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JOURNAL OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN IN T H I S ISSUE: T R U F F L E S BERGEN SWAMP: RARE PLANT REFUGE AFOOT AND AFLOAT FOR BLISTER RUST PRIMULA CULTURE OUTDOORS NEWS OF THE GARDEN BOOK REVIEWS PAGES 101— 128 VOL. 51 No. 605 NTS $ 1.50 A YEAR MORELS IN MAY Wednesday Thursday, Friday, Saturday, , May 10 May 11 May 12 May 13 SPRING FESTIVAL at The New York Botanical Garden May 10 - 14, 1950 Pan- American Day, with exhibits of exotic flowers flown in from Pan- American countries. Garden Club Day, with special tours arranged around the grounds and buildings. Netherlands Day, with a program for school children in the morning and a tulip specimen show and program in the afternoon. Bronx Neighborhood Day, with square dancing on the lawn following the showing of " While the Earth Remaineth" in the afternoon. Sunday, May 14 Your Garden Day, with John Kieran and James J. Lyons among the speakers at an afternoon program with band music. FREE SATURDAY PROGRAMS 3 p. m. in the Lecture Hall May 6 Fenlands, The Grassy Shires, and Gardens of England Three motion pictures May 13 While the Earth Remaineth— A motion picture with symphonic background Frank E. Gunneil May 20 Plants for the Terrace Joy Logee Danielson, Conn. MORELS IN MAY ( The cover picture) Believed by many to be the tastiest of all mushrooms growing wild, the morel ( Morchella esculenta) is the first edible fungus sought in spring by mycophagists. In conifer woods in the vicinity of New York, it can often be found in abundance during May. TABLE OF CONTENTS MAY 1950 TRUFFLES Donald P. Rogers 101 BERGEN SWAMP, WESTERN NEW YORK'S HAVEN FOR RARE PLANTS W. C. Muenscher 103 AFOOT AND AFLOAT FOR BLISTER- RUST Walter H. Snell 111 GROWING HARDY PRIMULAS Edward O. Birch 115 DAVID D. KECK APPOINTED HEAD CURATOR 118 NOTES, NEWS, AND COMMENT 119 NOTICES AND REVIEWS OF RECENT BOOKS 121 The Journal is published monthly by The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx Park, New York 58, N. Y. Printed in U. S. A. Entered as Second Class Matter, January 28, 1936, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of August 24, 1912. Annual subscription $ 1.50. Single copies 15 cents. JOURNAL of THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN CAROL H. WOODWARD, Editor VOL. 51 MAY 1950 No. 605 Truffles Subterranean Treasures for the Epicure and Botanist By Donald P Rogers FOR some two thousand years in the civilization of western Europe, whenever cooking has reached the dignity of an art, the truffle has been without a peer among resources for the epicure. It is no new thing that truffles have been granted popular acceptance as the special symbol of the gourmet, for so it was in Rome in classical times, and so again has it been ever since the French and Italian renaissance. Only during those ages when neither learning nor manners nor gastronomy has been held in wide esteem have truffles been ignored by men and left to those humbler animals who always know good food when they smell it. An object less luscious in appearance would be hard to imagine. Truffles grow completely buried in the soil. They are usually irregular in shape and lumpy or warted on the surface; and whether pinkish or ochre- colored, as are many of the less highly flavored species, or brown to black, as are the kinds more greatly esteemed, they wholly resemble small stones. The resemblance is, in fact, so complete that one digging truffles in stony soil has to discard many likely looking pebbles for every truffle that he finds. Although men with sufficient persistence and luck in finding a favorable area may collect truffles unaided, the most successful means of uncovering them is provided by animals, pigs or more commonly dogs, whose keener sense of smell enables them to locate the buried treasure without the aimless digging and the endless unfruitful excavations of a man with a trowel. The animals are specially trained for the purpose, and people who gather truffles for the market rely on them wholly. From the days of Theophrastus, the great Greek botanist, and Pliny, the Roman naturalist, down to modern times the nature of truffles has been a subject of conjecture and fantastic invention. Theophrastus recognized them as vegetables; but his successors for many centuries rejected his judgment. For most of two thousand years truffles were held to be special 101 1U1 102 formations of— not merely in— the soil, perhaps more like concretions than anything else; they were believed to be brought into existence in one way or another by the action of warmth, rain, and thunder. Occasional naturalists considered them to be tumorous outgrowths of the roots of trees. The first real knowledge of the nature of truffles resulted early in the eighteenth century from the studies of the greatest of Italian botanists, Micheli, who recognized that they were fungi and gave them their proper place in scientific classification. From his work and that of his successors it is known that truffles are mushrooms— that is, the fruits of fungi— closely related to the well known and greatly esteemed sponge mushroom or morel; that they live in association with the roots of various trees, from which they derive their food and to which they apparently yield up materials used by the tree in its growth; and that the spores, which in all fungi serve the same function as seeds, are scattered by insects or small animals that are attracted by the odor of the truffles and use them as food. Truffles are commonly thought of as a product of Mediterranean lands, chiefly France and Italy; and it is true that they are nowhere else systematically gathered for the table. They occur, however, throughout the north temperate zone; and more than sixty kinds grow in North America. Most of these are known chiefly or only from the west coast states— Oregon, Washington, and northern California— in part because truffles seem to be more abundant there, and in part because the native ground-squirrels provide by their food- hunting excavations a hint of places where truffles may be growing. Of the few truffles found in the eastern states, most have been unearthed by botanists who were digging for something else. So great has been their rarity in the east that those truffles that have been collected have been preserved as objects of scientific study and have found their way into botanical museums. All of their qualities are better known than their taste, since it would be sacrilegious for a botanist to eat his specimens. There are, nevertheless, some American species, dark and aromatic, which deserve all of the praises that have been spent on their Mediterranean kin. And at least one of these, Tuber dryophilum, has been found most abundantly in the east. It would be expected, judging from European experience, that such a species could be collected successfully by the use of trained dogs; and so it has proved. For two brief periods a New Yorker, Mr. Lorenzo Robba, has had the benefit of the superior nose and European education of an imported truffle- dog, and both times their collaboration has produced fair numbers of excellent truffles. Other hunters, lacking a dog's assistance, have succeeded in getting mostly pebbles. Both gastronomes and botanists would be aided in their respective pursuits by the activities of this specialized sort of field- dog. * # * * Next month Dr. Rogers will tell about the training of truffle hounds. 103 ' Bergen Swamp, Western New York's Haven for Rare ( Plants By W. C. Muenscher All photographs by the author BERGEN Swamp J is a relatively primitive area in the midst of a highly developed agricultural region. Located in Genesee County, a little more than 20 miles from Rochester, it is within a few hours ride by motor or rail from the principal centers of population, industry, and higher education in western New York State. The strategic, as well as vulnerable, position of this unique remnant of natural history associations has been recognized for some time, and in 1936 a small group of interested individuals in and about Rochester formed an organization * to attempt to save the swamp from destruction. Naturalists have roamed over Bergen Swamp for at least a century. Some of the rarest plants in New York State have been known from there since its early exploration; others have been discovered there in more recent years. For some plants Bergen Swamp is the only known habitat in New York State. The part of Bergen Swamp that is best known to naturalists consists of an open marl bog area surrounded by a belt of forest and swampy thickets. While the marl bog is an extensive and interesting feature of the swamp it represents not a static but a dynamic area, the uniqueness and persistence of which are highly dependent upon the surrounding physiographic features and the types of plants that these support. A distinctive element in the vegetation encircling the open marl bog is the dense white- cedar or arbor- vitae thicket. The durable wood of the trunks of these trees is so highly prized for posts that, unless their ex- 1 The G in Bergen is pronounced with a J sound. 2 Incorporated under and chartered by the Board of Regents of New York State, the aim of the Bergen Swamp Preservation Society, Inc. is " to preserve inviolate for all time in their natural state the lands known as Bergen Swamp; to conserve the flora and fauna of the lands owned by or under the control of the Society; to offer to schools and colleges and other properly accredited students or groups of persons access to the swamps and forests of the Society for the purpose of observation and study; to publish from time to time scientific and cultural information covering the biology and wild life of the areas controlled by the Society." At this time, February 1950, the Society has an active membership of about 110, has obtained title to about 360 acres of swamp land and has aims of acquiring about 1,200 to 1,500 additional acres. Anyone interested in the conservation of Bergen Swamp may write to Dr. Babette I. Brown, Corresponding Secretary of the Society, Prince Street Campus, University of Rochester, Rochester 7, New York, requesting the leaflet entitled " Bergen Swamp — Some Questions and Answers." 104 The Varied Moods of Bergen Swamp WITH crows cawing ominously in the distance and turkey buzzards circling overhead, the densely wooded acres of Bergen Swamp that are visible from the south present an eerie aspect. But once the swamp itself is gained and you stumble through a wall of burgeoning gray dogwood into a slough encircled by new green and russet fronds of cinnamon fern, the evil spell is broken. One enchanting sight after another lures you to proceed, through myriad white trilliums and carpets of wild ginger, to dim, moss-covered deer trails bordered with violets, columbine and foam- flower. Look closer at the oozing path to see the mosaic of a dozen different leaves of springtime green. Look up to catch the brilliant flash of a scarlet tanager. Look ahead, and pinkster flower holds the eye, then, caught in patches of sunlight filtering down through the hemlocks, a magenta mass of fringed polygala. Walk off the path to the left in the direction of an oven- bird's call, and a cluster of large downy yellow lady- slippers, just beginning to open, will unexpectedly burst into view. Try to retrace your steps, get lost, and find your reward in a glimpse of pink lady- slippers in an open spot. To climax all, swing back among the cedars and suddenly before you, in another clearing, dozens of the tiniest of lady- slippers stand against the blue-berried boughs of creeping juniper. Their small white waxy pouches glistening in the sun provide a rarer, yes, and fairer, sight than Wordsworth's daffodils. Less than five square miles in extent, Bergen Swamp seems but a drop in the bucket compared to the 49,000 square miles of New York State, yet this region offers more of beauty, interest, and diversity than many a natural area of greater size. It is of such infinite variety that no matter what the man or his mood, he can find something among its treasures to which he responds. Let him come weary with mental exertion to Bergen Swamp in spring, when the paths are running rivulets, traverse its breadth in apparent search of something never seen before, and he'll be granted sound sleep that night from the sheer physical exertion put forth to meet his goal. Later, in the hot summer, cool shade and colorful fungi await one's advent to the deep woods of the swamp. For complete solitude, you may wander into a " marl room" carpeted with creeping juniper and walled by dense white cedars. If you would explore, but with a minimum of physical effort, the fund of cryptogamic plants on almost any fallen tree will hold you wrapt for hours. Be the world cold and lonely in November, you will find warmth and friendliness among the hemlocks of the swamp with their companionable chickadees. Professor Walter C. Muenscher of Cornell, who probably knows more about this cherished swamp than any other person, and who for more than thirty years has found it a fascinating place to visit during every month and in all kinds of weather, in the following pages reports some of its highlights. BABETTE I. BROWN. 105 CEDAR POSTS FROM BERGEN SWAMP The exploitation of arbor- vitae ( locally called cedar) is the greatest single danger to the preservation of this important natural area of western New York State. ploitation can be halted, the most characteristic regions of the swamp are in serious danger of destruction. In order to give you a little idea of what can be seen in Bergen Swamp I will take you on an imaginary trip entering from the south side and following a very zig- zag route, really not a path at all, and leaving it by the north side. Bergen Swamp is readily accessible from the slightly higher ground on the south, where a car can be driven to within 100 yards of its margin. Through an old abandoned woods trail the rim of hardwood forest of birch, maple and elm is easily crossed to the edge of the arbor- vitae belt which varies from scattered trees, shading a cool moss- carpeted floor, to a dense, almost impenetrable thicket of small trees of various sizes depending upon how much time has elapsed since the area has been disturbed by wood cutters. After the arbor- vitae belt has been crossed by walking, crawling, or wading, we approach the most interesting part of the swamp, the open marl bog areas. Frequently covered with several inches of water, these open marl areas are dominated by several kinds of sedges, bulrushes, and twig- rush, among which the fragrant arrow- grasses, the false asphodel, the club- rush and spike- rush3 and also Zygadenus chloranthus, are common. 3 Botanical names of all plants mentioned are listed at the end of the article. 106 In the shrubby border of the marl and on the higher, better drained, secondary marl, mats of creeping juniper form a background in May for the small white lady's slipper, which is represented here better than anywhere else in New York State. On still higher areas, in late summer, the tall, flat- topped Ohio goldenrod is abundant and Houghton's goldenrod, smallest of them all, is found in the best stand known in New York State. Dwarfed tamaracks, 100 years old but only a few feet high, present a pleasing landscape with clumps of low- growing autumn willow and shrubby cinquefoil. On the moist moss- covered turf in the shade of arbor- vitae, large masses of blue and white violets abound, the dwarf dewberry and star-flower are everywhere, and the miterwort thrives along moist stream borders. In open glades, where the sun penetrates among the arbor- vitae trees, several shrubs including swamp honeysuckle, bayberry, and swamp buckthorn, form a border around little copses, protecting clusters of yellow lady's slippers. A little later the showy lady's slipper rears its regal blossoms in boggy glades protected by shade part of each day. A wild valerian closely resembling garden heliotrope forms a showy border with grass- of- Parnassus along the edges of pools in partial shade. Scattered among the open marl areas occur many hummocks, often only a few yards in diameter, areas raised about a foot or two above the surrounding marl, and covered with a dense mat of sphagnum mosses. These moss beds form the bases for beautiful arrangements and designs of color, form and texture. Several shrubby creepers contributing to these little natural plantings include the small cranberry, twin- flower, the creeping snowberry, bunchberry, and wintergreen. There are also the higher bushes, Labrador tea, huckleberry, and several blueberries. Among the evergreen creepers, sometimes not without considerable competition, the shy little sundew thrives in abundance and the pitcher plant adds color by its reddish and persistent spreading leaves. Scattered individuals of orchids contribute their color in season. The showy white clusters of cotton grass and the flowers of the false asphodel, followed by their reddish capsules, and the dwarf species of false Solomon's seal always add interest. After this introduction to the middle of the swamp, we shall leave it by the north side, but first we cross some forested knolls on which white pine and hemlock are the dominant trees interspersed with hardwoods. Here the hobble- bush and azalea appear to be making a last stand among other shrubs such as mountain maple and fly honeysuckle. Of the herbaceous species, the painted