37 
the adoption of this admirable system, which enforces a minimum 
of botanical orientation upon the user. However unscientific it 
may be to place the white pine under Pinus (instead of Strobus) 
and the choke cherry under Prunus (instead of Padus), it is 
nevertheless true that for the vast majority of the students who 
will use the work in hand, generic and specific segregates do 
not aid, but usually obstruct, the path of those who look in the 
old familiar genera for their commoner tree friends. 
The introduction also includes such items as habit, twigs, 
leaf-scats, buds, fruit, etc. Each of these, and several other aids 
in the determination of trees.in their winter condition, are dis- 
cussed in detail, always from the viewpoint of the general reader 
and lumberman. A general key to the genera.and individual 
keys to each genus complete the introductory matter. It may 
be found that the keys will require more familiarity with such 
things than the average user of the work will have, but they are 
excellent and have been drawn with admirable fidelity. 
The body of the work contains a detailed description of habit, 
bark, twigs, leaf-scars, buds, fruits and wood, together with a 
discussion of the distribution and a comparison with other trees 
with which the one in hand might be confused. 
Nearly all the native trees are treated thus, and a number of 
introduced species that are practically wild, or so widely cul- . 
tivated that they attract as much attention as native species. 
For each species there is a splendid composite photograph showing 
general habit, character of bark and of the branches and twigs. 
Frequently, also, the fruits and nuts are shown. There is a 
comprehensive index and a glossary of botanical terms, which in 
the text have been avoided wherever consistent with accuracy. 
After the large crop of the ‘‘ How to Know” books, and number- 
less compilations, great and small, the jaded tree-lover will turn 
with avidity to this excellent study of the trees in winter. For 
reasonableness of nomenclature and practicality of taxonomic 
treatment, for a certain thoroughness and freshness of handling, 
the work is immeasurably in advance of any recent publication 
upon the subject. Some discussion of the altitudinal preferences 
of the different species would have been welcome, but such a 
