CURRENT LITERATURE 



BOOK REVIEWS 

 Forest physiography 1 



This volume, intended primarily for the use of foresters, will be of very 

 great value to ecologists, even to those working upon problems which are 

 unrelated to forests. Its field of usefulness extends farther still, for it is the 

 first work in which the much-scattered literature dealing with the physiography 

 of various parts of the United States has been summarized and systematized. 

 It will thus be frequently consulted by geologists, geographers, economists, 

 and travelers. The ecologist as a rule must work out for himself the physio- 

 graphic processes which are in immediate operation in his field of study. The 

 value of Professor Bowman's work w T ill be found to lie principally along two 

 lines: in the clearing up of the physiographic history of the region, and in 

 comparison of the field of study with other parts of its physiographic region 

 and with other regions. 



The book comprises two parts. Part I is entitled "The soil," and is a 

 summary of the present knowledge of that subject as it pertains to forest 

 growth. This section is included because the influence of the physiographic 

 processes upon forests is exerted largely through the formation, modification, 

 and destruction of soils. It seems to the present writer that a better plan 

 would have been to expand this section into a separate work, since the two 

 parts of the book are essentially independent. The topics treated are as 

 follows: importance, origin, and diversity of soils; physical features; water 

 supply; temperature; chemical features; humus and nitrogen supply; soils 

 of arid regions; soil classification. 



In part II the physiography of the United States is considered by regions, 

 each subdivision having "an essential uniformity or unity of geologic and 

 physiographic conditions/' and therefore a uniform topographic expression 

 in the main. The sequence is from west to east. An introductory chapter 

 discusses physiographic, climatic, and forest regions. In consideration of 

 climate, full recognition is given to the combined effect of the various factors 

 upon plant distribution, and yet Merriam's "life zones" are accepted, although 

 they are based upon temperature alone. 



The chapters devoted to the various physiographic regions are largely 

 descriptive of the present topography, with only such geologic details as are 

 necessary to explain it. As the author remarks in the preface, the forester 



1 Bowman, Isaiah, Forest physiography, pp. xxii + 759. ph. 6. figs. 2Q2. New 



York: John Wiley & Son, 191 1. 



166 



