432 JOURNAL OF THE KOYAL HORTICTTLTTTRAL SOrTKTY. 



"The Plant Cell: its Modifications and Vital Processes." A 

 manual for students. By H. A. Haig, M.B., B-S. 8vo., i,x. + 207 pp. 

 (Griffin, London, 1910.) 6s. net. 



This is a text-book dealing in a thorough but not very attractive 

 way with Plant Histology, including Cytology. Eecent cytological re- 

 searches, especially those connected with the processes of cell-division, 

 which result in the formation of sexual cells, have given this branch of 

 botany great importance. The author seems to have aimed at producing 

 a text-book in which the usual chapters on cells and tissues given in any 

 fairly advanced text-book of botany should be supplemented by chapters 

 dealing, more fully than is usual in most text-books, with such subjects 

 as the details of cell-division, the meiotic phase, and the comparative 

 study of the reproductive cells in various plant '* types.'' As a book 

 for revision purposes for a student preparing for university examina- 

 tions it will be very useful. It should, however, be accompanied by 

 a course of practical work in Plant Histology, including practical 

 microtome work. We do not think that the study of cells and tissues, 

 of meristems, of pits and thickenings, and of the development of the 

 histological structure of a plant, studied in the order taken in this and 

 other books, is useful or attractive to young students. The cell should 

 rather be presented to the elementary student at a miniature chemical 

 and physical laboratory. The study of the structure of a cell should 

 accompany the practical study of the physics of the cell. The student 

 should perform experiments on osmosis and turgidity both with the 

 individual cells (under the microscope) and with tissues in biilk. 

 should look upon Physiology and Histology as parts of one subject — the 

 study of the living plant. In the same way the study of absorption 

 and transportation of solutions should lead to the study of vascular 

 tissues, and experimental work in respiration and trarispiii'atiori should 

 go hand in hand with the histological study of epidermal structures and 

 with field work in ecology. Cytology proper and the study of develop- 

 ment should come later, and then this book would form a good summai-y 

 and text-book. A few pages at the end are devoted to ** Chemical and 

 Physiological Studies in Connexion with the Cell." We have already 

 indicated that, in our opinion, such subjects are of fundamental import- 

 ance. The results of recent work on micro-chemical reactions within 

 the cell might be given. The book is profusely illustrated with diagrams 

 and with micro-photographs, which, with the aid of the diagrammatic 

 sketches given, should prove very useful. The tables drawn up to show 

 the relationship between homologous structures in Algae, Bryophyta, 

 Phanerogams, &c. (e.g. the table opposite page 154), are very useful, 

 but a student who has studied the types should make his own tables. 

 If he has not studied the types, the tables are meaningless to him. 



"The Book of the Eose. " By the Eev. A. Foster-Melliar. Fourth 

 Edition. Edited by the Eev. F. Page-Eoberts and H. E. MolyneuX. 

 Bvo., 366 pp. (Macmillan, London, 1910.) os. net. 



Although " The Book of the Eoge " made its appearance sixteen 

 years ago, it still remains one of the best and most practical books that 



