CURRENT LITERATURE 
BOOK REVIEWS 
Parasitic fungi 
A book treating of the fungi which cause plant diseases, which limits itself 
to the diseases already known in the United States and to those which, known 
elsewhere, seem likely to invade this country, ought to be received gratefully 
by the American student of plant pathology. In his new book, STEVENS' gives 
keys and descriptions of the fungi which cause plant diseases and also of such 
saprophytic forms as are obviously closely related to the parasitic forms. But 
he does more than give a taxonomic account of the parasitic forms, since he 
presents the results of cytological work, usually with the original figures, in all 
those groups in which extensive cytological studies have appeared: As would 
be expected, he also goes into details of culture methods in such groups as the 
rusts, where an elaborate method of procedure has been evolved by specialists. 
relation to other thallophytes, the book comprises three divisions. The first 
division treats of Myxomycetes, the second of Schizomycetes. There follows 
on Ascomycetes with 344 references, one on Basidiomycetes with 345 references, 
ences. In addition, there are 64 books and 12 periodicals which are listed as 
“some of the most useful.” In connection with so extensive a bibliography it 
is to be lamented that citations are not made in full so as to include the titles 
of papers. Such a list as STEVENS publishes, in which appears an author's 
name, a volume reference (abbreviated as much as possible), a first page, and a 
date, might be quite satisfactory had we reached the day of perfect proof- 
reading, when each word and figure would stand as it should, and it would not 
be necessary to turn back to the index of the volume indicated to see whether 
it was merely the page reference that was wrong or whether the volume number 
was at fault. Nor can we say that up to this moment we have found the 
proofreading of these bibliographies imperfect, but a number of very obvious. 
slips in the text would indicate that this might be possible. Thus, on page 7?, 
Cladochytrium, after being listed in the key under intracellular forms, 8 
described as a genus containing about ten intercellular parasites; and on page 
* STEVENS, F. L., The fungi which cause plant diseases. 8vo. pp. Vilit754- 
Jigs. 449. New York: The Macmillan Co. 1913. $4.00. 
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