450 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



" An Introduction to Plant Geography." By M. E. Hardy, 

 D.Sc. 8vo., 192 pp., 66 figures. (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1913.) 

 2s. 6d. 



Although written for upper forms in courses of geography, this 

 book will be useful for those who wish to attain some acquaintance 

 with the more extensive types of vegetation in the world. The 

 author has travelled extensively in many lands, and he gives his 

 own impressions, illustrated by numerous pen-sketches, photographs, 

 and diagrams. The reader is introduced to the main features of 

 such types as equatorial and monsoon rain-forests, various forms 

 of tropical and temperate scrubs, prairies, and deserts, progressing 

 from the rich vegetation of the tropics to the sturdy thrifty plants 

 of the arctic zone. No attempt is made to tackle details, and yet 

 the author presents a wonderfully realistic picture of the conditions 

 under which each type is developed. Sometimes, in avoiding difficult 

 questions, there is a tendency to use phrases not quite strictly botanical, 

 but this is a common fault and not easy to avoid in a comprehensive 

 elementary book. The illustrations are well chosen and full of interest. 

 The influence of vegetation on the races of man is indicated, the 

 slight progress made by man against the rank tropical vegetation, 

 the great promise held out for successful colonization of the sub- 

 tropical, the great development of civilization in regions like the 

 Mediterranean where vegetation is varied, and the poverty of the 

 Arctic zones ; these are some of the topics on which one would have 

 liked to hear more. 



