KEYIEWS. 
197 
in the maintaining of this section as in the old book. The general plan has 
not been altered, but many -woodcuts have been introduced, and the 
entire work has been brought down to 1873 with skill and discretion. On 
the whole we are very much pleased with this second edition, and we wish 
it what it deserves, a very good sale. 
USEFUL PLANTS OF INDIA.* 
T his is the second edition of a good book, which deserves perusal, 
especially by Assistant-Surgeons and others who are likely to spend 
some of their time in India. There is only one thing to be regretted, and 
that is the utter absence of plates. This is a decided defect. Col. Drury must 
know as well as anyone how useful are representations of certain plants even 
to the well-trained botanist. And if this be the case, how much more necessary 
are they to the person who, unskilled in botanical work, endeavours from a 
mere book-knowledge to ascertain a plant from the mere description ! This 
difficulty exists even where the plant is minutely described or the system of 
classification adopted is a good one. How much more then must it present 
itself in the present case, where the account given is vague ! We hope there- 
fore that when this good work sees a third edition, it will have a series of rough 
engravings of either the plants themselves, or of the “ floral ” and “ essen- 
tial” parts at least. Another failing to which we would call the attention 
of the author is the absence of any natural order or system. There appears 
to be nothing more given than the brief specific characters, with the name 
of the natural order prefixed. We think this is objectionable. As well 
might the author have left out of the book the descriptive portions entirely, 
for we cannot see by what means he intends the student to find or to 
identify any particular plant. We think that this is a point worthy of some 
consideration, though we are aware of the many objections that can be 
raised against it. Of the various valuable plants and their industrial uses 
described by the author, we may mention a few, such as Cinchona^ from 
which we get much of our quinine ; Gossypium, which is cotton ; Nicoticmay 
which is tobacco ; Papaver, from which opium is extracted ; Piper, or the 
pepper plant ; Tectona, the well-known teak timber ; Theohroma, or cocoa j 
Zea, or Indian corn; Zingiber, or ginger ; and lastly, the well known tea plant. 
On all of these the author’s remarks are full and to the point, and in his 
appendices he has gathered together a mass of matter from different reports 
which is as valuable as it is interesting. Besides the foregoing, he gives 
a long list, first of Bengalee and Hindostanee, and then of Teloogoo synonyms 
for the plants. Altogether the book, with the index, covers more than 600 
pages, and is a splendid record of the vegetable productions of our most 
valuable and extensive colony — Hindostan. 
* ‘‘The Useful Plants of India, with Notices of their chief Value in Com- 
merce, Medicine, and the Arts.” By Colonel Heber Drury. Second Edition. 
London : W. Allen, 1873. 
