NOTES AND LITORAIURE 



GENERAL BIOLOGY 



Transmutation and Agriculture. — Mucli of the evidence ui)oii 

 which the evolution tlicory rests has been derived from the experi- 

 ments of practical breeders. It is doubtful, however, whether practi- 

 cal workers have ever greatly })rofited by the incorporation of the 

 results of their experience into general tiieories of evolution. The 

 present volume ^ seems to be intended as a general and popular reviev\ 

 of the evidence which cultivated plants afford the student of the origin 

 of s{)ecies, rather than as a guide or handbook for those engaged in 

 plant breeding. Naturally many facts of interest to the breeder are 

 to be found in the discussions of the wide range of material treated, 

 but there is no attempt to formulate rules to be followe(l in any par- 

 ticular class of practical work or to emphasize the significance of any 

 particular theory of evolution for agriculturists. The arrangement of 

 the material under two main divisions, "Minor S|)eci(>s an<l Mutation," 

 and "The Factors of Variation," iniglir sniXiXcM ih;ii th<- author is 



the Lamarckian factors. Tlic source of inntcrin! is noi limited to the 

 results o])(aiiic(l hy connn<M-cia I l.reedcrs or aiirienltural experiment 

 stations, but recent e\[)erinieiita ! work of all kinds and especially that 

 of (le \'ries and his followers is (|iiite fully treated. In fact, the volume 

 furni.he. a railier i.UereMing index to recent literature bearing on the 

 evolution theory, it mu>t hv said, however, that it is not easy to grasp 

 the autiior's own point of view. The work gives somewhat the inii)res- 

 sion of a series of reviews, and while it is desirable that <-\oh.tionary 

 writings should contain less of theory and more of fact than lias fre- 

 (juently been the case, a work loses much in interest if it is not written 

 in support of definite theses which are kept constantly and clearly 

 in A'iew. Wanting, as it does, an obvious central purpose, the book 

 is not one of the kind to foinid a school and it will probably not in- 

 fluence evolutionary literature materially, but it does furnish a very 

 readable presentation of the results of much recent work and will 

 doubtless be of real service to many to wliom the more fundamental 

 works are quite inaccessible. 



J. A. Harris 



' Constantin, J. Le Transjormismc applique a ['Agriculture. Paris, F^lix 

 Alcan. 1906. 8vo, 300 pp., 105 figs. 



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