trillium occurs among a profuse growth of Indian cucumber- root, clintonia, goldthread, and others. In one rather moist area of about one acre thrive scattered clumps of the one- flowered 107 A SMALL AREA IN THE OPEN MARL BOG In this December view the surrounding forest is seen to consist of white pine, tamarack, and arbor- vitae. pyrola. Nearby the forest floor is carpeted with the pink of fringed polygala, with occasional white- flowered forms. As we approach Black Creek near the north edge of the swamp, the alluvial soil, subject to inundations, supports a quite different type of vegetation. The silt deposited near the bank of the meandering stream has built a natural levee. The trees here consist mainly of silver maple and red ash with scattered individuals of shagbark hickory, bur oak, and sycamore. Near the water's edge abounds the sandbar willow. Thickets of wahoo and prickly- ash are found among the scattered trees farther back. Under the shade of the trees the aroid called green dragon, and extensive stands of ostrich fern, are among the largest herbs in an almost continuous cover of vegetation. As the alluvial bank gradually slopes away from the stream towards the swamp, large areas of sloughs support a sedge swamp of Carex riparia interspersed with beds of giant bur- reeds and sweet- flag. Among the margins of the sloughs the buttonbush makes dense masses to the apparent exclusion of everything else. In several depressions, areas appearing like open ponds in the spring and early summer, can be found five members of the duckweed family 108 and many kinds of algae. Later in the summer these same areas, after the water has receded, are filled with many emersed aquatics and marsh plants. Black Creek itself appears uninteresting in early spring but by early summer the lake cress and several pondweeds begin to appear at the water surface. What earlier appeared to be barren mud flats become covered with dense strips of the lizard's tail, with their continuity interrupted here and there by colonies of cardinal flower, arrowhead or duck-potato, and narrow irregular bands covered with water cress marking the course of small lateral rivulets draining the shallow ponds into Black Creek. For a single trip we have had enough tramping even if we have seen only a small part of Bergen Swamp. If we can find a fallen tree to use as a bridge to cross over Black Creek we shall soon be out of the swamp. From this imaginary field excursion I do not wish to leave the impression that we have seen nearly all there is to be seen in Bergen Swamp. We have mentioned only a few of the more striking and unusual flowering herbs, shrubs and trees. Although I have taken many trips during the last 33 years, sometimes in every month during a year, I still find some new plants each time I go there. To introduce you to the algae, fungi, liverworts and mosses would require additional excursions, in different seasons or to different habitats. In our hurried trip time did not permit a search for the coal skink, Muhlenberg's turtle, the massasauga rattler, and other interesting denizens of the swamp. An inventory of the animals in many of the groups, even in an approximate form, is still waiting further field activities by the zoologists, ornithologists and entomologists. The plant world of Bergen Swamp consists of species representing the following groups : Spermatophytes, 820. including 10 conifers and 810 flowering plants; Pteridophytes, 37, including ferns, club mosses, and horsetails; Bryophytcs, 165, including 41 liverworts and 124 mosses; Thallophytes, 1302, including 345 algae, 240 diatoms, 600 fungi, 67 slime molds and 50 lichens. This makes a total of 2,324 known species from an area of less than five square miles and represents approximately 7/ 10 of one per cent of all species of plants known from the whole world. 4 No matter what you find, see, or remember when you revisit Bergen Swamp in fact or fancy may it always recall to you : 4 Anyone interested in the kinds of plants that have been found in Bergen Swamp is referred to The Yajclation of Bergen Szvamp— Parts I to VII, in Volume 9, Proceedings, Rochester Academy of Science, 1946- 1950. The groups of plants covered in sequence are the vascular plants, epiphytes, myxomycetes, algae, diatoms, fungi, liverworts and mosses. 109 A place where one may still see Nature at work and learn some of her lessons and secrets. A small wilderness of quiet recesses, copses and canopies where one may sojourn in undisturbed solitude for inspiration and stimulus for the future. A heritage from the past with the possibility of linking the present with the future until both shall have become a part of the dim past. FLOWERING PLANTS OF BERGEN SWAMP A partial list ARBOR VITAE ( locally called cedar or white cedar) ARROW- GRASS ARROWHEAD ( d u c k - p o t a t o) ASH, RED AZALEA ( pinkster flower) BAYBERRY BIRCH BLUEBERRY BUCKTHORN, SWAMP BULRUSH BUNCHBERRY BUTTONBUSH CARDINAL FLOWER CINQUEFOIL, SHRUBBY CLINTONIA CLUB- RUSH COTTON GRASS CRANRERRY CREEPING SNOWBERRY Thuja accidentalis Triglochin maritima and T. pahtstris Sagittaria latifolia Fraxinus pennsylvanica Rhododendron nudiflorum Myrica pennsylvanica Be tula lutea Vaccinium corymbosum Rhamnus alnifolia J uncus Cornus canadensis Cephalanthus occidentalis Lobelia cardinalis Potentilla fruticosa Clintonia borealis Scirpus caespitosus Eriophorum viride- carinahim Vactinium oxycoccus Chiogenes hispidula LADY- SLIPPER RESIDENTS OF BERGEN SWAMP It is seldom that these four species of Cypripedium are all found growing in the same small area. Left to right are shown the small white lady- slipper ( C candidum), the large yellow ( C. pubescens), the stemless ( C. acaule), and the showy lady- slipper ( C. regime). 110 LIZARD'S TAIL ALONG BLACK CREEK Only beside occasional streams and in marshes is this little- known plant found in the eastern half of the United States. It is common in the northern border of Bergen Swamp. DUCKWEED DEWBERRY, DWARF ELM FALSE ASPHODEL FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL GIANT BUR- REED GOLDENROD, HOUGHTON'S GOLDENROD, OHIO GOLDTHREAD GRASS- OF- PARNASSUS GREEN DRAGON HEMLOCK HICKORY, SHAGBARK HOBBLE- BUSH HONEYSUCKLE, FLY OR SWAMP HUCKLEBERRY INDIAN CUCUMBER- ROOT JUNIPER, CREEPING LABRADOR TEA LADY'S SLIPPER, SHOWY LADY'S SLIPPER, STEMLESS Lcmna and Spirodela species Rubits pubescens Ulmus americana Tofieidia glutinosa Smilacina trifolia Sparganium eurycarpum Solidago Houghtonii Solidago ohioense Coptis trifolia Parnassia caroliniana Arisaema dracontium Tsuga canadensis Carya ovata Viburnum alnifofium Lonicera oblongifolia Gaylussacia baccata Medeoia virginica Juniperus horizontalis Ledum groenlandicum Cypripedium reginae Cypripedium acaule I ll LADY S SLIPPER, WHITE LADY'S SLIPPER, YELLOW LAKE CRESS LIZARD'S TAIL MAPLE MAPLE, MOUNTAIN MAPLE, SILVER MITERWORT OAK, BUR ORCHIDS ( See also LADY'S SLIPPER) POLYGALA, FRINGED PINE, WHITE PITCHER PLANT PONDWEED PRICKLY- ASH PYROLA SEDGE SEDGE SPIKE- RUSH STARFLOWER SUNDEW SWEET- FLAG SYCAMORE TAMARACK TRILLIUM, PAINTED TWIG- RUSH TWIN- FLOWER VALERIAN, WILD VIOLETS WAHOO WATER CRESS WILLOW, AUTUMN WILLOW, SANDBAR WINTERGREEN ZYGADENUS Cypripedium candiditm Cypripedium pubescens Armoracia aquatica Saururus cernua Acer saccharum Acer s pica turn Acer saccharinum Mitella nuda Quercus macrocarpa Arethusa bulbosa Pogonia ophioglossoides Calopogon pulchellus Polygala paucifolia Pinus Strobus Sarracenia purpurea Potamogeton amplifolius and P Berchtoldii Zanthoxylum americanum Moneses uniflora Carex species Carex riparia var. lacustris Eleocharis rostellata Trientalis borealis Drosera roiundifolia Acorus Calamus Platanus occidentalis Larix laricina Trillium undulatum Cladium mariscoides Linnaea borealis Valeriana uliginosa Viola species Evonymus atropurpureus Nasturtium officinale Salix serissima Salix interior Gaultheria procumbens Zygadenus chloranthus * JM= C » zAfoot and oAfloat for ' Blister- Rust By Walter H. Snell THE seriousness and danger of the blister- rust of white pine began to be appreciated just about the time that I was starting out my scientific career in the mid ' twenties and I happened to be available for assistance in the early investigations. I continued my contact with and study of this important disease for parts of the following twenty- five years, either with the Office of Forest Pathology of the United States Department of Agriculture, from Maine to Minnesota, or with the Conservation Department of the State of New York. 112 BOTANICAL problems are sometimes attacked amid the test- tubes and petri- dishes of a laboratory, sometimes among piles of herbarium sheets or boxes containing dried specimens of fungi. Some are approached in a library, but some require vast open spaces for their solution. How one botanist began a quarter- century of work on white pine blister- rust is told here. The author, a plant pathologist and mycologist, is Professor of Botany at Brown University, Providence, R. I. In a subsequent article he will describe some further significant aspects of his work, which has had the dual purpose of advancing botanical research and helping to save the native white pine from destruction by a vicious fungus— C. H. W. One of the interesting investigations with which I was connected was the distance of spread of this disease— the distances to which spores of the fungus could be carried, the distances at which the various spores were dangerous as a source of infection. The following points will be recalled concerning the blister- rust fungus. It is an obligate parasite. That is, it can grow only when obtaining its sustenance from some other living matter. It is heteroecious in that it has two dwelling- places in its life cycle. That is, it alternates between white or five- needled pines and wild and cultivated currants and gooseberries ( all currants and gooseberries hereinafter referred to by their common generic name of Ribes, pronounced with two syllables and with both vowels long). Also, the fungus has five spore-stages, two on the pines, one of which infects the ribes, and three on the ribes, the last of which reinfects white pines. One of the two types of reproductive body formed on the pines is called an aeciospore. Since aeciospores can infect only ribes and certain of the spores formed on the ribes can infect only the pines again, a convenient method for control of the disease is obvious: eradicate all ribes up to a proper distance from pines and keep them away. When control work first was undertaken, not only was it necessary to know the proper distance for elimination of ribes, for purposes of local control, but it was also desirable to find out how far the various types of spores were carried. In those early days it was believed that the three types of disseminable spores of the rust- fungus— aeciospores from pine to ribes in the spring, urediospores from ribes to ribes during the summer and sporidia from ribes to pine in the fall— were each capable of being carried ( by the wind, for the most part) to a distance of a few hundred feet to infect the proper host. I had begun to wonder why the distance was said to be so short, especially when out in Wisconsin I heard about the occasional great dust-storms and also heard for the first time the intimate details of how twisters carried tin roofs from county to county or picked up a heavy iron bar and drove it into a tree across the street. Now, of course, the violent phenomena are one thing and the mild winds something quite different; but, on the 113 other hand, when one kicked or struck a heavily infected or blistered tree and saw a conspicuous cloud of spores arise and hover or drift away, it was natural to wonder why such dust- like material would be carried only a few hundred feet. Accordingly, I was allowed to attack this problem of distances of dissemination of the spores in my summer work with the Office of Forest Pathology. I began with the aeciospores from the pine. To myself, at least, I made the guess that they could infect ribes after a single hop of at least 25 miles, but I began small in the hope of obtaining any distance over a thousand feet. While others were trapping spores with various ingenious devices over flat country and on mountain tops, I made the attack on the problem by observation of natural infections under the proper conditions. If I could find an infected ribes bush at the time of the first '' jump" of the aeciospores from the pine in the spring, with no infected pines or no pines whatsoever within a certain radius, I could conclude with certainty that the wind had carried the spore or spores that distance in a viable condition. I say " with certainty," although it has been objected to me that birds, insects, cows and humans cannot be ruled out with certainty. I therefore set out to find what I got to calling " centers"— ribes bushes with first- generation spring infections— in areas where pines were conspicuous by their absence. I would then be compelled to examine carefully the largest circular area possible around this center up to the nearest pine or pines, perhaps going over an interloping or straggling pine within the circle to determine that there was not a single possible blister- rust canker within that radius. Now, there arose unforeseen difficulties. The first one of these was to find pine- free areas that appeared to be likely prospects for my centers. As one goes over a piece of northeastern countryside casually, there appear to be many wide- open spaces where there is not a pine in sight, but upon close investigation there are pines aplenty. The second difficulty was to make sure that, when pines did occur, there was not a canker within the circle of the determined radius. This meant not only great care but it meant a lot of trudging over all sorts of ground and through all sorts of vegetation. It meant being a pedestrian for certain. With a radius of 1/ 4 mile, only 1/ 5 square mile had to be covered and there was only 2 miles of pacing in the four directions. With a radius of 1/ 2 mile, there was only 3/ 4 square mile to be covered back and forth and only 4 miles of pacing. With a radius of 3/ 4 mile, however, 1 3/ 4 square miles had to be covered with at least 6 miles of pacing; with a mile radius, the area was over 3 square miles and the pacing at least 8 miles; and with a radius of 1 1/ 2 miles, the area was 7 square miles and the pacing alone 12 miles. I started out in Maine, which, in spite of its proud title of The Pine- Tree 114 State, is obviously not blanketed with pines and was not 25 years ago. I found centers at various places but I could find no place in which, as I started out from the infected ribes bush, I did not run into pines galore within a few hundred feet. I next tried the Adirondacks and found a few places where I could get pine- free distances of 1/ 4 to 1/ 2 mile. Finally, a native of the village where I was staying told me that he knew of an area where there were no pines for miles and he took me, like Moses, up to a hill overlooking some country in the Essex- Whallonsburg section west of Lake Champlain. There before me lay quite an expanse of fields and pastures in a dairy country, without a pine in view. I found some infected ribes in the right location and after a lot of pacing I got a circle of about 3/ 4 mile radius, with the outlying pines much closer than they appeared from a casual inspection of the terrain. Then began the tramping over the circle, back and forth and up and down, covering fencerows, swales, swamps, small patches of woods, etc. I found a few small pines in the circle, which seemed to pop up from nowhere when I had my eyes to the ground and not just looking around in general. These were uninfected. And when all was done and I was going away, I found one more pine about 6 inches in diameter, right by the side of a road that I had traversed several times. This had to be examined twig by twig and fortunately for my results was found to be likewise disease- free. With this distance of 3/ 4 mile established, I set out for Wisconsin and Minnesota and there after some criss- crossing of the country east of the St. Croix River, I found a likely region. I finally found some infected ribes in a favorable location that had a circle with a radius of 1 1/ 4 miles. It took me quite a while to examine the 4 square miles or so ( a little of it water) but everything was rosy until the very end, when I found an 18- inch- diameter pine in a spot that would materially reduce my 1 1/ 4 miles. I had to obtain permission from the owner of the property to cut this tree down and then I had a laborious task inspecting every single inch of living twig, branch and trunk. Fortunately again, the tree was canker- free. This Rush Lake center was very valuable for me. I not only bad a distance of dissemination of aeciospores from pine to ribes of over a mile but the general situation set me thinking. Not being a pedestrian by heredity, natural capacity, training or predilection, why should I not use my head and the seat of my trousers instead of my heels and try to find a satisfactory aqueous area in place of a piece of terra firma which demanded the expenditure of such a quantity of perspiration, calories and shoe- leather? Besides, having spent a great deal of my youth on Cape Cod and the Maine coast, I was something of a sea- faring man in a modest way. Therefore, I set sail ( if the reader will pardon the metaphor and forget the intervening 1,000- odd miles of dry