18 



book. As to nomenclature, it has "been largely determined by- 

 each writer for his own portion, though it is hoped that the 

 results are fairly consistent." Some have followed the new Gray 

 Manual, others. Dr. Britton's Manual, and his tree book, and 

 still other parts of the book seem to conform to neither of these 

 systems. It would have added uniformity to the undertaking 

 for the head of the enterprise to have codified this perplexing 

 matter by adopting one or the other of the chief systems now in 

 use in this country. 



However, the book is an excellent attempt to bring before the 

 botanical public of Minnesota in concise and understandable 

 form the chief features of the woody flora of the state. Nothing 

 is omitted that would aid one in using the book and the aim 

 of making it self-explanatory has been thoroughly successful. 



Dr. Darling, on the other hand, plunges at once into his problem 

 without table of contents and only two pages of "Suggestions 

 to the Student." His " Handbook of the Wild and Cultivated 

 Flowering Plants " comprises " Key to the Wild Plants and Culti- 

 vated Trees and Shrubs which Flower during March, April and 

 May" (pp. 3-26), "Key to the Wild Plants and Cultivated 

 Trees and Shrubs which Flower from June to November" (pp. 

 27-64), "Key to the Wild and Cultivated Trees and Shrubs 

 in Autumn" (pp. 65-80), "Key to the Cultivated Herbs and 

 Potted Shrubs" (pp. 81-106). Throughout these earlier keys 

 there are page referrences to the general key to the species, sys- 

 tematically arranged, which takes up most of the latter half of 

 the volume (pp. 107-240). Some of these keys have already 

 appeared in Torreya.* 



The difficulty of making keys that distinguish, that are an 

 actual help to the beginner, to whom the book is obviously 

 addressed, seems to have been met in a fairly satisfactory way. 

 There may be much question, in spite of their clearness, whether 

 the average amateur can master a key taking up 25 or more pages, 

 for this is a task that many trained systematists find most 

 difficult. There is, too, the ever-present danger that in using 

 more or less obvious characters, the key may throw one's de- 



* Torreya 12: 46-65, 12: 155-165. 1912. 



