August 3, igi 1] 



NATURE 



'47 



even intentionally, by natives for adulteration. The 

 chemical and physical characters of the latex and the 

 giethods of coagulation have received attention by 

 Dr. Christy in Uganda, and his chapters on these 

 Subjei 1- provide much interesting matter. The book 

 is. however, one which must necessarily appeal to a 

 (united section owing to the relative unimportance 

 of the species dealt with as sources of rubber. It is 

 tine that Funtumia has supplied large quantities of 



Lagi ilk rubber in the past, and will continue to do 



- for many years to come. Nevertheless, it is a 

 snecii s which does nut lend itself to cultivation; wher- 

 ever it has been tried — in Ceylon, .Malay, Samoa, New 

 Guinea, &c. — its growth has been so slow and the 

 yields so small that planters have abandoned all hopes 

 of ever cultivating the tree' profitably. 



(2) This a book which deals with a very special 

 side of the rubber industry, and is mainly of interest 



to planters in the East, and to students of mycology 

 elsewhere. 



After giving a general introductory statement on 

 the structure of Hevea brasiliensis', its latex and 

 rubber, and the tapping systems employed on planta- 

 tion-;, the author comes to the special part for which 

 he is qualified to deal, viz., plant sanitation from the 

 fnycological point of view. Leaf diseases — Helmintho- 

 iporium heveae and Gloeosporium heveae — are dealt 

 With, and the result of an examination of fallen leaves 

 i- described, it being shown that conspicuous de- 

 foliation was not due to these diseases. Among root 

 diseases, the author pays particular attention to Fomes 

 femitostus, which is now reported from most estates 

 in Ceylon, Malaya, Sumatra, Java, and even Africa; 

 tn the Brown root disease Hymenochaete noxia and 

 iii Sphaerostilbe repens, and he deals also with numer- 

 ous miscellaneous fungi observed by himself and others 

 on the roots of this particular tree. 



Stem diseases are dealt with in a separate chapter. 

 XO. 2179, VOL. S7I 



Phytophthora Falun is described as a parasitic fungus 

 affecting the stem and fruit of Hevea brasiliensis; it 

 'has also been associated with cocoa, with which 

 rubber trees are often interplanted. Pink disease — 

 Corticium salmonicolor, B. and Br.— formerly exten- 

 sive^ known in Java as Corticium javanicium, 

 Zixnm., is also described. This disease appears to 

 originate generally in the fork of the tree or where 

 several _ branches arise close together from the main 

 stem ; it has caused considerable damage, especially 

 i:i Java and Malaya. A new stem canker, Conio- 

 thyrium sp., is reported to haw made its appearance 

 oi a Ceylon estate in 1909; this apparently appears 

 1 young green shoots, the fust sign of its appearance 

 being the production of hard, yellowish patches due 

 t j the development of a corky layer under the 

 epidermis. Stem diseases of seedlings and the steri- 

 lisation of nurseries also receive attention. 



Some abnormalities in Hevea in the form of twisted 

 seedlings, nodules, and twisted stems (fasciation) are 

 well illustrated, and should prove of interest to tera- 

 tological students. 



Much of the information has already been published 

 in Ceylon, but this should not seriously detract from 

 its value. References to literature on each subject are 

 freely given, and in this way the reader is enabled 

 in secure further detail if he desires to do so. 



It is to be regretted that this book deals only with 

 diseases due to fungi and bacteria. The book would 

 have been much more useful to planters and to others 

 in Europe had it taken into consideration the 

 numerous animal pests which at the present time are 

 a source of great anxiety to all cultivators of rubber 

 trees. It is the only book of its kind, and should 

 find a place in the library of all who wish to maintain 

 an interest in tropical agriculture. 



(3) Mr. W. Wicherley's booklet covers a series of 

 general problems connected with Hevea brasiliensis, 

 Manilla! glaziovii, Ficus elastica, Castilloa elastica, 

 Funtumia elastica. and three of the new Manihots. 

 The majority of the essays have already appeared in 

 the London Press. The writer acknowledges his in- 

 debtedness to the officials of the Ceylon Botanic Gar- 

 dens, and pays a tribute to past and present officers 

 for the work they have done in connection with this 

 cultivation. 



The statistics given of planted acreages and prob- 

 able future yields (p. 144) are, in our opinion, calcu- 

 l.Miil to give a wrong impression; the acreages now 

 tinder rubber are, and the future annual crops will 

 be, much larger than those suggested by the author. 



There are some interesting illustrations, especially 

 those showing high tapping of Funtumia trees in 

 Uganda, and of methods of tapping adopted on trees 

 of Manihot dichotoma. The book deals almost ex- 

 clusively with matters relating to plantation subjects, 

 and will be found useful by the general reader who is 

 anxious to acquire a general knowledge of this section 

 of the industry. 



THE COAST OF NORTH DEVON. 1 

 ^pHIS is a book which should be in the hands of 

 A all who are interested in the scenerv of the 

 British Isles, and especially of those who intend to 

 visit any of the holiday resorts on the northern or 

 western coasts of Devon. It is not an ordinary 

 guide-book, and it is not a geological treatise, but 

 a description and explanation of some of the most 

 picturesque and interesting coast scenery to be found 

 in England or Wales. 



' " The Coast Scenery of North Devon." Being an Account of the Geo- 

 logical Features of the Coast-line Extending from Porlock in Somerset to 

 Boscastle in North Cornwall. By E. A. Newell Arher. Pp. xxiv-r 261 + 2 

 sketch maps. (London : J. N. Dent and Sons, Ltd., 1911.) Price 10s. tsd. 



