SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



19 



A Popular Treatise on the Physiology of Plants, for 

 the use of Gardeners, or for Students of Horticulture 

 and of Agriculture. By Dr. Paul Sorauer. 

 Translated by F. E. Weiss, B.Sc, F.L.S. 266 pp. 

 large 8vo, with 33 illustrations. (London and 

 New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1895) 

 Price 9s. net. 



In his preface, as translator of this book, Professor 

 Weiss says he undertook the work in consequence 

 of there not being in the English language any 

 book so useful for modern botany classes as that 

 written by Professor Sorauer, now before us. The 

 original author of the well-known and admirable 

 " Populiire Pflanzenphysiologie " has had great 

 opportunities of acquiring the necessary qualifica- 

 tions to write such a book while he has been 

 Director of the Experimental Station at the Royal 

 Pomological Institute in Proskau, in Silesia, 

 which post he has held for many years. As 

 that institution is one for the scientific training 

 of gardeners and agriculturists, the book now 

 under notice has been especially 



prepared for such classes by 



the author. The translator has 



maintained that charac- 

 ter, so the book will be 



found invaluable as a 



basis of teaching in 



the new botany 



classes which are ' * 



comingintoexistence 



under the auspices - 



of various County 



Councils. The work 



is divided 



into a doz- 

 en chap- 

 ters, which 

 are really 

 divis ions 

 of the 

 whole sub- 

 ject. They 

 are such 

 as the in- 

 troduction 

 which de- 

 fines the 

 concep- 

 tions to 

 be formed 

 by the stu- 

 dent of a 



vegetable organism, "*■ ' 

 and the various or- 

 gans of the plant ; r- 

 the structure, nutri- 

 tion and treatment of 

 the root, the stem and the 

 leaf ; the treatment of the 

 shoot ; the use of shoots 

 for propagating ; the treat- 

 ment of the leaves ; the 

 theory of watering ; the From 

 flower and fruits, and seeds. 



The illustrations are clear, and descriptions of 

 them simple and plain. 



Half Hours with the Stars : A Plain and Easy 

 Guide to the Knowledge of the Constellations. By 

 Richard H. Procter, B.A., F.R.A.S. 22 pp. 

 large 4to, with 12 maps. (London: W. H. Allen 

 and Co., Limited.) Price 3s. 6d. 



This well-known and popular star-atlas is being 

 again issued by the publishers. By its aid and the 



accompanying explanations there is no difficultv in 

 finding the position of the principal star groups 

 night after night throughout the year, and it is true 

 for any year. 



The Planet Earth : An Astronomical Introduction 

 to Geography. By Richard A. Gregory, F.R.A.S. 

 116 pp. 8vo, with 36 illustrations and frontispiece. 



(London and 

 New York : 

 Macmillan 

 and Co., 

 1894.) 

 Asa primer 

 for young 

 people this 

 little work 

 will be found 

 useful. The 

 illustrations 

 are well se- 

 lected and 

 the letter- 

 press simply 

 yet lucidlv 

 written. It 

 is quite a 

 book we can 

 recommend 

 for home in- 

 struction 

 of intelli- 

 gent young 

 people, and 

 should help 

 to teach 

 o b s ervation 

 of things a- 

 round them, 

 Even per- 

 sons with 

 limited tech- 

 nical know- 

 ledge will be 

 able to teach 

 their child- 

 ren many 

 simple but 

 necessary 

 facts in con- 

 nection with 

 the world 

 they live in 

 by the aid 

 of this 

 book. 



Popular 

 Natural His- 

 tory for Boys 

 and Girls. 

 By W. J. 

 Gordon. 

 256 pp. 8vo, 

 and 86 en- 

 gravings. 

 1894.) Price 



WSTO^^jjr' 



The Sea-bird's Citadel. 

 Birds of the Wave and Woodland. 



Religious Tract Society. 



(London 

 2s. 6d. 



This is a pleasantly-written book, giving an out- 

 line of the larger animals of this world. It is 

 simply expressed, and contains at the beginning a 

 "brief explanation of some of the scientific terms 

 used in this book," which will be very useful to the 

 young people for whom it is intended, from an 

 educational point of view when reading other 

 books. 