land) for the New England waters, fresh or salt. I thought of Lake Winnipesaukee first— in white- pine country, of 115 good size and with islands ( and, need I add, in vacation country?). I spent part of a good summer going over the lake in a motor boat, looking for islands that might have infected ribes a sufficient distance from any pine on the mainland or on other islands. The best I could do for distance, however, was about a half a mile. My next inspiration was the Isles of Shoals off Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kittery Point, Maine— surely with as pine- free a stretch in between as one could ask for. My one worry was concerning the presence of any ribes bushes at all on those almost bare, wind- swept, fog- soaked rocks and my ability to find what must be rather measly bushes if there were any. I learned later that someone else had had the same thought before me and had found some bushes, but I did not know of this at the time. I traipsed over several of the islands, especially the larger ones first, and had no luck; I found a few scrubby poplars in the hollows, as tall as the hollows were deep, but nothing else shrubby or woody, as I recall. I tried the northernmost and most inaccessible island, Duck Island, last, with no feelings of confidence. Here, however, carefully avoiding nests and young of herring gulls at every step, I found two rather windbeaten bushes and I was certainly as excited as I am ever likely to become as I turned over leaf after leaf, looking for blister- rust infection- spots. I finally found a few— enough. I was assured that no human being had visited Duck Island since the last duck- hunting season, and the possibility of birds carrying the spores appeared to be very remote. Here then was something of the sort I had been looking for— miles of spread by the aeciospores instead of hundreds of feet. The Isles are 5 1/ 2 miles from the nearest mainland and about 7 miles from the location of the old, severe, blister-rust infestation at Kittery Point. This figure soon became a puny one because in the far West, infected ribes were found 125 miles from the nearest known white pine, but at the time it was the triumph of an idea and a soul- satisfying conclusion to a lot of work that was not overly encouraging on many an occasion. Qrowing Hardy ( Primulas Experiences of a New Jersey Amateur By Edward O. Birch OVER and over again, we hear and read that it is easy to grow primulas on the Pacific Coast, but difficult to grow them here in the East. Thus many gardeners, discouraged from the start, never attempt to ascertain what the really hardy primroses will do for them. What follows 116 is written with the hope that it may help to interest those who have not as yet tried primulas, or who have tried and failed. I have seen vigorous plants growing on their own in abandoned gardens of old homes and vacant estates, large clumps sometimes taking possession of open ground around them. Therefore, I think that, despite what is heard and read, we should put out of our minds the idea that primulas are difficult to grow in the East, and at least have the satisfaction of finding out for ourselves. Here is my experience in Short Hills, N. J., with various forms and varieties of P acaulis and P. polyanthus. but outside of that they were identical with the others at all times of the year. The ruggedness of this yellow hose- in-hose stirred my interest in primroses. 1 began raising other varieties, including P. polyanthus, from seed, and had equal success. Now my plants are in all possible locations; naturally in the partial shade of shrubs or filtered shade of trees the foliage holds up better during summer months. The First Plant Some 3- ears ago I was given a single plant; a yellow hose- in- hose, or duplex type. In two years this developed into a nice clump. The soil in which it grew was a good friable loam to which peatmoss and manure had been added a year or so before. Under pressure of hand the soil felt spongy; it would absorb and hold water well; drainage was good and the soil never soggy; it would not bake hard when dried by the sun. Under foot it felt similar to soil you would find at the edge of a woodland or in good turf. That is, the sci! was solid but not hard; rain would not wash it away, but instead would be absorbed. Anyone can have such a soil with the aid of peatmoss or leaf- mold, if available. It is soil of a texture in which azaleas, mountain laurel, and rhododendrons grow best. One need not worry about chemical analysis, or pH, but only about texture. Then when the plants are established all that will be necessary is an annual, early spring sprinkling of dry manure or perhaps cottonseed meal. Hundreds of Plants From One The clump previously referred to was, at the end of its bloom, separated into eight or ten divisions, and the top half of the foliage was cut off before replanting. Dividing at this time enabled young plants to become established before winter set in. By continual division of the older clumps, I have had hundreds of plants from this one original yellow hose-in- hose. I used them to edge three borders, facing south, east and west, the one facing south being in full sun all day. In August, when the plants all withered somewhat before starting fall growth, those facing south withered more than those facing east and west, Winter and Summer Care While writing this in November the foliage is full. I will soon cover the ground between plants with about one-half inch of peatmoss, which will be allowed to remain in spring. Young plants going through their first winter will, in addition to peatmoss, receive a light covering of salt hay, about three inches, not packed, but loose enough so that a bit of green shows through here and there. This will keep young roots from heaving with the thaws. Hay is removed early in spring. Peat, when allowed to remain, will act as a mulch in spring, assist in keeping down weeds, help conserve moisture, and in addition be a top dressing as an aid to new crown growth. It will also make artificial watering safer as mulch will prevent the soil from being washed away from roots. During the hot weather of June, July and August, the soil must not be allowed to dry out. If rains do not occur at this time of year, soil of the texture described should be watered about once a week. At least, that is my experience, but in other sections conditions will vary and one's own judgment will have to be used. Seed Sown in Soil When propagating from seed, I sow in soil, and think it the best medium for a 117 Primulas used as an edging for a border of Azalea Schlippenbachii, home gardener or amateur growing for his own requirements. Sphagnum moss, vermiculite, etc., are all right for professionals who are prepared to fertilize properly at all stages, but if the seed's natural medium ( soil) is used it will carry seedlings to the time of transplanting without fertilization, which is always a danger to young plants. Seed is sown in flats, or preferably wide, shallow pots. If the depth from the bottom of the container to the top of the soil is about three and one- half inches, I use one- half inch of drainage material. Equal parts of peatmoss and coarse sand or gravel will drain the soil and also hold moisture. For the soil itself I use equal parts of good loam, leafmold, and sand, thoroughly mixed and screened. If leafmold is not obtainable, pulverized peatmoss can be substituted. I tamp it down gently, without letting it pack, then water it thoroughly by setting the container in water that comes to within an inch of top, leaving it there until moisture shows at the top of the soil. Then I scatter seed thinly on the surface so that seedlings will have circulation of air when they show up, and barely cover the seed with sand or fine dustlike soil. The pane of glass with which I cover the container is removed as soon as the seedlings show. As they shoot up, I carefully sift a light covering of sand or soft, fine soil between them, being careful not to cover leaves. This is important; the seed was sown on top of the soil and this light covering will give added support until the roots really get down. Handling the Seedlings I generally transplant after the second leaves appear in order to get more plants, and place them about an inch apart in similar soil and containers where they remain until placed in a nursery bed in open ground. If one does not have facilities for additional flats or pots, the seedlings can merely be thinned to about one inch apart. Transplanting is easy. I formerly used a knife or match stick to prick out seedlings, but finally made a gadget which works to perfection; roots are not damaged and soil does not stick to it. I take an old tooth brush; cut off the brush end and grind a point to that end about twice the length of a pencil point. This readily lifts the seedling and also makes a hole to receive it. The rounded end of the handle is used to tamp soil around the transplant. A small bulb spray such as is used in the laundry is good for watering the seedlings after transplanting. They must not be beaten down. Seedlings in containers outdoors should be protected from late morning and afternoon sun, also from heavy rains. 118 When to Sow Seed Fresh seed of the current spring will germinate faster if sown in late July than if sown in late winter inside or early next spring outside. Also, all work can be done outside, a factor which will possibly avoid setting out some weak plants. Water used before germination should be tepid; after seedlings are up it may be cool. As soon as the plants are large enough, they may be set in a nursery bed where they will be mulched at once with peatmoss and at the beginning of winter mulched with salt hay as previously outlined. If seed is sown indoors in late winter, or outdoors in early spring, it helps germination if the soil is made wet with hot water, but not hot enough to burn the hands — say 120°. Next day, water of the same temperature should be applied again. If further watering is necessary before germination, it should be tepid. After seedlings are up, cool water may be used, as for the July sowing. If plants are in a room of a house where heat is on, they should be under glass at all times. When the glass shows moisture, it should be opened slightly until the moisture disappears, then closed again. Plants should be set in the nursery bed in spring as soon as conditions warrant moving them. When seedlings have been taken from the first container, the soil should not be further disturbed; germination is irregular and more plants may appear. Not all the seeds will reproduce true to the color of the parent. If this is desired 100 percent, all propagation must be by division. From Seed to Border From the foregoing it will be seen there are really three plantings before a permanent location is reached for the primulas: first, for sowing, second, the transfer to similar containers for proper spacing; third, to the nursery bed; then finally into the border. All that has been written is from experience in the climate of northern New Jersey. There are variations one will learn from his own experience. For instance, in much colder regions it may be desirable to use salt hay as a covering every winter. But no matter where he is located, I want to tell the grower not to over- fertilize, or he will get foliage at the expense of flowers. As long as growth is good, he should let well enough alone. "*- fc » David D. Keck Appointed Head Curator Succeeding Dr. Gleason Jan. 1 DR. David D. Keck of the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Stanford University has accepted an appointment as Head Curator of the New York Botanical Garden. He will succeed Dr. H. A. Gleason in that post on January 1, 1951. institution's staff on the Stanford campus. By that time he had already been working for two years in collaboration with Jens C. Clausen and William M. Hiesey as a research team in experimental taxonomy. At the meetings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in New York in December 1949, this team was awarded the Mary Soper Pope medal of the Cran-brook Institute of Science. Graduated from Pomona College in 1925, Dr. Keck received a master's degree from there the following year, and a Ph. D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1930. Meanwhile, in 1926, he j oined the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Berkeley as assistant to H. M. Hall, and three years later moved to Stanford to continue their experimental project in a new laboratory building. Since 1934 he has been a member of the 119 Dr. Keek's many published papers, dating from 1925, reflect his interests in taxonomy, genetics, and cytology of the flowering plants, as well as in the natural sciences as a whole. His principal studies have been in the genera Penste-mon, Poa, Artemisia, Potentilla, and in Madia and its relatives. He has also published notes on Orthocarpus and Elaplo-pappus, among other groups. In addition to his purely taxonomic studies, in combination with the research team he has contributed such subjects as " Experimental Studies on the Nature of Species" to the publications of the Carnegie Institution of Washington in 1940, 1945, and 1948; " Regional Differentiation in Plant Species" to American Naturalist; also " Relations between Climate and Intra-specific Variation in Plants" and " Heredity of Geographically and Ecologically Isolated Races" to American Naturalist. With Dr. P. A. Munz, Director of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Dr. Keck has been working on the preparation of a new manual of the plants of California, on the basis of his experimental studies. Dr. Keck is a member of the A. A. A. S., American Society of Naturalists, Society for the Study of Evolution, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Botanical Society of America, Torrey Botanical Club, Western Society of Naturalists, and the California Botanical Society, of which he was treasurer from 1931 to 1940 and vice- president in 1945 and 1947. He is an honorary life member of the California Academy of Sciences. At the New York Botanical Garden he will be the fourth Head Curator in the history of the institution, Dr. John K. Small in 1906 having been the first to assume the title, which he retained until his death in 1932. Dr. F. J. Seaver served from 1942 until his retirement in 1948, with Dr. Gleason filling the post both before and after this period. Dr. Keck will be in New York in May on his way to Europe, where, after touring a large portion of the continent by car, he will present a paper at the Seventh International Botanical Congress in Stockholm in July. Returning from Europe he will complete his year's work at the Carnegie Institution before assuming his new position at the New York Botanical Garden. Notes, News, and Comment Book Service Department. A new book service department has been opened by the New York Botanical Garden in the Museum Building. For the first time, the Garden will handle books of outside publishers, instead of only its own. Some of these are books written by members of the staff, others are recommended books on botany, gardening, and related subjects. The volumes are on display in cases near the entrance to the Museum Building and are on sale at the Information Booth on the main floor. For books that are ordered by mail, there will be a mailing charge of 100 a volume. Postcards. Colored postcards showing five scenes of the New York Botanical Garden are now on sale in the Museum Building at 50 each. The pictures, which have been made from kodachrome views, show ( 1) forsythia in spring beneath the bare branches of the trees, ( 2) daffodils on the slope with evergreens and flowering cherries in the background, ( 3) azaleas in a woodland planting, ( 4) a water-lily, and ( 5) chrysanthemums in front of the central dome of the Conservatory. Individual cards or sets will be sent by mail without extra charge. The Garden also has on sale eleven year- round views in high quality photographs on postcards. These show the Museum Building, Conservatory dome, tropical rain forest, a flowering cherry tree, Cattleya orchids in greenhouse, the Montgomery Conifer Collection, rose garden, perennial border, daffodils, iris, and the rock garden. The price of these has been reduced to 3 for 100, and they too will be sent by mail without extra charge. Tapestry Booklet. The Garden's booklet " Flora of the Unicorn Tapestries" by E. J. Alexander and Carol H. Woodward has been reissued in an edition of 3,000 copies. Two illustrations have been added to this printing, showing a detail of the second tapestry in the series and the entire seventh, the concluding scene, showing the unicorn in captivity. Honorary Curator. The title of Honorary Curator of Economic Botany, which has been held by B. A. Krukoff since 1940, was eliminated by the Board of 120 Managers at a meeting of the Executive Committee March 27. For many years Mr. Krukoff has been interested in medicinal plants. He has done extensive exploring in the interior of South America, and has deposited his herbarium specimens with the Garden. Since his direct association with the institution, he has published papers on the American members of Erythrina, Strycli-nos, and the Menispermaceae, and on the botanical components of curare. Mr. Krukoff is associated with Merck & Co. For the past year or more, he has been away from New York the greater part of the time, continuing his work