1082 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



" Nature Studies : Plant Life." By G. F. Scott-Elliot, M.A., B.Sc, 

 &c. (Blackie, London.) 3s-. 6<7. 



This book (which contains 340 pages, 43 illustrations, with a biblio- 

 graphy and index) is intended for all who take an intelligent interest in 

 the world of plants, and especially for teachers and others engaged in 

 giving nature study lessons. Technical terms are as far as possible avoided, 

 but an attempt has been made to include as much of the more recent 

 German work as bears upon the meaning of every detail in the structure 

 of a plant. There is a short account of the Algae and other Cryptogams, 

 as well as a general history of the British flora and of the influence of 

 man in modifying and altering the vegetation of Britain. The chapter 

 on ^Yoods explains how a wood is to be considered as an organism, with 

 an assimilation system, absorption system, &c, composed of a whole 

 series of plants, each of which has its own work to do for the good of the 

 community. The book does not pretend to be a text-book of botany, but 

 is designed to give suggestions by which a very great number of details 

 are seen to fit into the general scheme of the plant's existence. Thus, 

 in speaking of leaves, the author shows that to understand any leaf it is 

 necessary to observe how it is protected against wind, how it competes 

 with and perhaps overreaches other leaves, whether rain is absorbed, 

 how it is mechanically supported, how it is protected in bud and against 

 the attacks of insects and fungi. The examples are chiefly taken from 

 very common and well-known plants. 



There is a chapter on microbes, moulds, and yeasts, and a most 

 interesting and detailed account is given of the work of bacteria in the 

 soil. The chapter on defence gives many details regarding the animal 

 and vegetable enemies of plants and the way in which they are guarded 

 against. The book is too advanced to be placed in the hands of quite 

 children, but every teacher of children will find it simply invaluable in 

 preparing lessons and instructions on the plant life of nature. 



" Report of the Secretary of Agriculture in relation to the Forests, 

 Rivers, and Mountains of the Southern Appalachian Region." ("Wash- 

 ington : Government Printing Office, 1902.) 



The letter of transmittal by President Roosevelt clearly points out an 

 intimate acquaintance with the forest conditions of the Southern Appa- 

 lachian mountain region, and goes far in assuring us that the wholesale 

 denudation of forest lands which has unfortunately been permitted in the 

 past will now be carefully guarded against, and that steps to counteract 

 some of the evils of wholesale and injudicious clearings are speedily to be 

 taken in hand. 



This elaborate wcrk, with its seventy-eight nicely executed illustrations, 

 may briefly be described as a complete history of the forests and forest 

 conditions of this vast and valuable mountain region. Forest Preservation, 



