THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



115 



terms, the sum would look like a new war loan. At present, 

 contributors are paid in thanks, extra copies, subscriptions and 

 some cash, while the editor is supposed to be well repaid for 

 more hours of strenuous labor than he cares to contemplate, 

 if the magazine comes out on time. If any botanical editor in 

 America is paid for his work the money comes from outside 

 sources. Under such conditions the scientific magazines can 

 hardly be expected to appear as regularly, or spend money as 

 lavishly, as their literary contemporaries. In every case the 

 editors and publishers have to make sure of sufficient income 

 from other sources to supply their daily wants before they can 

 think of such expensive luxuries as scientific magazines. That 

 some of these dependent publications have been running for 

 a score or more of years, speaks well for the devotion of the 

 editors to science, but doubtless a little more encouragement 

 in the way of subscriptions would add to the fervor of their de- 

 votions. 



BOOKS AND WRITERS 



Interest in the Iris seems to be on the increase; at least it 

 has made a second edition of Harrison's ''Manual on the Iris" 

 desirable. Like the first edition, this contains a large amount 

 of information on the cultivation and propagation of the iris, 

 interspersed with many naive comments of the author. The 

 booklet ends with a list of the varieties in cultivation. It may 

 be had from C. S. Harrison, York, Nebr., for 25 cents. 



Probably less is known about plant galls and their causes 

 than about any other phase of botany. There are various 

 works on British and other Old World galls to be had, but 

 there seems to be no book, either scientific or popular, on the 

 galls of this side of the world, A contribution to the subject 

 has recently been made by the issue of an 'Tllustrated Cata- 