in Guatemala and elsewhere. Garden Design Exhibit. Mrs. Helen M, Fox has been chairman of an exhibit of photographs, drawings, blueprints, books and prints illustrating garden design, which is being held at the New York Public Library from March 17 to May 19. Several photographs from the New York Botanical Garden are included in the exhibit, which emphasizes garden designs suitable for the northeastern states. Mrs. Fox is also the compiler of a selected list of books appearing in a booklet, " Planning & Planting Your Garden," which is available by mail from the New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, New York 18, N. Y., for 500. Members' Day. Orchids were displayed through the courtesy of Thomas Young, Inc., of which C. R. Beckert is President, at the Members' Day program of the New York Botanical Garden in the auditorium of the New York Genealogical Society April 13. The speaker was C. Leslie Erickson, who has been working with orchids since the age of 14 and who, with his father, is now employed by Thomas Young, Inc., at Bound Brook, N. J. Staff Conference. John J. Wurdack, Technical Assistant at the New York Botanical Garden, spoke on " The Sand Dune Flora of Brazil" at the monthly staff conference held Wednesday, April 12, in the Members' Room. His talk was illustrated with kodachromes he took and specimens he collected in Brazil during the war, also with vegetational and rainfall maps and with books contributing to the subject. Spring Tours. The Volunteer Associates of the New York Botanical Garden have arranged two separate garden tours this spring. On May 2 members of the New York Botanical Garden and garden clubs were invited to visit the gardens of Mr. Pierre S. Du Pont and Mr. & Mrs. Henry F. Du Pont at Wilmington, Delaware. On May 23 a trip will be made to Millbrook, New York, to visit the gardens of Mrs. Oakleigh Thorne and Mr. & Mrs. Walter Beck. Booklets. The downtown office of the New York Botanical Garden has prepared three booklets which are obtainable at 801 Madison Avenue, New York 21, and also in the Garden's new Book Service Department in the Museum Building. Two of them have appeared as articles in the magazine issued by the downtown office, The Garden. These are " A Garden for Gourmets" by Albert C. Burrage, 250, and " Our Rose Varieties and Their Malmaison Heritage" by Edwin De T. Bechtel, $ 1. A third booklet is a cook book of favorite recipes of members of the Volunteer Associates, $ 1. Visitors. Dorothy Fensholt, graduate student at Northwestern University, spent ten days at the Garden in April studying algae. Clark T. Rogerson of Cornell worked on Ascomycetes in the herbarium the last of April. Clara S. Hires, head of the Mistaire Laboratories, Millburn, N. J., with two of her assistants, Beverly Heller and Mrs. Charles W. Cram made investigations on mosses in the herbarium Mar. 29. Among other recent visitors have been John A. Stevenson of the Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md.; John T. Middle-ton, University of California at Riverside; Carl L. Withner, Brooklyn College; M. A. Johnson, Rutgers; Eula White-house of Southern Methodist University, Dallas; H. K. Svenson, American Museum of Natural History; Howard E. Brossman, Superintendent of the Mitchell Park Conservatory, Milwaukee; and Mr. & Mrs. B. F. Miller, of Laramie, Wyoming. Mrs. Miller is the daughter of Aven Nelson. Douglas H. Allen of New York, international industrialist and author of " History of the Operations of the Rubber Development Corporation," was a luncheon guest at the Garden April 11. W. A. 121 Sexton of Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd., Manchester, England, Dr. G. Morel of Harvard University, Dr. N. F. Stanley of Sydney, Australia, and Dr. Hasan M. Yusef, on his way back to Fouad I. University, Egypt, were among other visitors of early spring. Chobei Takida, head of Japan's leading pharmaceutical house, at Osaka, spent the day at the Garden Feb. 24. Dr. E. B. Hirshberg of the Schering Corporation, Bloomfield, N. J. made investigations of Dioscorea at the Garden recently. Advisory Council. Eight new members were elected to the Advisory Council of the Garden at the meeting of the Board of Managers Feb. 23. They are Mrs. Warren R. Austin, Mrs. Neville Jay Booker, Mrs. Harry T. Peters, Mrs. Wallace S. Whittaker, and Mrs. Robert C. Hill, of New York City, Mrs. Raymond Gunnison of Pawling, N. Y., Mrs. Langdon Simmons of Greenwich, Conn., and Mrs. John Senior of Lenox, Mass. Mrs. James Russell Parsons, who was elected to the Advisory Council in February 1931, resigned in February 1950. She had also been a member of the Corporation since 1933. Board of Managers. Dr. Thomas Lewis of S. B. Penick & Co., has been elected to the Board of Managers in the class of 1950. Consultant. Dr. A. B. Stout, who retired from the staff of the New York Botanical Garden in 1947, left his home at Pleasantville, New York, in early April to spend the summer as consultant to the W. Atlee Burpee Co., Floradale Farms, Lompoc, California. Floral Flyer. Members of the New York Botanical Garden will be granted ten free rides a year on The Floral Flyer. The membership card will be used as a ticket, to be punched by the conductor on the tractor train. NOTICES AND REVIEWS OF RECENT BOOKS North of the Golden Gate MARIN FLORA. J. T. Howell. 320 pages, 2 maps. 24 photographs ( by Charles T. Townsend). University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1949. $ 4.50. Probably few visitors to San Francisco have failed to see, rising above the waters of the bay, the gentle silhouette of Mount Tamalpais, landmark of the Marin country which lies just to the north of the Golden Gate Bridge. They may also have visited the miniature redwood forest in Mill Valley, the sandy Pacific beaches, and perhaps even the picturesque, lighthouse- crowned headland of Point Reyes. If they have done any of these things, they cannot help but enjoy Mr. Town-send's beautiful photographs of Marin scenes. The plants of this Marin County are the subject of Mr. Howell's attractive, lovingly written book. Within an area of only 529 square miles, he has recorded the occurrence of some 1,313 species, which he estimates to be nearly twenty-five percent of the total flora of the state. This remarkable abundance is at least partly due to the varied habitats and geological backgrounds comprised within this small area. The existence of serpentine outcrops on Mount Tamalpais and Tiburon Peninsula, for example, is responsible for many highly localized distributions. He finds the Golden Gate, however, to have been of very little significance, at least in the past, as a barrier to the migration of species. There are provocative and informative discussions of the physiographic features, geological structures, soils, climate, plant associations, floristics, and botanical exploration. The keys are full and apparently readily workable. Although there are no taxonomic descriptions, there are 122 abundant citations of localities, and numerous critical laxonomic and other notes. In a state, most of whose inhabitants originated " somewhere else," it is scarcely surprising that some 300 of the plants should also be immigrants. Since this is a larger number of aliens than Jepson's Manual of 1925 included for the entire state, it is perhaps symptomatic of what is happening to California's vegetation. It is all the more fortunate, therefore, that Mr. Howell has so thoroughly documented the present flora of this accessible region before it has been thoroughly engulfed in the onslaught of ever- expanding Suburbia. LINCOLN CONSTANCE University of California, Berkeley. Clements, Condensed DYNAMICS OF VEGETATION. Frederic E. Clements. Compiled and edited by B. W. Allred and Edith S. Clements. 296 pages, illustrations, glossary, index. H. W. Wilson, New York. 1949. $ 3.75. Dr. Clements was a very interesting man, to whom the writer of this notice is greatly indebted for encouragement and material help at a time when these were greatly needed. Some of the ideas basic to Clements' system of vegetation-units and their developmental relations are very different from those held by most field botanists. Professor A. G. Tansley characterized him as an " uncompromising idealist." Yet his awareness of the observable facts was very similar to that of the realists; it was in interpretation of facts and in application of terms that most of the differences arose. Much of his writing is taken too literally by students. The present volume is a reprinting in somewhat shortened form of articles and essays covering these chapter headings: The nature and role of plant succession; Competition in plant societies; Plant indicators; Nature and structure of the climax; The relict method in dynamic ecology; Climaxes, succession, and conservation ; Climatic cycles and human populations in the Great Plains; and Ecology in the public service. The photographs are numerous and excellent. The same general criticisms and commendations could be made for this work as for the publications which it summarizes. Some of the too- strong statements are perhaps more discernible in the condensation. The book is well edited, beautifully printed and bound, moderately priced. It succeeds admirably in its objective, to bring together, in more generally available form, the writings of Dr. Clements in this field of his principal interest. ARTHUR G. VESTAL University of Illinois Fungi Infecting Man BIOLOGY OF PATHOGENIC FUNGI. Edited by Walter J. Nickerson. 236 pages, illustrated, indexed. Chronica Botanica Co., Waltham, Mass.; Stechert- Hafner, Inc., New York, N. Y. 1947. $ 5. The short title given this book by the publisher may mislead some of its readers to expect to see that the biology of plant pathogens will also be considered. However, the editor points out in his preface that the aim was to discuss some of the aspects of the biology of some of those fungi pathogenic for man. The foreword by J. Gardner Hopkins, the internationally known dermatologist, further emphasizes this limitation of scope. He points out some of the important deficiencies that have heretofore hampered the understanding of fungus infections of human beings. He urges that the commotion over terminology and attempts to follow rules of nomenclature should not obscure the fact that much information on the biology of fungi pathogenic to man has been provided by botanists, chemists and physicians. One has but to read the twelve chapters contributed by persons of wide reputation to see what has been done in recent years and to realize the great need for further research along these lines. The editor, W. J. Nickerson, has written an interesting introduction as well as chapters on respiration and fermentation including metabolic products; and with J. W. Williams a chapter on fungus nutrition and metabolism. Additional chapters by authors known internationally include results of their own researches and bibliographies covering some aspects of their fields. These contributors are J. Lodder, A. de Minjer, A. L. Carrion, Margarita Silva, Rhoda W, Benham, C. W. Emmons, R. Ciferri, P. Redaelli, F. T. Wolf, D. S. Martin and R. L. Peck. 123 It would, of course, be impossible to cover the whole field of pathogens thoroughly in a volume of some 250 pages, but considering these limitations one will find in this book much valuable information, as well as sources of further information indicated in the various bibliographies. B. O. DODGE Heredity and Breeding ADVANCES IN GENETICS. Edited by M. Demerec. 440 pages, index, illustrations. Academic Press, New York. 1947. $ 7.50. This volume presents critical reviews of research on ten specific genetic problems. Those dealing with plants include: cytogenetics and breeding of forage crops, by Sanford S. Atwood; cytogenetics and speciation in Crepis by Ernest B. Babcock; origins and evolution of maize by Paul C. Mangelsdorf; types of polyploids, by G. Ledyard Stebbins, J r . ; and cytogenetics of Gossypium and the problem of the origin of the New World cottons, by S. G. Stephens. This is the first of a proposed series, the purpose of which, as stated in the preface, is to have critical summaries of outstanding genetic problems, written by competent geneticists, appear in a single publication and to be written in such form that they will be useful as reference material for geneticists and also as a source of information to nongeneticists. As to scope, the articles are expected to deal with both theoretical and practical problems of breeding, heredity, and related fields. A. B. STOUT. Highest Power Magnification ELECTRON MICROSCOPY. Technique and Application. Ralph W. G. Wyckoff. 248 pages, illustrations, bibliography, index. Interscience Publishers, New York and London. 1949. $ 5. This is a beautifully illustrated, simple introduction to the opening field of electron microscopy. The text is easy to read. The biologist who has not yet seen such forms as diatoms under the electron microscope has a poor concept of their essential architecture. VlRGENE KAVANAGH. Relations of Plants With Water WATER IN THE PHYSIOLOGY OF PLANTS. A. S. Crafts, H. B. Currier, & C. R. Stocking. 240 pages, illustrations, tables, bibliography, index. Chronica Botanica Co., Waltham, Mass.; Stechert- Hafner, New York. 1949. $ 6. The unique feature of this book is the large amount of material on the physical chemistry of water in relation to plant processes and conditions. This is treated in such a manner as to be intelligible to readers with only a limited knowledge of that field. While the book is of particular value to instructors and investigators in the field of plant physiology, it will be useful to every plant scientist who is interested in water relations. The chapters dealing with the structure of water, the properties of solutions, and water as a plant component bring together material never before summarized satisfactorily for plant physiologists. These chapters alone would justify publication of the book. The discussion of osmosis and osmotic quantities of plant cells is very thorough and fortunately uses the terminology of Bobbink & Atkins " GARDEN GEMS" for your Garden Library Build your garden with the help of this outstanding catalog. In it are described and illustrated in color the best of the New and Old- fashioned Roses; Unusual Evergreen Shrubs and Vines; Azaleas and Rhododendrons; Magnolias; Lilacs and many other Flowering Shrubs; all the novelty and old favorite Perennial Flowers and Ground Covers, and a host of other rare and unusual " Garden Gems" ; designed to help you plan and plant your garden. Free east of the Mississippi; 35 cents elsewhere. Customers of record receive their copies automatically. Visitors are always welcome at our nurseries located about nine miles from the New Jersey side of the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels and George Washington Bridge. Less than thirty minutes from central New York. Bobbink & Atkins Rose Growers and Nurserymen 401 Paterson Ave., East Rutherford, N. J . 124 Meyer, which is familiar to most readers. The varied and conflicting evidence concerning the occurrence of non- osmotic or " active" water intake by plant cells and tissues has also been carefully summarized. Water relations of the plant as a whole are discussed in terms of absorption, translocation, and water loss. The book is documented by about 800 references and illustrated by many tables, figures, and graphs. PAUL J. KRAMER, Duke University. For Gardeners From Coast to Coast IRIS FOR EVERY GARDEN. Sydney B. Mitchell. 224 pages, photographs, index, drawings by Tom Craig. M. Barrows, New York. 1949. $ 3. This is a much needed book for Americans, as recent popular publications on iris have been confined to England and, while valuable to the expert, are not suited for the general gardener in this country. It is a clearly written and practical book, well illustrated, and easy to use. Culture, propagation, breeding, treatment of seed and seedlings, pollen, diseases, and other subj ects are well covered. The many gardeners who think there are nothing but the old " dooryard" varieties of iris should be encouraged to try their hand on a newer species or horticultural variety. Such a book is necessarily limited, but Dr. Mitchell has given the essentials. My only adverse criticism is that in his history of American breeding he has neglected to mention such an important person as the late E. B. Williamson of Indiana, who made the first crosses here between the regelia and dwarf beared groups. There are many splendid varieties still available, descendants of those that Williamson and Paul Cook raised. In fact, many of the better irises in the United States exist because of Mr. Williamson and also Grace Sturtevant. Present- day breeders are too much given to concentrating on the huge- flowered, tall sorts. I do not agree that William Mohr was the " outstanding American breeder" because I am familiar with the work of others who are barely mentioned or completely neglected in the book. It has to be a limited book, of course, and it should be to make it easy to handle and of a reasonable price. Therefore I feel that, with these exceptions, it is really well carried out, and that it is, at the same time, an attractive, readable book. ETHEL ANSON S. PECKHAM Three New Textbooks Of General Botany COLLEGE BOTANY. Clarence J. Hylan-der & Oran B. Stanley. 