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j 1903] CURRENT LITERATURE 147 



Recent Contributions to American Phytogeography: the Central 



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United States. W 



195* 217, 262-291, 1901) a most valuable paper on the ecological relations 

 of the Texas vegetation.^W. H. Long's work on the distribution of fungi 

 about Austin, Tex., has been previously noted (Box. Gaz. 30: 429. igoo). 

 C. H. Fitch (U, S. Geol. Surv. Ann. Rept. 21 : 603-672. 1900) has given a 

 detailed description, section by section, of the woodlands of Indian Territory. 

 K. K. Mackenzie and B. F. Bush, in their manual of the flora of Jackson 

 county, Missouri, previously mentioned in this journal (Box, Gaz. 34:310. 

 1902), list a number of ecological habitats with their characteristic species. 

 J. M. Westgate (Science 15:462. 1902) traces the genetic development of 

 the vegetation on an island in the Kansas river, giving the resuUs of a four 

 years' study. There have been rapid changes from xerophytic to mesophytic 

 conditions, and these changes have been recorded by serial photographs. 

 The actual succession of plants, as witnessed from year to year, confirms 

 comparative studies made elsewhere. 



B. Shimek (Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci. 7:47-59. 1899) discusses in a most 

 suggestive manner the distribution of forest trees in Iowa. He reviews the 

 various theories that have been supposed to account for the treelessness of 

 prairies, giving in footnotes a large number of citations. The fire theory has 

 had the larger number of adherents ; too much emphasis has been given to 

 this cause, but the author thinks it of some value, Lesquereux's swamp theory 

 explains some prairies, but not those on loess hills. Insufficient atmospheric 

 moisture is of much importance, but cannot explain the alternation of prairie 

 and forest in eastern Iowa. The soil character has some place. The author 

 rightly holds that most writers have erred chiefly in holding to one theory, and 

 discarding others. He accepts all of the above theories as of more or less 

 value, and adds some further notes on the influence of wind, which he thinks 

 has been too little dwelt upon. This, Shimek holds, explains the preponder- 

 ance of trees in eastern Iowa, where the winds are less vehement. The wind 

 theory accounts for trees in sheltered situations along streams, also for their 

 relative absence on the Iowa side of the Missouri river, as compared with 

 the Nebraska side. Tree planting experiments yield similar data,— L, H. 

 Paaimel (Pharm. Rev. 19:1x7, 156. 1901) gives the northern limits within 

 Iowa of several trees of southern range, and in his Grasses of Iowa (see Box. 

 Gaz. 32 : 429. I901) discusses the pastures, meadows, and weeds of the state, 

 chiefly from an economic aspect. 



RoscoE Poux\D and F. E. Clemenxs's admirable Phytogeography of 

 Nebraska has been previously reviewed in this journal (Box. Gaz. 25:370. 

 1S98; 32:374. 1900). — C. E. Bessey (Forester 6:240-243. 1900; see 

 Box. Gaz. 31:133. iQOi) has treated in an interesting manner the natural 

 spreading of timber areas in Nebraska. He finds that the pines in the north- 

 west, and the deciduous trees in the east are extending their domain with 

 some rapidity. This he attributes chiefly to the restriction of prairie fires in 



