certain groups, is a fact 
coming into such prominence that the old statements concerning it 
should certainly be modified. 
The presentation of phanerogams is certainly a botanical treasure 
house, full of the latest and best that is known concerning the subject- 
From the teacher’s standpoint the only criticism to be offered is lack 
of organization. It is difficult for the reader, who is not already a 
botanist, to grasp the really salient things and separate them from the 
rest. Ifthe book were a picture one might say that the perspective 
was bad. With the living teacher such an objection disappears, and 
in any event is far overbalanced by the fullness and freshness of facts 
and terminology. 
en we turn to part rv, on physiology, we find Dr. Vines at his 
best, and cannot help regretting that he did not restrict the treatment 
of phanerogams (which covers nearly 230 pages) to a discussion of the 
“orders” at least or even to his “cohorts,” and thus leave himself room 
for a fuller discussion of physiological questions. We must however 
make the best of the 118 pages which he devotes to these topics. No 
fault can be found with the way in which he has utilized these all too 
few pages. The matter is logical, clear, well-balanced. The most 
notable departure from his “Lectures on the Physiology of Plants” is 
to be found in the parts on the special physiology of the nutritive 
functions and reproduction. Here Vines distinctly recognizes the 
manufacture of carbohydrates as a distinct process, to which however 
he gives no name, designating it merely as “the first step in the process 
of assimilation.” He abandons also the idea that carbohydrates arise 
in the course of assimilation by a katabolic process, saying “the prod- 
uct of this carbon-assimilation is . . . a non-nitrogenous organic 
substance having the composition of a carbohydrate.” 
It need hardly be said that in each of the four chapters, on general 
physiology, and on special physiology of the nutritive functions, move- 
ment and reproduction, the matter has been brought down to date, 
On the whole the work must be looked upon as one of the best refer- 
ence books in our language, and, with judicious selection by 2 good 
teacher, one of the best texts for advanced readers. 
Horticultural botany. 
Of all who deal with plants probably the horticulturist and florist 
come to the most intimate knowledge of certain phases of vegetable 
life. The success of their daily toil and the year’s profits depend 