638 pages, illustrated, indexed. Macmillan, New York. 1949. $ 5. In this new text, Drs. Hylander and Stanley of Colgate University have stated admirably the reasons for such a book and, in general outline, have fulfilled their intentions. The line drawings are calculated to sustain the interest of the general college student; the text is not " stuffy"; presentation is ideal for students in educational curricula planning to teach biology or botany; and the text material is well- balanced, with sections on general morphological considerations, classification, ecology and geography, heredity and evolution, and paleobotany. In several respects, however, serious students may question the material presented. The drawings are perhaps too diagrammatic; use of common names throughout may be criticized ( although an appendix of scientific names is included) ; and the portrayal of classification by " trees" certainly oversimplifies and confuses systematics and phylogeny. Other minor disputable points include ( p. 347) the sketch of Amanita without an annulus; the discussion of distinctions between " monocots" and " dicots" and their phylogeny ( for example, the disputed primitiveness of hydrophytes and the " absence of endosperm" in dicots); illustration of Equisetum arvense with yellowish fertile shoots as typical ( albeit familiar) of horsetails; and the selection of so many illustrations from the same few genera of the Liliaceae. Still, the text may well be used for the presentation of a semi- cultural botanical course in a general college curriculum. COLLEGE BOTANY. Harry J. Fuller & Oswald Tippo. 993 pages, illustrated, indexed. Henry Holt, New York. 1949. $ 5.75. _ Drs. Fuller and Tippo of the University of Illinois have written a standard introductory botany, suitable for the general college course or, with use of supple- 125 Wa^ j- ide S s Gjaj- cJenj- LOVELIEST NEW FLOWERS COME FROM For the newest, most exciting introductions and outstanding old favorites, see Wayside Gardens* splendid new catalog for Spring planting. It is a vast treasure chest of sparkling jewels for your garden. J ^ W ^ J/ ee* ROSES Babe Ruth — Glorious new rose- pink hybrid tea. Strong, vigorous plants bloom profusely. Tom Breneman— A delightfully fragrant hybrid tea of radiant coral rose. Extremely hardy. As well as 150 other varieties including the superb 1950 " All America Rose Selections." J& vsfo Mm CHRYSANTHEMUMS Bronze Cactus — Glowing Indian copper bronze flowers with subtle salmon shadings bloom abundantly on vigorous 2V£' plants from September on. ^ « . CYDONIAS Spitfire — Early flowering, 7 foot high shrub is covered with huge, crimson flowers. Magnificent for hedges. Knaphill Scarlet — Big, showy, vermilion flowers bloom lavishly at tulip time on this choice, low growing plant. Ashes of Roses — Most enchanting new " mum" in our entire collection. Iridescent old rose with apricot tones. Very hardy and free flowering. Mm PASTEL CANNAS Six stunning new hybrids. Enormous trusses of radiant flowers in soft, pastel shades of peach, old rose, yellow and gold. For luxurious color and beauty all summer, plant a few in front of foundation planting. i£ « M^ Ma, HARDY ASTERS Peace — From early September until late October, this sturdy plant is a mass of exquisite, pinkish- lavender flowers fully 2" across. Excellent for cutting. Plenty — One of the finest fall flowers. Thousands of semi-double, 2" flowers of lovely soft blue completely cover this superb plant. Hardy, will grow anywhere. SEND FOR THE WORLD'S FINEST HORTICULTURAL BOOK- CATALOG Unquestionably, this is the finest catalog offered anywhere. Almost 200 pages filled with exciting new introductions and worthwhile old favorites, fully listed and illustrated in " true- to- life" colors. This splendid reference book contains explicit cultural in- , structiqns for each item. To be sure you get your • „ « • copy, it is necessary that you enclose with your *•#- « « * ""* quest 50$, coin or stamps, for postage and handling, 126 mentary material from other sources, for an intensive course for students majoring in the field of botany. The five major sections of the text include: introductory remarks; structure, physiology, and reproduction ; a survey of the plant kingdom ; evolution and ecology; and economic significance of plants. Features to be commended are: presentation of a more modern classification of the plant kingdom, rather than the traditional " four-division" scheme; an excellent time scale correlating animals, plants, and geologic events ; and concise summaries of chapter contents. INTRODUCTORY BOTANY. Alexander N'elson. 479 pages, illustrated, indexed. Chronica Botanica Co., Waltham, Mass. 1949. $ 3.75. Dr. Nelson of the University of Edinburgh has written this text as the first of two books; in this volume biological concepts are presented, and the projected companion volume will include the applications of plant science to human and animal medicine. The presentation is not in the stereotyped order of traditional introductory texts; in the systematic section, for instance, the flowering plants are first discussed, and subsequently the " lower" plants, with the bacteria and fungi bringing up the rear. Genetical aspects of botany are emphasized throughout. Only rarely in an elementary textbook are such items as phosphorylation, the Traube cell, heteroploidy, crossing- over, incompatibility, and xenia included. The use of such terms as imbalance, manurial salts, mycodomatia, and sink may at first be strange to American botanists, and the lack of the typical lavish illustration of U. S. textbooks might be a drawback to the general student. However, for anyone planning a career in any field of biology, the book is to be recommended highly, both for the logical scientific approach to complex ideas and for the extremely reasonable cost. J. J. WURDACK. Horticulture, Agriculture, Forestry HORTICULTURE ENTERPRISES. Revised. Walter B. Balch, A. S. Colby, and T. J. Talbert. Edited by R. W. Gregory. 480 pages, illustrated, indexed. J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. 1949. $ 3. This, the seventh, is a newly revised edition of a text originally published under the title of " Horticulture" in 1919. The new title was adopted in 1929. The book is a text essentially for learning the culture of fruit and vegetable crops, but also includes a number of ornamentals. SOUTHERN HORTICULTURE MAN. AGEMENT. E. W. Garris & H. S. Wolfe. Edited by R. W. Gregory. 564 pages, illustrated, indexed. J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. 1949. $ 3. Culture of fruit and vegetable crops in the states from Arkansas across to Virginia and from Texas across the Gulf Coast and into southern Florida is described in this volume. Instructions are given for truck farms and small home gardens. At the end of each chapter there are suggestions for study and practice and a list of practical references. FIELD CROPS MANAGEMENT. Revised. E. N. Fergus & Carsie Hammonds. Edited by R. W. Gregory. 600 pages, illustrated, indexed. T. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. 1949. $ 3. This is part of a series of books on agricultural management being published by Lippincott. Tobacco, corn, small grains, and hay are the principal crops treated, soybeans and other legumes being included in a long chapter on hay crops. FORAGE CROPS. Gilbert H. Ahlgren. 418 pages, indexed. McGraw- Hill Book Co., New York. 1949. $ 5. The name of Gilbert H. Ahlgren of Rutgers University is already familiar to Journal readers. As head of the Farm Crops Department at the New Jersey State College of Agriculture, where extensive experimentation as well as standard practice is always under way, he has a wide opportunity to become familiar with many aspects of the culture of farm crops. It is disappointing to find that he has not included the recent Rutgers experiments on the use of weed killers on the soil before the corn is planted in order to avoid the labor and expense of cultivating it during the season. Perhaps this will appear in a later volume. SOUTHERN FORESTRY. Charles N. Elliott & M. D. Mobley. 494 pages, illustrations, glossary, index. Turner E. Smith Co., Atlanta, Ga. 1949. $ 3. Industries, occupations, recreation, and wild life which are dependent upon the forests of the south are given broad consideration in this book. The purpose 127 has been to appeal to young people. The authors have both been instructors in summer camps where forestry was being taught. New Editions THE GARDENER'S TRAVEL BOOK. E. I. Farrington. 278 pages, illustrated. Oxford University Press, New York. Revised edition 1949. $ 4. Wherever one journeys there are gardens, parks and splendid trees to be seen, and with the help of " The Gardener's Travel Book" one need miss very little. The new edition is more compact than the one of 1938, yet more complete. There are still slight mistakes and omissions ( as there are almost bound to be in a book of this nature), such as the reference in both editions to the " Westchester Parkway," a non- existent entity. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in California has been unfortunately omitted this time but other places of horticultural interest have been added. Rockland County's Dutch garden at New City, N. Y., remains an undiscovered gem. But the wonder is, not that a few errors have persisted but that so much has been included to make the book a worthwhile companion for the traveler. APPLIED SILVICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES. R. H. Westveld. 590 pages, illustrated, indexed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. Second edition 1949. $ 6. When Stanley A. Cain reviewed the first edition in this Journal ten years ago he wrote that this book " will undoubtedly become a standard handbook for foresters. It will be almost as useful to ecologists and other students of forest vegetation." The new edition retains the form of the old — that of dividing the United States into forest types and treating the history, ecology, and management problems of each separately — and brings the reader up to date in forestry literature and practice. COMMON BRITISH GRASSES & LEGUMES. J. O. Thomas and L. J. Davies. 120 pages, illustrations, glossary, index. Longmans, Green, New York. Third edition 1949. $ 2.25. Designed for school and farm use in Great Britain, this book, now in its third edition since 1938, has value in the United ^ States, for about half of the plants illustrated and described are well known here. FUNDAMENTALS OF BACTERIOLOGY. Martin Frobisher. 936 pages, illustrated, indexed. W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia. Fourth edition 1949. $ 5.50. Only five years have passed since the third edition of this text, which was reviewed in this Journal in September 1945. New features include extensive material on microbiology, new information on viruses and on numerous common diseases, and the inclusion of the latest views on many topics. BACTERIOLOGY. William Burrows. 981 pages, illustrated, indexed. W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia. Fifteenth edition 1949. $ 9. The fifteenth edition in 41 years indicates a continuous bringing up to date of information in a field that is at present undergoing many changes both in point of view and in practice. Several parts have been rewritten and a number of electron micrographs have been added. HUNGER SIGNS IN CROPS. 390 pages, illustrated, indexed. National Fertilizer Assn., Washington, D. C. Second revised edition 1949. $ 4.50. The progress in the science of soil nutrition has necessitated a revised edition of " Hunger Signs in Crops," which was first issued in 1941. The abundance of illustrations in color, in addition to exceptionally clear halftones, makes this book of value to farmers as well as research workers in many fields concerned with plant growth. Fibers Under the Microscope TEXTILE FIBER ATLAS. Werner von Bergen & Walter Krauss. 50 pages, plus 27 plates; bibliography. Textile Book Publishers, Inc. New York. Revised edition, 1949. $ 4.50. This collection of excellent photomicrographs of the principal textile fibers of natural origins, and also man- made, is in its third printing, having had a broad distribution as a reference book in technical laboratories, among libraries, and as a school text book. In addition to the photomicrographs which depict the outer surface of fibers and their internal structure by means of cross and longitudinal sections, fiber types and their characteristics are discussed. Considerable data concerned with fineness measurement and variation in fibers of a given type are presented in tabular form. Factors affecting the identification of fibers, such as damage to 128 wool by physical and chemical treatments and by bacteria and insects, are discussed. Included is a bibliography of some 300 references. The 1949 edition has been brought up to date by including some of the newer fibers such as Orion and alginate rayon. JULIAN S. JACOBS, Editor, Textile Research Journal. Broad Study of Yeast THE YEAST CELL, ITS GENETICS AND CYTOLOGY. Carl C. Lindegren. Illustrations, tables, bibliography. Educational Publishers, Inc., St. Louis, Mo. 1949. $ 7. Yeast, an ever- fertile source of experimental material for students of nutrition, enzymes and metabolism, now, in the words of the author, ". . . has graduated . . from a promising organjsm for experimental breeding to a full- fledged membership in the Drosophila- maize- Neurospora hierarchy." To some this may seem to be an over- statement but to this reader it appears more like a careful judgment spiced with optimism. The book which Dr. Lindegren has written is a highly personal one; virtually all of the material presented is the result of first- hand observations in his own laboratory. Thus it is not an historical review nor a detailed survey of the literature but is rather like a series of laboratory note books. The coverage is wide, however, and anyone dealing with yeast or interested in genetics or cytology will profit by reading the book. Dr. Lindegren is undoubtedly the foremost authority on yeast genetics and cytology in this country and is responsible for much of the progress made in this field in recent years. LAWRENCE ATKIN, Fleischmann Laboratories. recent literature on potato culture, periodicals, a buyer's guide, and numerous tables dealing with potato production. AMERICAN TOMATO YEARBOOK. John W. Carncross, editor. 40 pages. American Tomato Yearbook, 289 Fourth Avenue, New York. 1949. $ 2. Graphs and tables illustrate the past year's situation in the growing and canning of tomatoes in the United States. Seed production is included, and lists of varieties grown in different parts of the country are provided. There is a list of references dating from 1940 and a buyer's guide. Food Production Text VEGETABLE CROPS. Homer C. Thompson. 611 pages, illustrated, indexed. McGraw- Hill, New York, 4th edition. 1949. $ 6. Mr. Thompson has made an extensive revision of his already successful book, integrating the latest research and experimental data, with the general subject matter remaining the same. The text may be somewhat technical as it was written primarily for college use. However, the layman who has an interest in the subject will find it quite practical in its presentation of vegetable gardening. The new material includes statistics on per capita consumption, new knowledge of nutritional value of vegetables, new information on plant nutrition, the placement of fertilizer, weed control, and the latest chemicals used as pesticides. Prepackaging and other new methods of handling vegetables for market are discussed in the chapter on marketing. This is an excellent edition, dealing with the production and handling of vegetable crops, and should still be considered the most accurate and scientific textbook available on the subject. JOSEPH M. LENT, University of Connecticut. Yearbooks on Vegetables AMERICAN POTATO YEARBOOK. John C. Campbell, editor. 84 pages. American Potato Yearbook, 289 Fourth Avenue, New York. 1949. $ 2. The Potato Association of America has provided a handbook containing short articles of interest to growers and also numerous reference lists, such as associations for the improvement of the potato industry, agencies for seed certification, Results of Frost BIBLIOGRAPHY ON FROST ACTION IN SOILS, ANNOTATED, 57 pages. Highway Research Board, 2101 Constitution Ave., Washington 25, D. C. 1948. 