220 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [ MARCH 
the education of the people upon the relation of forests to waterflow and to 
soil conservation, the intrinsic value of forest products, and the importance 
of forest cover as a public resource. The discussions of these matters are 
clear and convincing, and they are so simply worded as to be within the com- 
prehension of every citizen. It is unfortunate, perhaps, that more complete 
data of existing forest areas, extent of forest fires and waste lands, are not 
furnished, but the time of the commission was limited, and all things con- 
sidered the report is calculated to fulfill its purpose. From the standpoint of 
_the trained botanist the report contains little that is new or of special value, 
but the teacher of botany can find here a good example of the simplified 
treatment of his subject. Dr. Rothrock’s descriptions of the economic trees 
of Pennsylvania are given entirely in colloquial English, without recourse to 
technical terms, and in thus keeping constantly in mind the needs of his 
readers he proves himself a master of the art of popular instruction. As an 
instance of luminous treatment of a difficult group, his discussion of the oaks 
may be cited. There is a simple classification, an occasional forestal refer- 
ence that no mere book learned botanist could have given, but which appeals 
strongly to men who know trees from the woodman’s standpoint, and a set- 
ting forth of specific characteristics that is altogether praiseworthy. There is 
a lack of editing in several contributed articles that is unfortunate, in that it 
lowers the standard of the volume from the high plane of the compilers. 
The illustrations are numerous and noteworthy, since in themselves they tell 
the story of the forest and its enemies.—B. 
Dr. A. ENGLER has just published a study of the geographical distribu- 
tion of the Rutacee with relation to their systematic arrangement." The 
contribution furnishes excellent argument and example for the pursuit of all 
taxonomic investigation with reference both to phylogeny and distribution. 
More than twenty years ago Dr. Engler began his exhaustive study of the 
Rutacee and allied families, but scarcely a year before the appearance of 
this recent publication he had prepared the treatment of the group which 
_ appears in the Pfanzenfamilien. In his earliest work upon the family the 
author emphasized the presence of oil glands as a character of much taxo- 
nomic Convenience, pointing out that upon the basis of flower parts they may 
not be separated rad som the nearly related Geraniaceae, Zygophyllaceae, 
, and Melia aking in esi 
‘ Simarubaceae, 
: families Rutoideae, Voddliodeae, and ; ER and under each its 
_ further subdiv isions, the chief portion of the pares is devoted to a treatment 
of dis:ribution b thi e follo g g grouping by distribution 
ie made: Os groups, ‘especially, ——— and Rutoidex- 
_ * Ueber t aceen im Verhiiltniss zu ibrer sy- 
tematischen | Ene der Ki Akademie der Wissenschaften, Berlin. 
1896. 
