October 28, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



603 



tion for the excellent work that for many 

 years has been done in the department. 



These thoughts are suggested by the fact 

 that there lie before the writer three notable 

 recent books on plant diseases, by American 

 authors. They are Duggar's " Fungous Dis- 

 eases of Plants" (Ginn), Selby's "Handbook 

 y / of the Diseases of Cultivated Plants in Ohio " 

 ""^ ^ (Ohio Expt. Stn.), and Stevens and Hall's 

 "Diseases of Economic Plants" (Macmillan). 

 The first of these treats the subject from the 

 standpoint of the parasite, so that in it the 

 student of the fungi may learn what injury, 

 if any, is wrought by any fungus, or group of 

 fungi. Two hundred and forty illustrations, 

 many reproductions of photographs, help to 

 make the text clearer for the beginner. A 

 " host index " brings together the various par- 

 asites that affect particular hosts. 



The second book is a revision and enlarge- 

 ment of a most useful bulletin (121) issued 

 several years ago. In it, after an introduction 

 treating of plant diseases in general, the 

 subject is treated from the standpoint of the 

 hosts alphabetically arranged. Thus we have 

 alder diseases, alfalfa diseases, apple diseases, 

 and so on throughout the alphabet, to water- 

 melon and wheat diseases. Good illustrations 

 (105) are scattered through the text. 



The last book to appear is the result of many 

 years of work by the senior author. Here the 

 treatment is from the standpoint of the hosts, 

 but instead of taking these up in a simple 

 alphabetical order, they are alphabetically ar- 

 ranged under certain general heads, as poma- 

 ceous fruits, drupaceous fruits, small fruits, 

 tropical fruits, vegetable and field crops, cer- 

 eals, forage crops, fiber plants, trees and 

 timber and ornamental plants. More than 

 two hundred text figures add greatly to the 

 usefulness of the book. Some of these are ex- 

 ceptionally fine reproductions of photographs. 



American botanists are to be congratulated 

 upon the publication of these three books. 

 They will serve as most valuable helps in in- 

 troducing students to the outlines of plant 

 pathology. Selby's book is the most " popu- 

 lar " and will be most easily understood by 

 farmers, and general students; Stevens and 



Hall's book also will be quite easily under- 

 stood, especially by farmers of some botanical 

 education. Its classified host arrangement 

 will prove especially helpful to this class of 

 readers, and will appeal to many students 

 also. Duggar's book is especially a mycol- 

 ogist's book, since the fungous parasites are 

 taken up in their natural sequence. It is the 

 most technical of the three books, and for that 

 reason will appeal most strongly to the teacher 

 and student who approach the subject from 

 the mycological rather than from the agri- 

 cultural or horticultural side. 



POISONOUS PLANTS 



Professor Doctor Pammel has brought out 

 a most useful book under the title of " A Man- 

 ual of Poisonous Plants " (Torch Press, Cedar 

 Rapids, Iowa). After a general discussion 

 of the nature and action of poisons the au- 

 thor presents a systematic catalogue of the 

 plants that are poisonous, beginning with the 

 bacteria and blue-green algae, and running up 

 through the flowering plants. The illustra- 

 tions, of which there are a hundred or more, 

 will prove helpful, especially for the non-bo- 

 tanical reader. The book will be useful to 

 physicians and medical students, as well as 

 to farmers who may wish a guide as to the 

 nature of many of the plants about them, 

 while it will be interesting and helpful to the 

 general botanist also. 



A NEW MUSHROOM BOOK 



A NEW type of mushroom book has just been 

 brought out by Professor Doctor Clements 

 under the title of " Minnesota Mushrooms." 

 It is the fourth of a series of popular guides 

 to the plants of Minnesota to appear in the 

 well-known Minnesota Plant Studies, and is 

 designed for the use of classes in the high 

 schools, and as a guide to make available the 

 edible species by distinguishing them with 

 certainty from those which are harmful. 

 Copies of the book " are furnished free to cit- 

 izens of Minnesota upon request " and "' ten 

 copies are sent free to each high school, acad- 

 emy, or college within the state." Certainly 