45f. Nearly 300 references are given in this annotated bibliography, which is the third in a series issued by the Highway Research Board. Several lines of comment are given on each reference. THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN Officers JOSEPH R. SWAN, Chairman CHARLES B. HARDING, President FREDERICK S. MOSELEY, JR., Vice- President ARTHUR M. ANDERSON, Treasurer HENRY DE LA MONTAGNE, Secretary Elective Managers SHERMAN BALDWIN MRS. ELON HUNTINGTON ROBERT H. MONTGOMERY WILLIAM FELTON BARRETT HOOKER HOWARD BAYNE EDWIN D E T. BECHTEL HENRY F. DU PONT REV. ROBERT I. GANNON, S. J. SIDNEY LANIER MRS. ALBERT D. LASKER CLARENCE MCK. LEWIS THOMAS S. LEWIS E. D. MERRILL Ex- Officio Managers FRANCIS E. POWELL, JR. MRS. HAROLD I. PRATT WILLIAM J. ROBBINS EDMUND W. SINNOTT CHAUNCEY STILLMAN OAKLEIGH L. THORNE WILLIAM O'DWYER, Mayor of the City of New York MAXIMILIAN MOSS, President of the Board of Education ROBERT MOSES, Park Commissioner Appointive Managers By the Torrey Botanical Club: RUTHERFORD PLATT. By Columbia University: MARSTON T. BOGERT, CHARLES W. BALLARD, SAM F. TRELEASE. THE STAFF WILLIAM J. ROBBINS, P H . D . , SC. D. HENRY DE LA MONTAGNE H, A. GLEASON, P H . D . P. P. PIRONE, P H . D . THOMAS H. EVERETT, N. D. HORT. H. W. RICKETT, P H . D. HAROLD N. MOLDENKE, P H . D. BASSETT MAGUIRE, P H . D . DONALD PHILIP ROGERS, P H . D . E. J. ALEXANDER, B. S. G. L. WITTROCK, A. M. F. W. KAVANAGH, P H . D . IGOR NICHOLAS ASHESHOV, M. D. ROBERT S. DE ROPP, P H . D . , D. I. C. MARJORIE ANCHEL, P H . D . ROSALIE WEIKERT MARY STEBBINS, M. A. RICHARD S. COWAN, M. S. JOHN J. WURDACK, B. S. ELIZABETH C. HALL, A. B., B. S. CAROL H. WOODWARD, A. B. FRANK C MACKEEVER, B. S. JOSEPH MONACHINO, B. S. OTTO DEGENER, M. S. ELMER N. MITCHELL BERNARD O. DODGE, P H . D . A. B. STOUT, P H . D . FRED J. SEAVER, P H . D . , SC. D. INEZ M. HARINC JOSEPH F. BURKE Director Assistant Director Head Curator Plant Pathologist Horticulturist Bibliographer Curator and Administrator of Herbarium Curator Curator Associate Curator Assistant Curator of Education Associate Curator of Laboratories Bacteriologist Assistant Curator Research Associate Technical Assistant Technical Assistant Technical Assistant Technical Assistant Librarian Editor of the Journal Custodian of the Herbarium Associate Custodian of the Herbarium Collaborator in Hawaiian Botany Photographer Plant Pathologist Emeritus Curator Emeritus Curator Emeritus Assistant Honorary Curator of Mosses Honorary Curator of the Diatomaceae ETHEL ANSON S. PECKHAM Honorary Curator, Iris and Narcissus Collections A. C. PFANDER Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds To reach the Botanical Garden, take the Independent Subway to Bedford Park Boulevard station, use the Bedford Park Boulevard exit and walk east. Or take the Third Avenue Elevated to the Botanical Garden or the 200th Street station, the New York Central to the Botanical Garden station, or the Webster Avenue bus No. 41 to Bedford Park Boulevard. PUBLICATIONS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN Books, Booklets, and Special Numbers of the Journal An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Addison Brown. Three volumes, giving descriptions and illustrations of 4,666 species. Second edition, reprinted. $ 15. Flora of the Prairies and Plains of Central North America, by P. A. Rydberg. 969 pages and 601 figures. 1932. $ 6. Plants of the Vicinity of New York, by H. A. Gleason. 284 pages, illustrated. A handbook especially compiled for the beginner. 1935. Second edition 1947. $ 2. The Bahama Flora, by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Charles Frederick Millspaugh. 695 pages. Descriptions of the spermatophytes, pteridophytes, bryophytes, and thallophytes of the Bahamas, with keys, notes on explorations and collections, bibliography, and index. 1920. $ 6.25. North American Cariceae, by Kenneth K. Mackenzie, containing 539 plates of Carex and related plants by Harry C. Creutzburg, with a description of each species. Indexed. 1940. Two volumes, 10^ 4 x 13J4 inches; bound $ 17.50. Foreign postage extra. Keys to the North American Species of Carex by K. K. Mackenzie. From Vol. 19, Part 1, of North American Flora. $ 1.25. Plants of the Holy Scriptures, by Eleanor King, with a check- list of plants that are mentioned in the Bible, each one accompanied by a quotation. Revised from the Journal of March 1941. 23 pages, illustrated. 1948. 25 cents. Food and Drug Plants of the North American Indian. Two illustrated articles by Marion A. & G. L. Wittrock in the Journal for March 1942. 15 cents. Vegetables and Fruits for the Home Garden. Four authoritative articles reprinted from the Journal, 21 pages, illustrated. Edited by Carol H. Woodward. 1941. 15 cents. The Flora of the Unicorn Tapestries by E. J. Alexander and Carol H. Woodward. 28 pages, illustrated with photographs and drawings; bound with paper. 1941. Second edition 1947; reprinted 1950. 25 cents. Catalog of Hardy Trees and Shrubs. A list of the woody plants being grown outdoors at the New York Botanical Garden in 1942, in 127 pages with notes, a map, and 20 illustrations. 75 cents. Succulent Plants of New and Old World Deserts by E. J. Alexander. 64 pages, indexed. 350 species treated, 100 illustrated. Bound in paper. 1942. Second edition 1944. 50 cents. Review of Juniperus chinensis, et al by P. J. van Melle. A study of the many varieties and forms of funiperus which have been commonly included in the concept of /. chinensis. 108 pages, illustrated, bound in paper. 1947. $ 2. Periodicals Journal of The New York Botanical Garden, monthly, containing news, book reviews, and non- technical articles on botany, exploration, and horticulture. $ 1.50 a year; single copies 15 cents. Free to members of the Garden. Now in its 51st volume. The Garden, a quarterly, designed to stimulate the laymen's interest in the world of plants and the science of plant life through articles written in popular vein. $ 2 a year in the United States; all other countries, $ 2.50. Published by the Garden's Manhattan office at 801 Madison Avenue, New York 21, N. Y. Now in its second volume. Addisonia, devoted exclusively to colored plates accompanied by popular descriptions of flowering plants; eight plates in each number, thirty- two in each volume. Now in its twenty- second volume. Published irregularly. Subscription price, $ 10 a volume. Not offered in exchange. Free to members of the Garden. Mycologia, bimonthly, illustrated in color and otherwise; devoted to fungi, including lichens, containing technical articles and news and notes of general interest. $ 7 a year; single copies $ 1.50 each. Now in its forty- second volume. Brittonia. A series of botanical papers published in co- operation with the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. Subscription price of volumes 1 through 5, $ 5 a volume ($ 4 to members of the Society). Now in its seventh volume. Price, $ 7.50 ($ 5 to members of the Society). North American Flora. Descriptions of the wild plants of North America, including Greenland, the West Indies, and Central America. 97 parts now issued. Not offered in exchange. Prices of the separate parts on request. Contributions from The Neiv York Botanical Garden. A series of technical papers reprinted from journals other than the above, 1899- 1933- 25 cents each, $ 5 a volume. List of separate titles on request. Memoirs of The New York Botanical Garden. A collection of scientific papers, 1900- 1927. Contents and prices on request.
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Contributor | New York Botanical Garden |
Date | 1950-05 |
Description-Table Of Contents | TRUFFLES; BERGEX SWAMP, WESTERN NEW YORK'S HAVEX FOR RARE PLANTS; AFOOT AND AFLOAT FOR BLISTER-RUST; GROWING HARDY PRIMULAS; DAVID D. KECK APPOINTED HEAD CURATOR. |
Format | application/pdf |
Format-Extent | 51 v. : ill. ; 25 cm. |
Identifier | 0885-4165 |
Language | eng |
Publisher | Bronx : New York Botanical Garden, 1900-1950 |
Relation-Is Part Of | Journal of the New York Botanical Garden : v. 1, no. 1-v. 51, no. 612 |
Relation-IsVersionOfURI | http://opac.nybg.org/record=b1104879 |
Rights | http://www.nybg.org/library/ |
Subject | Plants--Periodicals; Gardening--Periodicals; Plants, Cultivated--Periodicals; New York Botanical Garden--Periodicals. |
Title | Journal of the New York Botanical Garden |
Volume, Number | Vol. 51, no. 605 |
Type | text |
Transcript | JOURNAL OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN IN T H I S ISSUE: T R U F F L E S BERGEN SWAMP: RARE PLANT REFUGE AFOOT AND AFLOAT FOR BLISTER RUST PRIMULA CULTURE OUTDOORS NEWS OF THE GARDEN BOOK REVIEWS PAGES 101— 128 VOL. 51 No. 605 NTS $ 1.50 A YEAR MORELS IN MAY Wednesday Thursday, Friday, Saturday, , May 10 May 11 May 12 May 13 SPRING FESTIVAL at The New York Botanical Garden May 10 - 14, 1950 Pan- American Day, with exhibits of exotic flowers flown in from Pan- American countries. Garden Club Day, with special tours arranged around the grounds and buildings. Netherlands Day, with a program for school children in the morning and a tulip specimen show and program in the afternoon. Bronx Neighborhood Day, with square dancing on the lawn following the showing of " While the Earth Remaineth" in the afternoon. Sunday, May 14 Your Garden Day, with John Kieran and James J. Lyons among the speakers at an afternoon program with band music. FREE SATURDAY PROGRAMS 3 p. m. in the Lecture Hall May 6 Fenlands, The Grassy Shires, and Gardens of England Three motion pictures May 13 While the Earth Remaineth— A motion picture with symphonic background Frank E. Gunneil May 20 Plants for the Terrace Joy Logee Danielson, Conn. MORELS IN MAY ( The cover picture) Believed by many to be the tastiest of all mushrooms growing wild, the morel ( Morchella esculenta) is the first edible fungus sought in spring by mycophagists. In conifer woods in the vicinity of New York, it can often be found in abundance during May. TABLE OF CONTENTS MAY 1950 TRUFFLES Donald P. Rogers 101 BERGEN SWAMP, WESTERN NEW YORK'S HAVEN FOR RARE PLANTS W. C. Muenscher 103 AFOOT AND AFLOAT FOR BLISTER- RUST Walter H. Snell 111 GROWING HARDY PRIMULAS Edward O. Birch 115 DAVID D. KECK APPOINTED HEAD CURATOR 118 NOTES, NEWS, AND COMMENT 119 NOTICES AND REVIEWS OF RECENT BOOKS 121 The Journal is published monthly by The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx Park, New York 58, N. Y. Printed in U. S. A. Entered as Second Class Matter, January 28, 1936, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of August 24, 1912. Annual subscription $ 1.50. Single copies 15 cents. JOURNAL of THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN CAROL H. WOODWARD, Editor VOL. 51 MAY 1950 No. 605 Truffles Subterranean Treasures for the Epicure and Botanist By Donald P Rogers FOR some two thousand years in the civilization of western Europe, whenever cooking has reached the dignity of an art, the truffle has been without a peer among resources for the epicure. It is no new thing that truffles have been granted popular acceptance as the special symbol of the gourmet, for so it was in Rome in classical times, and so again has it been ever since the French and Italian renaissance. Only during those ages when neither learning nor manners nor gastronomy has been held in wide esteem have truffles been ignored by men and left to those humbler animals who always know good food when they smell it. An object less luscious in appearance would be hard to imagine. Truffles grow completely buried in the soil. They are usually irregular in shape and lumpy or warted on the surface; and whether pinkish or ochre- colored, as are many of the less highly flavored species, or brown to black, as are the kinds more greatly esteemed, they wholly resemble small stones. The resemblance is, in fact, so complete that one digging truffles in stony soil has to discard many likely looking pebbles for every truffle that he finds. Although men with sufficient persistence and luck in finding a favorable area may collect truffles unaided, the most successful means of uncovering them is provided by animals, pigs or more commonly dogs, whose keener sense of smell enables them to locate the buried treasure without the aimless digging and the endless unfruitful excavations of a man with a trowel. The animals are specially trained for the purpose, and people who gather truffles for the market rely on them wholly. From the days of Theophrastus, the great Greek botanist, and Pliny, the Roman naturalist, down to modern times the nature of truffles has been a subject of conjecture and fantastic invention. Theophrastus recognized them as vegetables; but his successors for many centuries rejected his judgment. For most of two thousand years truffles were held to be special 101 1U1 102 formations of— not merely in— the soil, perhaps more like concretions than anything else; they were believed to be brought into existence in one way or another by the action of warmth, rain, and thunder. Occasional naturalists considered them to be tumorous outgrowths of the roots of trees. The first real knowledge of the nature of truffles resulted early in the eighteenth century from the studies of the greatest of Italian botanists, Micheli, who recognized that they were fungi and gave them their proper place in scientific classification. From his work and that of his successors it is known that truffles are mushrooms— that is, the fruits of fungi— closely related to the well known and greatly esteemed sponge mushroom or morel; that they live in association with the roots of various trees, from which they derive their food and to which they apparently yield up materials used by the tree in its growth; and that the spores, which in all fungi serve the same function as seeds, are scattered by insects or small animals that are attracted by the odor of the truffles and use them as food. Truffles are commonly thought of as a product of Mediterranean lands, chiefly France and Italy; and it is true that they are nowhere else systematically gathered for the table. They occur, however, throughout the north temperate zone; and more than sixty kinds grow in North America. Most of these are known chiefly or only from the west coast states— Oregon, Washington, and northern California— in part because truffles seem to be more abundant there, and in part because the native ground-squirrels provide by their food- hunting excavations a hint of places where truffles may be growing. Of the few truffles found in the eastern states, most have been unearthed by botanists who were digging for something else. So great has been their rarity in the east that those truffles that have been collected have been preserved as objects of scientific study and have found their way into botanical museums. All of their qualities are better known than their taste, since it would be sacrilegious for a botanist to eat his specimens. There are, nevertheless, some American species, dark and aromatic, which deserve all of the praises that have been spent on their Mediterranean kin. And at least one of these, Tuber dryophilum, has been found most abundantly in the east. It would be expected, judging from European experience, that such a species could be collected successfully by the use of trained dogs; and so it has proved. For two brief periods a New Yorker, Mr. Lorenzo Robba, has had the benefit of the superior nose and European education of an imported truffle- dog, and both times their collaboration has produced fair numbers of excellent truffles. Other hunters, lacking a dog's assistance, have succeeded in getting mostly pebbles. Both gastronomes and botanists would be aided in their respective pursuits by the activities of this specialized sort of field- dog. * # * * Next month Dr. Rogers will tell about the training of truffle hounds. 103 ' Bergen Swamp, Western New York's Haven for Rare ( Plants By W. C. Muenscher All photographs by the author BERGEN Swamp J is a relatively primitive area in the midst of a highly developed agricultural region. Located in Genesee County, a little more than 20 miles from Rochester, it is within a few hours ride by motor or rail from the principal centers of population, industry, and higher education in western New York State. The strategic, as well as vulnerable, position of this unique remnant of natural history associations has been recognized for some time, and in 1936 a small group of interested individuals in and about Rochester formed an organization * to attempt to save the swamp from destruction. Naturalists have roamed over Bergen Swamp for at least a century. Some of the rarest plants in New York State have been known from there since its early exploration; others have been discovered there in more recent years. For some plants Bergen Swamp is the only known habitat in New York State. The part of Bergen Swamp that is best known to naturalists consists of an open marl bog area surrounded by a belt of forest and swampy thickets. While the marl bog is an extensive and interesting feature of the swamp it represents not a static but a dynamic area, the uniqueness and persistence of which are highly dependent upon the surrounding physiographic features and the types of plants that these support. A distinctive element in the vegetation encircling the open marl bog is the dense white- cedar or arbor- vitae thicket. The durable wood of the trunks of these trees is so highly prized for posts that, unless their ex- 1 The G in Bergen is pronounced with a J sound. 2 Incorporated under and chartered by the Board of Regents of New York State, the aim of the Bergen Swamp Preservation Society, Inc. is " to preserve inviolate for all time in their natural state the lands known as Bergen Swamp; to conserve the flora and fauna of the lands owned by or under the control of the Society; to offer to schools and colleges and other properly accredited students or groups of persons access to the swamps and forests of the Society for the purpose of observation and study; to publish from time to time scientific and cultural information covering the biology and wild life of the areas controlled by the Society." At this time, February 1950, the Society has an active membership of about 110, has obtained title to about 360 acres of swamp land and has aims of acquiring about 1,200 to 1,500 additional acres. Anyone interested in the conservation of Bergen Swamp may write to Dr. Babette I. Brown, Corresponding Secretary of the Society, Prince Street Campus, University of Rochester, Rochester 7, New York, requesting the leaflet entitled " Bergen Swamp — Some Questions and Answers." 