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THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



gardening readers will also find it of interest. It is mailed free. 



It seems to be settled, at least by the botanists, that a text- 

 book of Botany should begin with the structure and physiology 

 of flowering plants, pay some attention to the lower forms of 

 plant life, and end with more or less matter relating to evolu- 

 tion and plant breeding. If this be the most desirable arrange- 

 ment — which we are sometimes inclined to doubt — we can 

 only judge new books by the fidelity with which they follow 

 scholarly tradition and the facility shown in presenting the sub- 

 ject in intelligible form. A new volume entitled ''Funda- 

 mentals of Botany" by C. Stuart Gager, Director of the Brook- 

 lyn Botanic Garden, is an interesting addition to the books of 

 this class which depend upon the method of presentation for 

 much of their attractiveness. In it, old topics are made new by 

 a very modern and spirited treatment, and a wealth of new, or 

 at least unfamiliar, illustrations adds to the value of the text. 

 The book, however, is far too exhaustive and circumstantial for 

 the use of high school pupils, but it should meet the needs of 

 college students admirably. The chapters on experimental 

 evolution, heredity, and kindred subjects supplies a want often 

 felt in books of this nature. The book is well printed, contains 

 nearly 600 pages and is bound in flexible covers. It is pub- 

 lished by P. Blakiston's Son & Co., Philadelphia, at $1.50 net. 



