248 
SCIENCE 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
American Science Series— Botany— for High 
Schools and Colleges. By Charles E. Bessey, 
M.Sc. Ph.D., Professor of Botany in the Iowa 
Agricultural College. Henry Holt & Company, 
New York, Large i2mo. 1880. 
Circumstances, ever varied in their nature, daily re- j 
mind us of the progress of science, but the production 
of a really valuable manual devoted to some special line 
of research not only gives direct evidence of progress 
already achieved, but hopefully suggests future advance- 
ment. For these reasons, we welcome a new manual of 
botany, written by Professor Charles E. Bessey, of the 
Iowa Agricultural College, which presents many advan- 
tages over previous publications having the same object 
in view, and must pr ve one of the most valuable aids to 
a true knowledge of the vegetable kingdom which the 
advanced student can possess. 
Although modestly styled by the author “An Intro- 
duction to the Study of Plants,” the work appears to 
leave little unexplained which is requisite for a compre- 
hension of the anatomy and physiology of the vegetable. 
It is not claimed that the material is new, but the original 
arrangement of the matter to secure a more logical pre- 
sentation of the subject, is apparent throughout the 
work. 
Professor Bessey directs attention to two innovations 
which he has made, consisting of the “ recognition of 
seven quite well marked kinds of tissue,” and that of 
“ raising the Protophyta, Zygospore®, Oospore® and Car- 
pospore® to the dignity of Primary Divisions of the Veg- 
etable Kingdom, co-ordinate with the Bryophyta, Pteri- 
dophyta and Phaneiogamia,” in the hope that they may 
serve to give a clearer and more accurate notion of the 
structure of plants. 
To those unacquainted with the German language, 
and to whom, therefore, the works of the German botan- 
ists are as sealed books, the present manual will prove 
particularly valuable, as free use has been made of the 
works of Sachs, DeBary, Hofmeister, S ; rasburger, Na- 
geli, Schweadener and others, while many of the cuts in 
Sachs’ “ Lehrbuch ” have been reproduc d. 
One of the greatest charms of Pro f essor Bessey ’s 
manual consists of a great number of excellent illustra- 
tions, which have been selected vviih great judgment, 
presenting over five hundred and fifty forms of vegetable 
life. 
Professor Bessey divides his manual into two Parts, 
the First of which is based on Sachs’ “Lehrbuch,” the 
general plan of which is closely followed. The first 
chapter appropriately opens with a description of the 
“ active and vital ” principles of all vegetable organisms, 
“Protoplasm.” Following the plant cell, is discussed 
the cell wall, the formation of new cells the product of 
the cell, tissues, intet-cellular spaces, and secretion res- 
ervoirs, and so on until the plant body is gradually built 
up. The last three chapters of this portion of the work 
relate to the chemical constituents of plants, the chemical 
processes in the plant, and the relations of plants to 
external agents. 
The student having thus become familiarized with the 
anatomy and general structure of plants, the author, in 
Part Two, presents his plan of classification, which, as 
we have stated, is based on that made use of by Sachs 
for the lower orders of plants, while that for the higher 
plants conforms more nearly to the system of class fica- 
tion recognized in this country and in England. Profes- 
sor Bessey divides the vegetable kingdom into six 
divisions, as follows : 
I. Protophyta. IV. Carpospore®. 
II. Zygospore®. V. Bryophyta. 
III. Oospore®. VI. Pteridophyta. 
VII. Pnanerogamia. 
This is a departure from the classification which has 
so long been followed in the English works on botany, 
the familiar groups of Alg® and Fungi are not recog- 
nized, the terms being retained only when general refer- 
ence is made to the Chlorophyll-bearing and the Chloro- 
phyll-free Thallophytes, Professor Bessey stating that, 
under his arrangement, the term Alg® implies a Thallo- 
phyte which contains Chlorophyll, and that by a Fungus 
is understood one which is Saprophytic or Parasitic in 
habit, and which is, in consequence, free from Chloro- 
phyll. 
In the classification of the Diatomace®, that proposed 
by Professor H. L. Smith, one of the best authorities on 
the subject, has been wisely followed, which divides the 
order into three tribes, each containing several families. 
As the classification of the Diatomace® is as yet 
largely artificial, we presume the one adopted by Pro- 
fessor Smith is provisional. 
We have probably indicated sufficiently in this outline 
the leading characteristics of this last, and, in our opin- 
ion, the best Manual of Botany. Its merits are apparent 
throughout the work, and it is evident that Professor 
Bessey has spared no pains to render his work perfect and 
worthy of the great subject treated. 
We trust it will receive the attention it deserves, and 
we commend it to every student of botany. 
In connection with the above Manual of Botany by 
Professor Bessey, we would direct attention to a series 
of twenty-four botanical microscopical slides offered by 
Messrs. James W. Queen & Co., of Philadelphia. 
Although Professor Bessey ’s work is abundantly 
illus’rated, there can be no question respecting the value 
of having at hand the natural specimens, so that, with 
the descriptions still fresh in the memory, we may go 
direct to nature, and there not only verily the author’s 
statements, but make independent observations of 
physiological facts. 
While we strongly advise all engaged in such studies 
to make their own sections and preparations, few 
possess the requisite knowledge and manipulative skill 
to produce perfect specimens. We, therefore, with 
pleasure, suggest to students, and especially to instruct- 
ors, that they obtain the tweuty-four vegetable prepara- 
tions offered by Messrs. Queen & Co. They are the 
most perfect microscopical slides we have seen, and 
the specimens are all either single or double stained, 
thus demonstrating the presence of protoplasm and 
structure, essential to a comprehension of anatomical 
and physiological botany. 
They will also serve as excellent models for the stu- 
dent to imitate, in learning to prepare his own slides. 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
[3.] I have not yet succeeded in obtaining the pure white 
crystals of Iodide of Potassium by Liebig's method. 
Where is the difficulty, and do the following equations re- 
present the reactions ? 
(1.) 2 P + HjO + 2 1 + 2 Ba C03 + 2 Ba H 2 0 = 
Ba 3 (PO 1) 2 + Ba I 2 + 2 Co 3 + 2H 2 0. 
(2.) Ba I 2 + K> So 4 =2KI + Ba Soj. 
X- 
[4.] Mounting Fresh Blood. — In mounting slides of 
fresh blood, I occasionally find the corpucles subsequently 
vanish. Will some reader of Science state the cause, and 
give a remedy. J. R. B. 