104 The Varied Moods of Bergen Swamp WITH crows cawing ominously in the distance and turkey buzzards circling overhead, the densely wooded acres of Bergen Swamp that are visible from the south present an eerie aspect. But once the swamp itself is gained and you stumble through a wall of burgeoning gray dogwood into a slough encircled by new green and russet fronds of cinnamon fern, the evil spell is broken. One enchanting sight after another lures you to proceed, through myriad white trilliums and carpets of wild ginger, to dim, moss-covered deer trails bordered with violets, columbine and foam- flower. Look closer at the oozing path to see the mosaic of a dozen different leaves of springtime green. Look up to catch the brilliant flash of a scarlet tanager. Look ahead, and pinkster flower holds the eye, then, caught in patches of sunlight filtering down through the hemlocks, a magenta mass of fringed polygala. Walk off the path to the left in the direction of an oven- bird's call, and a cluster of large downy yellow lady- slippers, just beginning to open, will unexpectedly burst into view. Try to retrace your steps, get lost, and find your reward in a glimpse of pink lady- slippers in an open spot. To climax all, swing back among the cedars and suddenly before you, in another clearing, dozens of the tiniest of lady- slippers stand against the blue-berried boughs of creeping juniper. Their small white waxy pouches glistening in the sun provide a rarer, yes, and fairer, sight than Wordsworth's daffodils. Less than five square miles in extent, Bergen Swamp seems but a drop in the bucket compared to the 49,000 square miles of New York State, yet this region offers more of beauty, interest, and diversity than many a natural area of greater size. It is of such infinite variety that no matter what the man or his mood, he can find something among its treasures to which he responds. Let him come weary with mental exertion to Bergen Swamp in spring, when the paths are running rivulets, traverse its breadth in apparent search of something never seen before, and he'll be granted sound sleep that night from the sheer physical exertion put forth to meet his goal. Later, in the hot summer, cool shade and colorful fungi await one's advent to the deep woods of the swamp. For complete solitude, you may wander into a " marl room" carpeted with creeping juniper and walled by dense white cedars. If you would explore, but with a minimum of physical effort, the fund of cryptogamic plants on almost any fallen tree will hold you wrapt for hours. Be the world cold and lonely in November, you will find warmth and friendliness among the hemlocks of the swamp with their companionable chickadees. Professor Walter C. Muenscher of Cornell, who probably knows more about this cherished swamp than any other person, and who for more than thirty years has found it a fascinating place to visit during every month and in all kinds of weather, in the following pages reports some of its highlights. BABETTE I. BROWN. 105 CEDAR POSTS FROM BERGEN SWAMP The exploitation of arbor- vitae ( locally called cedar) is the greatest single danger to the preservation of this important natural area of western New York State. ploitation can be halted, the most characteristic regions of the swamp are in serious danger of destruction. In order to give you a little idea of what can be seen in Bergen Swamp I will take you on an imaginary trip entering from the south side and following a very zig- zag route, really not a path at all, and leaving it by the north side. Bergen Swamp is readily accessible from the slightly higher ground on the south, where a car can be driven to within 100 yards of its margin. Through an old abandoned woods trail the rim of hardwood forest of birch, maple and elm is easily crossed to the edge of the arbor- vitae belt which varies from scattered trees, shading a cool moss- carpeted floor, to a dense, almost impenetrable thicket of small trees of various sizes depending upon how much time has elapsed since the area has been disturbed by wood cutters. After the arbor- vitae belt has been crossed by walking, crawling, or wading, we approach the most interesting part of the swamp, the open marl bog areas. Frequently covered with several inches of water, these open marl areas are dominated by several kinds of sedges, bulrushes, and twig- rush, among which the fragrant arrow- grasses, the false asphodel, the club- rush and spike- rush3 and also Zygadenus chloranthus, are common. 3 Botanical names of all plants mentioned are listed at the end of the article. 106 In the shrubby border of the marl and on the higher, better drained, secondary marl, mats of creeping juniper form a background in May for the small white lady's slipper, which is represented here better than anywhere else in New York State. On still higher areas, in late summer, the tall, flat- topped Ohio goldenrod is abundant and Houghton's goldenrod, smallest of them all, is found in the best stand known in New York State. Dwarfed tamaracks, 100 years old but only a few feet high, present a pleasing landscape with clumps of low- growing autumn willow and shrubby cinquefoil. On the moist moss- covered turf in the shade of arbor- vitae, large masses of blue and white violets abound, the dwarf dewberry and star-flower are everywhere, and the miterwort thrives along moist stream borders. In open glades, where the sun penetrates among the arbor- vitae trees, several shrubs including swamp honeysuckle, bayberry, and swamp buckthorn, form a border around little copses, protecting clusters of yellow lady's slippers. A little later the showy lady's slipper rears its regal blossoms in boggy glades protected by shade part of each day. A wild valerian closely resembling garden heliotrope forms a showy border with grass- of- Parnassus along the edges of pools in partial shade. Scattered among the open marl areas occur many hummocks, often only a few yards in diameter, areas raised about a foot or two above the surrounding marl, and covered with a dense mat of sphagnum mosses. These moss beds form the bases for beautiful arrangements and designs of color, form and texture. Several shrubby creepers contributing to these little natural plantings include the small cranberry, twin- flower, the creeping snowberry, bunchberry, and wintergreen. There are also the higher bushes, Labrador tea, huckleberry, and several blueberries. Among the evergreen creepers, sometimes not without considerable competition, the shy little sundew thrives in abundance and the pitcher plant adds color by its reddish and persistent spreading leaves. Scattered individuals of orchids contribute their color in season. The showy white clusters of cotton grass and the flowers of the false asphodel, followed by their reddish capsules, and the dwarf species of false Solomon's seal always add interest. After this introduction to the middle of the swamp, we shall leave it by the north side, but first we cross some forested knolls on which white pine and hemlock are the dominant trees interspersed with hardwoods. Here the hobble- bush and azalea appear to be making a last stand among other shrubs such as mountain maple and fly honeysuckle. Of the herbaceous species, the painted trillium occurs among a profuse growth of Indian cucumber- root, clintonia, goldthread, and others. In one rather moist area of about one acre thrive scattered clumps of the one- flowered 107 A SMALL AREA IN THE OPEN MARL BOG In this December view the surrounding forest is seen to consist of white pine, tamarack, and arbor- vitae. pyrola. Nearby the forest floor is carpeted with the pink of fringed polygala, with occasional white- flowered forms. As we approach Black Creek near the north edge of the swamp, the alluvial soil, subject to inundations, supports a quite different type of vegetation. The silt deposited near the bank of the meandering stream has built a natural levee. The trees here consist mainly of silver maple and red ash with scattered individuals of shagbark hickory, bur oak, and sycamore. Near the water's edge abounds the sandbar willow. Thickets of wahoo and prickly- ash are found among the scattered trees farther back. Under the shade of the trees the aroid called green dragon, and extensive stands of ostrich fern, are among the largest herbs in an almost continuous cover of vegetation. As the alluvial bank gradually slopes away from the stream towards the swamp, large areas of sloughs support a sedge swamp of Carex riparia interspersed with beds of giant bur- reeds and sweet- flag. Among the margins of the sloughs the buttonbush makes dense masses to the apparent exclusion of everything else. In several depressions, areas appearing like open ponds in the spring and early summer, can be found five members of the duckweed family 108 and many kinds of algae. Later in the summer these same areas, after the water has receded, are filled with many emersed aquatics and marsh plants. Black Creek itself appears uninteresting in early spring but by early summer the lake cress and several pondweeds begin to appear at the water surface. What earlier appeared to be barren mud flats become covered with dense strips of the lizard's tail, with their continuity interrupted here and there by colonies of cardinal flower, arrowhead or duck-potato, and narrow irregular bands covered with water cress marking the course of small lateral rivulets draining the shallow ponds into Black Creek. For a single trip we have had enough tramping even if we have seen only a small part of Bergen Swamp. If we can find a fallen tree to use as a bridge to cross over Black Creek we shall soon be out of the swamp. From this imaginary field excursion I do not wish to leave the impression that we have seen nearly all there is to be seen in Bergen Swamp. We have mentioned only a few of the more striking and unusual flowering herbs, shrubs and trees. Although I have taken many trips during the last 33 years, sometimes in every month during a year, I still find some new plants each time I go there. To introduce you to the algae, fungi, liverworts and mosses would require additional excursions, in different seasons or to different habitats. In our hurried trip time did not permit a search for the coal skink, Muhlenberg's turtle, the massasauga rattler, and other interesting denizens of the swamp. An inventory of the animals in many of the groups, even in an approximate form, is still waiting further field activities by the zoologists, ornithologists and entomologists. The plant world of Bergen Swamp consists of species representing the following groups : Spermatophytes, 820. including 10 conifers and 810 flowering plants; Pteridophytes, 37, including ferns, club mosses, and horsetails; Bryophytcs, 165, including 41 liverworts and 124 mosses; Thallophytes, 1302, including 345 algae, 240 diatoms, 600 fungi, 67 slime molds and 50 lichens. This makes a total of 2,324 known species from an area of less than five square miles and represents approximately 7/ 10 of one per cent of all species of plants known from the whole world. 4 No matter what you find, see, or remember when you revisit Bergen Swamp in fact or fancy may it always recall to you : 4 Anyone interested in the kinds of plants that have been found in Bergen Swamp is referred to The Yajclation of Bergen Szvamp— Parts I to VII, in Volume 9, Proceedings, Rochester Academy of Science, 1946- 1950. The groups of plants covered in sequence are the vascular plants, epiphytes, myxomycetes, algae, diatoms, fungi, liverworts and mosses. 109 A place where one may still see Nature at work and learn some of her lessons and secrets. A small wilderness of quiet recesses, copses and canopies where one may sojourn in undisturbed solitude for inspiration and stimulus for the future. A heritage from the past with the possibility of linking the present with the future until both shall have become a part of the dim past. FLOWERING PLANTS OF BERGEN SWAMP A partial list ARBOR VITAE ( locally called cedar or white cedar) ARROW- GRASS ARROWHEAD ( d u c k - p o t a t o) ASH, RED AZALEA ( pinkster flower) BAYBERRY BIRCH BLUEBERRY BUCKTHORN, SWAMP BULRUSH BUNCHBERRY BUTTONBUSH CARDINAL FLOWER CINQUEFOIL, SHRUBBY CLINTONIA CLUB- RUSH COTTON GRASS CRANRERRY CREEPING SNOWBERRY Thuja accidentalis Triglochin maritima and T. pahtstris Sagittaria latifolia Fraxinus pennsylvanica Rhododendron nudiflorum Myrica pennsylvanica Be tula lutea Vaccinium corymbosum Rhamnus alnifolia J uncus Cornus canadensis Cephalanthus occidentalis Lobelia cardinalis Potentilla fruticosa Clintonia borealis Scirpus caespitosus Eriophorum viride- carinahim Vactinium oxycoccus Chiogenes hispidula LADY- SLIPPER RESIDENTS OF BERGEN SWAMP It is seldom that these four species of Cypripedium are all found growing in the same small area. Left to right are shown the small white lady- slipper ( C candidum), the large yellow ( C. pubescens), the stemless ( C. acaule), and the showy lady- slipper ( C. regime). 110 LIZARD'S TAIL ALONG BLACK CREEK Only beside occasional streams and in marshes is this little- known plant found in the eastern half of the United States. It is common in the northern border of Bergen Swamp. DUCKWEED DEWBERRY, DWARF ELM FALSE ASPHODEL FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL GIANT BUR- REED GOLDENROD, HOUGHTON'S GOLDENROD, OHIO GOLDTHREAD GRASS- OF- PARNASSUS GREEN DRAGON HEMLOCK HICKORY, SHAGBARK HOBBLE- BUSH HONEYSUCKLE, FLY OR SWAMP HUCKLEBERRY INDIAN CUCUMBER- ROOT JUNIPER, CREEPING LABRADOR TEA LADY'S SLIPPER, SHOWY LADY'S SLIPPER, STEMLESS Lcmna and Spirodela species Rubits pubescens Ulmus americana Tofieidia glutinosa Smilacina trifolia Sparganium eurycarpum Solidago Houghtonii Solidago ohioense Coptis trifolia Parnassia caroliniana Arisaema dracontium Tsuga canadensis Carya ovata Viburnum alnifofium Lonicera oblongifolia Gaylussacia baccata Medeoia virginica Juniperus horizontalis Ledum groenlandicum Cypripedium reginae Cypripedium acaule I ll LADY S SLIPPER, WHITE LADY'S SLIPPER, YELLOW LAKE CRESS LIZARD'S TAIL MAPLE MAPLE, MOUNTAIN MAPLE, SILVER MITERWORT OAK, BUR ORCHIDS ( See also LADY'S SLIPPER) POLYGALA, FRINGED PINE, WHITE PITCHER PLANT PONDWEED PRICKLY- ASH PYROLA SEDGE SEDGE SPIKE- RUSH STARFLOWER SUNDEW SWEET- FLAG SYCAMORE TAMARACK TRILLIUM, PAINTED TWIG- RUSH TWIN- FLOWER VALERIAN, WILD VIOLETS WAHOO WATER CRESS WILLOW, AUTUMN WILLOW, SANDBAR WINTERGREEN ZYGADENUS Cypripedium candiditm Cypripedium pubescens Armoracia aquatica Saururus cernua Acer saccharum Acer s pica turn Acer saccharinum Mitella nuda Quercus macrocarpa Arethusa bulbosa Pogonia ophioglossoides Calopogon pulchellus Polygala paucifolia Pinus Strobus Sarracenia purpurea Potamogeton amplifolius and P Berchtoldii Zanthoxylum americanum Moneses uniflora Carex species Carex riparia var. lacustris Eleocharis rostellata Trientalis borealis Drosera roiundifolia Acorus Calamus Platanus occidentalis Larix laricina Trillium undulatum Cladium mariscoides Linnaea borealis Valeriana uliginosa Viola species Evonymus atropurpureus Nasturtium officinale Salix serissima Salix interior Gaultheria procumbens Zygadenus chloranthus * JM= C » zAfoot and oAfloat for ' Blister- Rust By Walter H. Snell THE seriousness and danger of the blister- rust of white pine began to be appreciated just about the time that I was starting out my scientific career in the mid ' twenties and I happened to be available for assistance in the early investigations. I continued my contact with and study of this important disease for parts of the following twenty- five years, either with the Office of Forest Pathology of the United States Department of Agriculture, from Maine to Minnesota, or with the Conservation Department of the State of New York. 112 BOTANICAL problems are sometimes attacked amid the test- tubes and petri- dishes of a laboratory, sometimes among piles of herbarium sheets or boxes containing dried specimens of fungi. Some are approached in a library, but some require vast open spaces for their solution. How one botanist began a quarter- century of work on white pine blister- rust is told here. The author, a plant pathologist and mycologist, is Professor of Botany at Brown University, Providence, R. I. In a subsequent article he will describe some further significant aspects of his work, which has had the dual purpose of advancing botanical research and helping to save the native white pine from destruction by a vicious fungus— C. H. W. One of the interesting investigations with which I was connected was the distance of spread of this disease— the distances to which spores of the fungus could be carried, the distances at which the various spores were dangerous as a source of infection. The following points will be recalled concerning the blister- rust fungus. It is an obligate parasite. That is, it can grow only when obtaining its sustenance from some other living matter. It is heteroecious in that it has two dwelling- places in its life cycle. That is, it alternates between white or five- needled pines and wild and cultivated currants and gooseberries ( all currants and gooseberries hereinafter referred to by their common generic name of Ribes, pronounced with two syllables and with both vowels long). Also, the fungus has five spore-stages, two on the pines, one of which infects the ribes, and three on the ribes, the last of which reinfects white pines. One of the two types of reproductive body formed on the pines is called an aeciospore. Since aeciospores can infect only ribes