ye BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JANUARY 
Sea currents are regarded as of greatest importance. The pronounced cur- 
rents from the nearest land do not bathe the islands, but experiments have proved 
that heavy winds and storms will drive floating objects out of the main currents, 
and BORGESEN believes the general conditions to be favorable to the introduction 
of algae from the west and north coasts of Ireland, the west coast of Scotland, 
and the Hebrides, while the currents from east Iceland run straight to the Faerées. 
It is also possible that algae may be introduced from the west coast of Norway. - 
Fragments of the algae may drift for many days, especially such as are provided 
with bladder-like floats, or their spores may be so carried, and floating pieces 
of timber covered with algal growths are known to travel long distances. Smaller 
algae of the littoral flora are very likely to be introduced with mud upon the 
feet and bodies of birds. Finally BORGESEN believes that algae may be introduced 
through the shipping which visits the islands. 
These are merely some of the most striking conclusions in an account that 
is full of interesting observations on the life conditions and habits of marine 
algae.—B. M. 
Plant diseases. 
FREEMAN has produced a finely illustrated volume on plant diseases,? the first 
part of which is devoted to a discussion of fungi in general, while the second 
special part treats of specific fungous diseases of plants. The object of this book, 
as set forth in the preface, is “rather educational than immediately practical.” 
It is an attempt to give a general account of the nature of fungi, for the purpose 
the work becomes rather broader than would be indicated by the title, Minnesota 
plant diseases. 
t part comprises a discussion of the morphology, physiology, and 
pee of fungi; but, while this part contains much excellent material, the 
arrangement lacks the logical sequence of first importance in a book of an edu- 
cational character. It consists rather of a series of interesting pictures without 
due regard to pedagogical principles. This is likely to leave the mind of the 
reader confused. The sub-headings of the first chapter on nutrition are as fol- 
lows: What the fungi are; The fungus method of obtaining nutrition; How 
the nutritive method is expressed in structure; Parasitism and saprophytism; 
Storage organs; Fungus shoestrings or strands; Physiology of the mycelium. 
Then, in chapter III, Fungus life methods, we have as the first subhead, again, 
Parasitism and saprophytism, the rest of the chapter dealing with habits or rather 
habitats of different aati 00 great an effort is made to avoid scientific pass 
Thus we have such “‘spore-like swimming-spore-cases,”” 
“‘Sac-spore-capsule.” It would seem that the reader who can comprehend the 
allusions to the phylogenetic relationships between fungi and algae would not 
find it too difficult to comprehend a few scientific terms. 
? FREEMAN, E. M., Minnesota plant diseases. Imp. 8vo. pp. xxiii+ 432- figs, 
211. St. Paul: Rape of the Survey. Bot. Ser. V. 1905. 
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