1915] CURRENT LITERATURE 257 
The next chapter discusses the apparent cases of non-Mendelian heredity, 
inheritance only through the mother, and vegetative segregation in the first 
hybrid generation. This is followed by some 30 pages on the inheritance of 
sex, which is not wholly satisfactory on account of the omission of so much 
recent work from both the cytological and the pedigree culture side. Odds 
and ends are picked up in the next two chapters. The first is largely an 
account of the many peculiar results occurring in species crosses to which as 
yet there is no satisfactory explanation. The other describes graft hybrids 
and xenia. 
The six remaining chapters are rather general in character, and partly for 
this reason are highly recommended to biologists who are not specialists in 
genetics. They deal with questions of variation and heredity in a broad way, 
from the viewpoint of a man thoroughly conversant with all modern investi- 
gations, philosophical as well as experimental. 
as been generally understood that an English translation was to appear 
simultaneously with the German edition. Let us hope that the war will only 
delay and not prevent its publication.—E. M. East 
MINOR NOTICES 
A manual of weeds.—The present volume? is probably the most extensive 
and exhaustive weed manual yet published. In fact, the author has taken the 
term “weed” in its broadest sense and has included many plants not usually 
regarded as pernicious; for example, the list embraces several of the golden 
rods, clovers, asters, and roses, and even such trees as the wild black and choke 
cherries. About 500 species are described in semi-technical terms and three- 
fourths of them.are illustrated by habit drawings. They are arranged under 
their respective families, but no keys or other means of identification are 
supplied. This seems to be the greatest defect of the manual and one that 
might have been rather easily remedied. Both common and scientific names 
are given, the former including some of the more common synonyms, and the 
range is made-to include all of the United States and Canada. The illustra- 
tions, although rather small, will certainly prove to be one of the most useful 
features of the book, enabling any one with a minimum of scientific traming 
to recognize with considerable accuracy all weedy plants of common occurrence. 
Like the other volumes of this series of ‘Rural manuals” edited by L. H. 
BalLey, this manual of weeds will be found useful as a textbook in agricul- 
tural colleges, but it makes i its strongest appeal to the practical tiller of the soil. 
In this connection it i s gratifying to note that the problems of weed control 
Seems to be less emphasized than its efficiency deserves—Gro. D. FULLER. 
*Georcia, Apa E., A manual of weeds. 12mo. pp. xit+561. figs. 385. New 
York: Mosecitian: 1914. $2.00 
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