46 



its great numbers, its attacks on fruit, and its driving off of 

 native birds, is not "highly valued." Weeds receive a somewhat 

 similar treatment, a large number in tabular form, as well as 

 separate treatment of most of the more important ones. 



A suggestion of temporary value is given to the encyclopedia 

 by giving names and addresses of the secretaries of such organ- 

 izations as the Cactus and Succulent Society of America, the 

 American Iris Society and the National Plant, Flower, and 

 Fruit Guild. Surely the volume will be of value and use long 

 after these organizations have changed their officers. 



In any volume of the size and range errors are almost un- 

 avoidable. For example: "Angelica, a genus of herbs of the 

 Paisley Family resembling the common cow parsnip or water 

 hemlock, a species of Delphinium (which see)." Of course, 

 there is reference to neither cow parsnip nor poison hemlock 

 under Delphinium. Under "Nuts" there is given a botanical 

 description and a horticultural one — but neither corresponds 

 with the popular meaning of the term. A short list of true nuts 

 and so-called ones, includes the brazil nut as one of the true 

 ones, though it is really a seed. The scientific names used are the 

 commonly used ones, a proper conservatism in a volume of this 

 kind. Under Yucca we find "The great Yuccas of Southern 

 California known as 'Candles of the Lord' . . . are Y. arbo- 

 rescens.'' This name is often used as a synonym for Y. brevifolia, 

 the Joshua-tree correctly named in the same paragraph; the 

 "Candles of the Lord" being Y. Whipplei. The statement that 

 "snails, except the slugs with shells reduced to the vanishing 

 point are of no interest to gardeners," will not be appreciated 

 in some regions, such as Southern California. But in general one 

 must hunt through many pages to find even such slight errors. 



The book is plainly bound in dark green cloth, the 60 full 

 page plates and the more than 500 text illustrations add to the 

 value as well as to the attractiveness of the volume. 



G. T. Hastings 



