88 
THE PLANT WORLD. 
In these days of specialization it is a large task for one man to produce, 
alone, an advanced general text, and the specialist will probably be able 
to make adverse criticisms where his own line of work is touched. On 
the whole the different parts are treated with unusual equality of grasp. 
The book, of course, is quite beyond any high-school work, but will prove a 
valuable reference book, with which every high-school teacher should be 
equipped and familiar. C. S. G. 
Experiments with Plants. By W. J. F. Osterhout. New York: The 
Macmillan Co. 1905. i2mo. Pp. xix -\- 492. Preface by Professor L. 
H. Bailey. 
As the name suggests, a guide to practical work in elementary plant 
physiology. The book is the most original recent treatment of the subject 
in English in point of experiments, simple devices, and manner of presenta¬ 
tion. After an introduction, ten chapters follow on: “ The Awakening of 
the Seed”; “Getting Established”; “The Work of Roots”; “The Work 
of Leaves”; “The Work of Stems”; “The Work of Flowers” “The 
Work of Fruits”; “How Plants are Influenced by their Surroundings”; 
“Plants which Cause Decay, Fermentation and Disease”; “Making New 
Kinds of Plants.” 
The work is hardly adapted for use as a text in the hands of the pupil, 
at least in eastern schools. This is not because of the nature of the book, 
but because of the character of the school course and equipment. Every 
teacher, however, will welcome the volume as a mine of helpful suggestion, 
and an incentive to better and more practical work. An excellent index 
makes the book doubly usable. C. S. G. 
