April 21, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



621 



would come under such a ruling, before my 

 report is formulated. 



In view of the foregoing premises, I respect- 

 fully request zoologists in different groups to 

 call my attention to as many instances of this 

 kind as possible, with which they are ac- 

 quainted in their different specialties. Fur- 

 ther, since the arguments on both sides of the 

 problem appear to be almost equally valid, it 

 does not seem impossible that the final decision 

 will have to be based upon an arbitrary choice 

 between the two possible rulings, and on this 

 account I am desirous of obtaining all pos- 

 sible arguments on both sides as they occur to 

 different zoologists, and also any personal 

 views based upon convenience or inconveni- 

 ence, or other grounds, which may be held by 

 different colleagues. 



I will hold the case open at least until Sep- 

 tember 1, for the presentation of arguments 

 by any persons who may desire to submit their 

 views. C. W. Stiles, 



Secretary of the Oommission 



April 4, 1911 



i- 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 

 Diseases of Economic Plants. By F. L. Ste- 

 vens, Ph.D., and J. G. Hall, M.A. New 

 York, The Macmillan Co. 1910. Pp. 313, 

 214 figures. $2.00 net. 

 The authors of this work have sought to 

 produce a book on plant pathology " for those 

 who wish to recognize and treat diseases with- 

 out the burden of long study as to their 

 causes." To this end " technical discussion 

 is avoided in so far as is possible," and " no 

 consideration is given to the causal organism 

 except as it is conspicuous enough to be of 

 service in diagnosis, or exhibits peculiari- 

 ties, knowledge of which may be of use in pro- 

 phylaxis." Non-parasitic diseases are omit- 

 ted, except a few of the most conspicuous. 



The volume opens with short chapters on 

 the history of plant pathology, the damage 

 done by plant diseases, their symptoms, pre- 

 vention or cure, public plant sanitation, fun- 

 gicides, spraying machinery, cost of spraying, 

 profits from spraying, soil disinfection and 

 general diseases. 



The greater part is given to brief descrip- 

 tions of plant diseases due to bacteria or fungi 

 with suggestions regarding their prevention or 

 cure. For this purpose a grouping by hosts 

 is adopted; viz., pomaceous fruits, drupaceous 

 fruits, small fruits, tropical fruits, vegetable 

 and field crops, cereals, forage crops, trees and 

 timber and ornamental plants. This is a com- 

 mendable feature for a practical reference 

 book as some such classification is much to 

 be preferred to an arrangement according to 

 the botanical relationship of the parasite. 



To present in a popular way a highly tech- 

 nical subject and to retain accuracy and thor- 

 oughness is a much harder task than writing 

 for professional readers. Diverse opinion 

 exists as to the most effective method of pre- 

 senting such a subject. It is, therefore, to be 

 expected that many readers will differ with 

 our authors. Their attention will first be 

 arrested by the general use of ose as an ending 

 for the generic name of the causal fungus to 

 form a common name for the disease. Decay 

 due to blue mold becomes " penicilliose " ; dry 

 rot of sweet potatoes, " lasiodiplodiose " ; wilt 

 of cotton, " fusariose," etc. There are many 

 arguments against such names, and it does 

 not seem wise to attempt to introduce them 

 into a popular book before they have been 

 accepted by plant pathologists. 



Some readers will not approve the omission 

 of all technical details relating to the nature 

 and life history of fungi, holding them to be 

 as essential to pathology as mathematics to a 

 treatise on engineering. The short chapter 

 on fungi in the appendix is not adequate nor 

 is it correlated with the chapter on pathology. 



It is to be regretted that it was found neces- 

 sary to limit the book to diseases due to fungi 

 and bacteria, especially since the causes of 

 diseases are not given prominence in the text. 

 The lay reader will be confused by the omis- 

 sion of the physiological fruit spot of the 

 apple, while the similar but less important 

 fungus fruit spot is discussed. Potato tip- 

 burn is given four lines while the no more 

 important potato scab is allotted four pages of 

 text. The wilt and dieback of the orange are 

 omitted as is the curly top of beet, one of the 



