76 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. | [Vor. XXXIV. 
appears that the fibre of this Yucatan agave was first brought into 
considerable use between 1750 and 1780, though the first plantation 
was not established until 1848. The largest plantation to-day is 
said to be yielding about 375,000 pounds of cleaned fibre per month. 
The Amoles, or saponifying plants, of Mexico are treated in Vol. 
III of Za Naturaleza, by Dr. Manuel Urbina. 
Mr. Gifford Pinchot, Forester of the United States Department of 
Agriculture, has published the first part of a primer of forestry as 
Bulletin 24 of his Division. The book is clear, simple, well illus- 
trated, and attractively gotten up. 
Robert T. Hill’s notes on the forest conditions of Porto Rico are 
published as Bulletin 25 of the Division of Forestry of the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture. A number of photogravures illustrate the 
graining of the principal Porto Rican woods. 
Persons who go to the Adirondacks will find useful a recently 
issued flora of North Elba, by Professor Peck. It is published as 
No. 28 of Vol. VI of the Bulletin of the New York State Museum, 
and may be bought for twenty cents. 
A comparison of the floras of the alpine and temperate regions on 
the great Mexican volcanoes is published by Professor Heilprin in 
Vol. III of the Mexican journal Za Naturaleza. 
An interesting list of plants growing upon trees at Bad Nauheim, 
classified according to their means of dissemination, by Jaap, is to 
be found in the September-October number of the Deutsche bota- 
nische Monatsschrift. 
Tcones Selecte Horti Thenensis is the title of a new serial, devoted 
to the plants flowering in the extensive collections of M. van der 
Bossche at Tirlemont, Belgium. The plates are drawn by D'Apreval, 
and accompanied by text by de Wildeman. The first fascicle 
appeared in September, 1899. 
Draba, as represented in the West by the aurea stylosa forms, is 
analyzed by Heller in the December Bulletin of the Torrey Club, 
with the result that three species and one variety are described as 
new. 
Some of the Canadian violets recently split off from what has 
passed current for Viola cucullata, are brought together by J. M. 
Dickson in the Journal and Proceedings of the Hamilton Association 
Jor 1898-99. 
