BOOK REVIEWS. 



381 



the English planter, who plants his woods with a view to the realization of a 

 profit by the sale of the mature timber, must rely mainly on three trees only, 

 larch, ash, and oak, not a few owners of woodlands will take exception to the 

 remark. What about elm timber, which in the home output doubles in volume 

 either the larch or ash, and for general usefulness is quite on a par with either ? 

 Beech grown on the Chiltern Hills and elsewhere finds a ready and remunerative 

 market, and is probably suited for a greater number of constructive purposes 

 than most other home-grown woods. Of course, as stated by the author, every- 

 thing depends on soil and site; and certainly for the steep, wind-swept heigh is 

 of the Scotch and Welsh mountains, our native Scotch pine is far ahead of the 

 larch, and produces almost equally valuable timber. Probably, taking the 

 coun try as a whole — England and Ireland in particular — the three trees mentioned 

 by the writer would have first claim from a purely economic point of view. 

 Much useful information is contained in the chapters on Planting and Thinning, 

 arid the well-thought-out remarks on fencing and its cost, and the distances 

 at which forest trees should be planted both in upland and lowland situations, 

 strike one as distinctly to the point. We cannot agree with the author that 

 planting Scotch fir is not to be recommended, as the price is unremunerative and 

 the tree is liable to be broken by the snow. On the contrary, no timber was 

 found more useful during the last five years than this and the price (which 

 went up to is. <\d. a foot cube) quite equalled that of the average-quality larch. 



" Systematic Forestry " is a chapter that we would strongly recommend to 

 be read by the advocate of a School of Forestry and Scientific Teaching in the 

 woodlands. Academies and Professors are doubtless very useful; but it is 

 possible to overestimate the advantage of the latter, as well as the inferiority of 

 English compared with German woods. 



" The real or supposed necessity of a knowledge of natural sciences is one of the 

 most plausible reasons for the demand that afforestation must be entrusted to a 

 Government Department whose officials are to be specially trained in a Government 

 College." So writes the author, also that " there is no ground for the supposition 

 that the scientific man should be the teacher and the practical man the pupil." 

 British forestry has its faults and shortcomings, want of system in planting and 

 felling being the most pronounced. Altogether, Mr. Beddoes' book contains 

 a greater amount of sound reasoning than we generally find in works of the 

 kind, and we find confidence in recommending a perusal of its 170 pages to all 

 those who are interested in forestry — even to the practical forester or woods- 

 m anager. 



" The Adventive Flora of Tweedside." By I. M. Hayward and G. C. Druce. 

 xxxii -f 296 pp. (Buncle, Arbroath, 1919.) 10.9. 6d. net. 



The attempts of plants to secure a footing in a district to which they are not 

 native are always interesting. At times they succeed in a remarkable fashion, 

 and we have a fair number now which we have to regard as pernicious weeds, but 

 which, a century ago, were unknown as such. It is part of the price we have to 

 pay for increased facilities of communication and for extended sources of raw 

 materials. Search around Galashiels has rewarded Miss Hayward with nearly 

 350 aliens mainly brought in wool, and it will be interesting to see a generation 

 hence how many of these have succeeded in establishing themselves permanently 

 in the area. 



" The Soil." By Sir A. D. Hall. Ed. 3. 8vo. xv -f 352 pp. (Murray, 

 London, 1920.) 75. 6d. net. 



No book on the soil can rival this as an introduction to a study of its subject, 

 or as a book of reference for the intelligent cultivator of farm or garden. Its 

 learned author has had unrivalled opportunities of becoming acquainted at first 

 hand with the many problems with which it deals, and he 'has used them to good 

 purpose, and at the same time has brought all his powers of lucid exposition to 

 bear in producing this excellent account of the present state of knowledge con- 

 cerning the fundamental source of all wealth. 



"The Calendar. of Garden Operations." By the Staff of the "Gardeners' 

 Chronicle." New ed. 8vo. 174 pp. (" Gard. Chron.," London, 1920.) Linen 

 covers, is. net. 



There is no better Calendar than this ; no better guide to the timely per- 

 formance of garden operations in small and medium-sized gardens ; and the new 

 features in this edition increase its value. The book is too well known (for it has 

 been used seventy-eight years) to need any description, and we recommend its 

 purchase to all gardeners even at the enhanced price the times have necessitated. 



