NA TURE 



451 



THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, igog. 



SOME BOTANICAL BOOKS. 

 (i) Die Pflanzenwelt Deutschlands. hy Dr. P. 

 Graebner, mit Zoologischen Beitragen von F. G. 

 Meyer. Pp. xi + 374. (Leipzig: Quelle und Meyer, 

 1909.) Price 7 marks. 



(2) Pflanzenbiologie. Schilderungen aus dem Lehen 

 der Pflanzen. By Dr. W. Migula. Pp. viii + 352. 

 (Leipzig : Quelle und Meyer, 1909.) Price 8 marks. 



(3) Unscre Zierpflansen. Eine zwanglose Auswahl 

 biologischcr Bcirachtiiiigen von Garten und Zimmer- 

 pflanzen soivic von Parkgeholzen. By P. F. F. 

 Schulz. Pp. viii + 216. (Leipzig: Quelle und 

 Meyer, 1909.) Price 4.40 marks. 



(4) Phanerogamen. Blittcnpflanzen. By Prof. E. 

 Gilg and Dr. R. Muschler. Pp. 172. (Leipzig : 

 Quelle und Meyer, 1909.) Price 1.25 marks. 



(5) KryptogUmcn. By Dr. M. Mobius. Pp. iv+164. 

 (Leipzig : Quelle und Meyer, 1908.) Price 1.25 

 marks. 



(6) Zimmer- und Balkonpflanzen. By P. Dannenberg. 

 Pp. vi+i6o. (Leipzig: Quelle und Meyer, 1908.) 

 Price 1.25 marks. 



(7) Clay's Successful Gardening. Fourth Edition. 

 Pp. 275. (London : Clay and Son, Stratford, n.d.) 

 Price gd. net. 



(8) Botany for Matriculation. By Dr. F. Cavers. 

 Pp. viii + 56S. (Cambridge: University Tutorial 

 Press, Ltd., 1909.) Price 55. 6d. 



(9) Beginners' Botany. By Prof. L. H. Bailey. Pp. 

 ix + 208. (New York: The Macmillan Company; 

 London : Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1909.) Price 

 35. 6d. 



(10) Elementary Practical Botany. By W. E. Clarke. 

 Pp. xii + 311. (London : The Normal Press, Ltd., 

 n.d.) Price 35. 6d. net. 



(i)'pvR. GRAEBNER deals with the plant-world of 

 J--' Germany from an ecological standpoint, and 

 thereby provides one of the first works on ecology 

 confined to the limits of a single country. The sub- 

 ject of ecology is still in its infancy, and it is probable 

 that it may gain stability when it is considered from 

 a national rather than an international outlook. The 

 difficulty in reducing ecological facts to a system, as 

 the author points out, arises from the complexity of 

 factors which influence the being of a plant. Dr. 

 Warming bases his classification on soil conditions, 

 but Dr. Graebner selects a more arbitrary standard, 

 as his main divisions depend primarily upon the 

 favourable or unfavourable characters of natural con- 

 ditions, and, secondarily, on the modifications pro- 

 duced by special agencies, such as seasons or man. 

 The arrangement works out better than might be 

 expected. The first section is that of tropophilous 

 formations found on sunny hills, on rocks and inland 

 dunes. The second comprises formations on cultivated 

 land. The succeeding sections refer to meadows, 

 woods, river banks, plankton and aquatic vegetation. 

 Finally, the author relegates heath and halophytic 

 formations to separate categories. The two most 

 prominent sections are those devoted to formations on 

 NO. 2085, VOL. 81] 



cultivated land and to woods or forests. Under the 

 former are gathered the vegetation of waste places 

 (Ruderalstellen), fields and gardens, lawns and road- 

 side trees. Tlie importance of this section is ex- 

 tremely great, not only because of its extent, but 

 because it lies immediately at our doors. Obviously 

 the effect of human influence does not stop here, 

 but the limit is that of man's most determined struggle 

 t3 turn nature to his immediate purpose. 



Under each section the author discusses the pre- 

 dominant factors, also any well-marked modifica- 

 tions, and describes the typical plant-formations 

 with reference to their adaptations for nutrition 

 and reproduction. The notes on animal life con- 

 tributed by Mr. F. G. Meyer are added as 

 postscripta to the sections. The book is a very de- 

 sirable acquisition to the scanty literature on ecology, 

 and can be recommended both for the philosophic 

 argument of principles and causes, and also for the 

 details. It also suggests the thought that there is a 

 good opportunity for preparing a book on similar 

 lines dealing with vegetation in the British Isles. 



(2) The scope of Dr. Migula's " Plant Biology " is 

 considerably wider than the preceding. It treats of 

 bionomics as exemplified by reproduction and dis- 

 semination of plants, protective modifications and 

 adaptations to e.Kternal conditions ; this leads to plant 

 associations, and biology of nutrition precedes the 

 description of federations between different plants, or 

 plants and animals. It is, of course, impossible to 

 deal comprehensively with these various subjects, and 

 the author has merely endeavoured to present interest- 

 ing sketches of plant-life. There is no striking origin- 

 ality in the early sections, but the author imparts 

 his information in a clear and effective manner, 

 notably in the introduction dealing with development, 

 or, to put it more popularly, Darwinism. The 

 chapters on adaptations of plants to climate and soil 

 are in some respects the most attractive, as the author 

 has elaborated these themes more fully. Plant com- 

 munities are described under the divisions of forest, 

 grass vegetation, heath and moor. Reference should 

 also be made to the succinct accounts of root tubercles 

 in the leguminous family, and the relationship between 

 plants and ants. 



(3) The horticulturist who is a deep thinker must 

 often be puzzled to understand the idiosyncrasies of 

 many plants that come under his care, even of stock 

 plants in cultivation. For instance, how many can 

 offer an opinion on variegation in a begonia-leaf and 

 say how far it can be modified, or can explain why a 

 pelargonium thrown on the dust-heap will retain its 

 vitality for a long time? Further, there are the mani- 

 fold variations in stem and leaf, the devices for pol- 

 lination, and many other biological features which are 

 not readily explicable even by those who have received 

 technical training. To those who are anxious to gain 

 an insight into these problems the book by Mr. 

 P. F. F. Schulz will certainly appeal. He has wisely 

 limited his notes to about fifty kinds. Plants in 

 general cultivation are represented by begonias, the 

 dahlia, perennial lupines, Aspidistra, sunflowers, and 

 common ferns. Saiiromatum, Aristolochia, and 



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