THE A^IERICAN BOTANIST. 
nnnierous plants that grow in his region. At this point he 
is ripe for the botanical manual, which contains descriptions 
of all the plants even to the most insignificant weeds. It 
is a satisfaction in studying over a new plant to feel that 
somewhere in your book the plant is prooerly recorded. The 
botanical manuals are cast on strictly scientific lines, and 
the terms are exact and therefore technical, but no one need 
think himself much of a botanist until he can handle such a 
manual nith facility. "Gray's IManual" ($1.75) is without 
doubt the best for the Northearstern States, and Chapman's 
"Flora of the Southern States" ($4.18) is best for the Gulf 
States. In the region covered by Gray's manual there is an- 
other called familiarly "Britton's Manual" ($2.40), but tlie 
species are so finely subdivided that only the experienced 
botanist w^ll find it useful. A similar volumie in the South- 
em States. Small's "Southeni Flora" ($4.0()), is much too 
complicated for the beginner. Coulter's "Botany of the 
Rocky Mountains" ($1.75) and Coulter and Gray's "Text- 
Book of Western Botany" (S2.25) are the principal books 
in their region. 
The trees are included in all botanical manuals and in 
most of the popular handbooks, but there is such an indi- 
viduality about them that various books devoted exclusively 
to them have been issued. To get the best. I would advise 
Keeler's "Our Native Trees" ($2.15), and as a companion 
volume the same author's "Our Northern Shrubs" ($2.16). 
Some might be inclined to select Loimsberry's "Guide to 
the Trees" ($1.92) because of the colored plates, but Kee- 
ler's books have a greater amount of information. For a 
book to continue the study of shrubs into late autumn, Peter- 
son's "How to Know Wild Fruits" (Sl.62) will be useful, 
and in winter Huntington's "Studies of Trees in Winter"' 
($2.25) will be excellent. Newhall's "Trees of Northeast- 
