74 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JANUARY 
of galls. This chapter closes with a brief but interesting discussion of the galls 
formed on animals. 
he work is a most comprehensive presentation of the modern aspects of 
the general subject of cecidology. The galls themselves are the subjects of 
primary consideration and the gall makers secondary. The entire subject is 
treated from the standpoint of the botanist, and galls are grouped with refer- 
ence to their own characters and not the characters of their makers. Questions 
of taxonomy and alternation of generations are referred to only incidentally, 
but these subjects are well treated in other works on cecidology which are 
accessible to all energetic workers. The great bulk of the work is compiled 
from the writings of the Germans and French, who have been the most active 
investigators in this field. The author might well have given a little more 
attention, however, to the Italian, English, and American contributions. The 
work is timely and will find a welcome in every modern laboratory of general 
botany and plant pathology. In fact, it will be indispensable for those who 
expect to gain a broad and thorough knowledge of modern plant pathology. — 
Met. T. Coox. 
A plant physiology 
In his Plant physiology with special reference to plant production, DUGGARS 
has deviated far from the conventional type of texts on plant physiology. Of 
course the principles and even the facts of plant physiology are the same 
soil problems, and upon factors of growth significant to crop production. A 
number of topics, not usually found in plant physiologies, are given a place: 
effect of weight and size of seed upon the vigor of the plants, parthenocarpic 
formation in pomaceous fruits, protection of crops by insecticides and fungi- 
cides, destruction of weeds by poison, ete.; while other phases of the subject, 
such as tropic, tactic, and nastic movements, are given little space. The 
author makes much use of material appearing in experiment station bulletins, 
a source little used in most texts. 
No science is more fundamental to agriculture than plant physiology, and 
yet it has had little emphasis in the agricultural colleges and experiment 
stations of this country. It is certainly high time that this science takes its 
significant position in this field of production, and Duccar has given a start 
in the right direction. The book has the virtue of being concrete and teach- 
able to beginners, and it is possible that the author has accomplished the 
double aim “to consider both the student and the general reader.” Any 
teacher of beginners in the subject will appreciate the value of the concreteness 
in the text. 
A careful perusal of the book leaves one feeling that it is more a selection 
’ Duccar, B. M., Plant physiology with special reference to plant production. 
Rural Science Series. 8vo. pp. xv-+516. New York: Macmillan Co. Igil. 