and certain of the spores formed on the ribes can infect only the pines again, a convenient method for control of the disease is obvious: eradicate all ribes up to a proper distance from pines and keep them away. When control work first was undertaken, not only was it necessary to know the proper distance for elimination of ribes, for purposes of local control, but it was also desirable to find out how far the various types of spores were carried. In those early days it was believed that the three types of disseminable spores of the rust- fungus— aeciospores from pine to ribes in the spring, urediospores from ribes to ribes during the summer and sporidia from ribes to pine in the fall— were each capable of being carried ( by the wind, for the most part) to a distance of a few hundred feet to infect the proper host. I had begun to wonder why the distance was said to be so short, especially when out in Wisconsin I heard about the occasional great dust-storms and also heard for the first time the intimate details of how twisters carried tin roofs from county to county or picked up a heavy iron bar and drove it into a tree across the street. Now, of course, the violent phenomena are one thing and the mild winds something quite different; but, on the 113 other hand, when one kicked or struck a heavily infected or blistered tree and saw a conspicuous cloud of spores arise and hover or drift away, it was natural to wonder why such dust- like material would be carried only a few hundred feet. Accordingly, I was allowed to attack this problem of distances of dissemination of the spores in my summer work with the Office of Forest Pathology. I began with the aeciospores from the pine. To myself, at least, I made the guess that they could infect ribes after a single hop of at least 25 miles, but I began small in the hope of obtaining any distance over a thousand feet. While others were trapping spores with various ingenious devices over flat country and on mountain tops, I made the attack on the problem by observation of natural infections under the proper conditions. If I could find an infected ribes bush at the time of the first '' jump" of the aeciospores from the pine in the spring, with no infected pines or no pines whatsoever within a certain radius, I could conclude with certainty that the wind had carried the spore or spores that distance in a viable condition. I say " with certainty," although it has been objected to me that birds, insects, cows and humans cannot be ruled out with certainty. I therefore set out to find what I got to calling " centers"— ribes bushes with first- generation spring infections— in areas where pines were conspicuous by their absence. I would then be compelled to examine carefully the largest circular area possible around this center up to the nearest pine or pines, perhaps going over an interloping or straggling pine within the circle to determine that there was not a single possible blister- rust canker within that radius. Now, there arose unforeseen difficulties. The first one of these was to find pine- free areas that appeared to be likely prospects for my centers. As one goes over a piece of northeastern countryside casually, there appear to be many wide- open spaces where there is not a pine in sight, but upon close investigation there are pines aplenty. The second difficulty was to make sure that, when pines did occur, there was not a canker within the circle of the determined radius. This meant not only great care but it meant a lot of trudging over all sorts of ground and through all sorts of vegetation. It meant being a pedestrian for certain. With a radius of 1/ 4 mile, only 1/ 5 square mile had to be covered and there was only 2 miles of pacing in the four directions. With a radius of 1/ 2 mile, there was only 3/ 4 square mile to be covered back and forth and only 4 miles of pacing. With a radius of 3/ 4 mile, however, 1 3/ 4 square miles had to be covered with at least 6 miles of pacing; with a mile radius, the area was over 3 square miles and the pacing at least 8 miles; and with a radius of 1 1/ 2 miles, the area was 7 square miles and the pacing alone 12 miles. I started out in Maine, which, in spite of its proud title of The Pine- Tree 114 State, is obviously not blanketed with pines and was not 25 years ago. I found centers at various places but I could find no place in which, as I started out from the infected ribes bush, I did not run into pines galore within a few hundred feet. I next tried the Adirondacks and found a few places where I could get pine- free distances of 1/ 4 to 1/ 2 mile. Finally, a native of the village where I was staying told me that he knew of an area where there were no pines for miles and he took me, like Moses, up to a hill overlooking some country in the Essex- Whallonsburg section west of Lake Champlain. There before me lay quite an expanse of fields and pastures in a dairy country, without a pine in view. I found some infected ribes in the right location and after a lot of pacing I got a circle of about 3/ 4 mile radius, with the outlying pines much closer than they appeared from a casual inspection of the terrain. Then began the tramping over the circle, back and forth and up and down, covering fencerows, swales, swamps, small patches of woods, etc. I found a few small pines in the circle, which seemed to pop up from nowhere when I had my eyes to the ground and not just looking around in general. These were uninfected. And when all was done and I was going away, I found one more pine about 6 inches in diameter, right by the side of a road that I had traversed several times. This had to be examined twig by twig and fortunately for my results was found to be likewise disease- free. With this distance of 3/ 4 mile established, I set out for Wisconsin and Minnesota and there after some criss- crossing of the country east of the St. Croix River, I found a likely region. I finally found some infected ribes in a favorable location that had a circle with a radius of 1 1/ 4 miles. It took me quite a while to examine the 4 square miles or so ( a little of it water) but everything was rosy until the very end, when I found an 18- inch- diameter pine in a spot that would materially reduce my 1 1/ 4 miles. I had to obtain permission from the owner of the property to cut this tree down and then I had a laborious task inspecting every single inch of living twig, branch and trunk. Fortunately again, the tree was canker- free. This Rush Lake center was very valuable for me. I not only bad a distance of dissemination of aeciospores from pine to ribes of over a mile but the general situation set me thinking. Not being a pedestrian by heredity, natural capacity, training or predilection, why should I not use my head and the seat of my trousers instead of my heels and try to find a satisfactory aqueous area in place of a piece of terra firma which demanded the expenditure of such a quantity of perspiration, calories and shoe- leather? Besides, having spent a great deal of my youth on Cape Cod and the Maine coast, I was something of a sea- faring man in a modest way. Therefore, I set sail ( if the reader will pardon the metaphor and forget the intervening 1,000- odd miles of dry land) for the New England waters, fresh or salt. I thought of Lake Winnipesaukee first— in white- pine country, of 115 good size and with islands ( and, need I add, in vacation country?). I spent part of a good summer going over the lake in a motor boat, looking for islands that might have infected ribes a sufficient distance from any pine on the mainland or on other islands. The best I could do for distance, however, was about a half a mile. My next inspiration was the Isles of Shoals off Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kittery Point, Maine— surely with as pine- free a stretch in between as one could ask for. My one worry was concerning the presence of any ribes bushes at all on those almost bare, wind- swept, fog- soaked rocks and my ability to find what must be rather measly bushes if there were any. I learned later that someone else had had the same thought before me and had found some bushes, but I did not know of this at the time. I traipsed over several of the islands, especially the larger ones first, and had no luck; I found a few scrubby poplars in the hollows, as tall as the hollows were deep, but nothing else shrubby or woody, as I recall. I tried the northernmost and most inaccessible island, Duck Island, last, with no feelings of confidence. Here, however, carefully avoiding nests and young of herring gulls at every step, I found two rather windbeaten bushes and I was certainly as excited as I am ever likely to become as I turned over leaf after leaf, looking for blister- rust infection- spots. I finally found a few— enough. I was assured that no human being had visited Duck Island since the last duck- hunting season, and the possibility of birds carrying the spores appeared to be very remote. Here then was something of the sort I had been looking for— miles of spread by the aeciospores instead of hundreds of feet. The Isles are 5 1/ 2 miles from the nearest mainland and about 7 miles from the location of the old, severe, blister-rust infestation at Kittery Point. This figure soon became a puny one because in the far West, infected ribes were found 125 miles from the nearest known white pine, but at the time it was the triumph of an idea and a soul- satisfying conclusion to a lot of work that was not overly encouraging on many an occasion. Qrowing Hardy ( Primulas Experiences of a New Jersey Amateur By Edward O. Birch OVER and over again, we hear and read that it is easy to grow primulas on the Pacific Coast, but difficult to grow them here in the East. Thus many gardeners, discouraged from the start, never attempt to ascertain what the really hardy primroses will do for them. What follows 116 is written with the hope that it may help to interest those who have not as yet tried primulas, or who have tried and failed. I have seen vigorous plants growing on their own in abandoned gardens of old homes and vacant estates, large clumps sometimes taking possession of open ground around them. Therefore, I think that, despite what is heard and read, we should put out of our minds the idea that primulas are difficult to grow in the East, and at least have the satisfaction of finding out for ourselves. Here is my experience in Short Hills, N. J., with various forms and varieties of P acaulis and P. polyanthus. but outside of that they were identical with the others at all times of the year. The ruggedness of this yellow hose- in-hose stirred my interest in primroses. 1 began raising other varieties, including P. polyanthus, from seed, and had equal success. Now my plants are in all possible locations; naturally in the partial shade of shrubs or filtered shade of trees the foliage holds up better during summer months. The First Plant Some 3- ears ago I was given a single plant; a yellow hose- in- hose, or duplex type. In two years this developed into a nice clump. The soil in which it grew was a good friable loam to which peatmoss and manure had been added a year or so before. Under pressure of hand the soil felt spongy; it would absorb and hold water well; drainage was good and the soil never soggy; it would not bake hard when dried by the sun. Under foot it felt similar to soil you would find at the edge of a woodland or in good turf. That is, the sci! was solid but not hard; rain would not wash it away, but instead would be absorbed. Anyone can have such a soil with the aid of peatmoss or leaf- mold, if available. It is soil of a texture in which azaleas, mountain laurel, and rhododendrons grow best. One need not worry about chemical analysis, or pH, but only about texture. Then when the plants are established all that will be necessary is an annual, early spring sprinkling of dry manure or perhaps cottonseed meal. Hundreds of Plants From One The clump previously referred to was, at the end of its bloom, separated into eight or ten divisions, and the top half of the foliage was cut off before replanting. Dividing at this time enabled young plants to become established before winter set in. By continual division of the older clumps, I have had hundreds of plants from this one original yellow hose-in- hose. I used them to edge three borders, facing south, east and west, the one facing south being in full sun all day. In August, when the plants all withered somewhat before starting fall growth, those facing south withered more than those facing east and west, Winter and Summer Care While writing this in November the foliage is full. I will soon cover the ground between plants with about one-half inch of peatmoss, which will be allowed to remain in spring. Young plants going through their first winter will, in addition to peatmoss, receive a light covering of salt hay, about three inches, not packed, but loose enough so that a bit of green shows through here and there. This will keep young roots from heaving with the thaws. Hay is removed early in spring. Peat, when allowed to remain, will act as a mulch in spring, assist in keeping down weeds, help conserve moisture, and in addition be a top dressing as an aid to new crown growth. It will also make artificial watering safer as mulch will prevent the soil from being washed away from roots. During the hot weather of June, July and August, the soil must not be allowed to dry out. If rains do not occur at this time of year, soil of the texture described should be watered about once a week. At least, that is my experience, but in other sections conditions will vary and one's own judgment will have to be used. Seed Sown in Soil When propagating from seed, I sow in soil, and think it the best medium for a 117 Primulas used as an edging for a border of Azalea Schlippenbachii, home gardener or amateur growing for his own requirements. Sphagnum moss, vermiculite, etc., are all right for professionals who are prepared to fertilize properly at all stages, but if the seed's natural medium ( soil) is used it will carry seedlings to the time of transplanting without fertilization, which is always a danger to young plants. Seed is sown in flats, or preferably wide, shallow pots. If the depth from the bottom of the container to the top of the soil is about three and one- half inches, I use one- half inch of drainage material. Equal parts of peatmoss and coarse sand or gravel will drain the soil and also hold moisture. For the soil itself I use equal parts of good loam, leafmold, and sand, thoroughly mixed and screened. If leafmold is not obtainable, pulverized peatmoss can be substituted. I tamp it down gently, without letting it pack, then water it thoroughly by setting the container in water that comes to within an inch of top, leaving it there until moisture shows at the top of the soil. Then I scatter seed thinly on the surface so that seedlings will have circulation of air when they show up, and barely cover the seed with sand or fine dustlike soil. The pane of glass with which I cover the container is removed as soon as the seedlings show. As they shoot up, I carefully sift a light covering of sand or soft, fine soil between them, being careful not to cover leaves. This is important; the seed was sown on top of the soil and this light covering will give added support until the roots really get down. Handling the Seedlings I generally transplant after the second leaves appear in order to get more plants, and place them about an inch apart in similar soil and containers where they remain until placed in a nursery bed in open ground. If one does not have facilities for additional flats or pots, the seedlings can merely be thinned to about one inch apart. Transplanting is easy. I formerly used a knife or match stick to prick out seedlings, but finally made a gadget which works to perfection; roots are not damaged and soil does not stick to it. I take an old tooth brush; cut off the brush end and grind a point to that end about twice the length of a pencil point. This readily lifts the seedling and also makes a hole to receive it. The rounded end of the handle is used to tamp soil around the transplant. A small bulb spray such as is used in the laundry is good for watering the seedlings after transplanting. They must not be beaten down. Seedlings in containers outdoors should be protected from late morning and afternoon sun, also from heavy rains. 118 When to Sow Seed Fresh seed of the current spring will germinate faster if sown in late July than if sown in late winter inside or early next spring outside. Also, all work can be done outside, a factor which will possibly avoid setting out some weak plants. Water used before germination should be tepid; after seedlings are up it may be cool. As soon as the plants are large enough, they may be set in a nursery bed where they will be mulched at once with peatmoss and at the beginning of winter mulched with salt hay as previously outlined. If seed is sown indoors in late winter, or outdoors in early spring, it helps germination if the soil is made wet with hot water, but not hot enough to burn the hands — say 120°. Next day, water of the same temperature should be applied again. If further watering is necessary before germination, it should be tepid. After seedlings are up, cool water may be used, as for the July sowing. If plants are in a room of a house where heat is on, they should be under glass at all times. When the glass shows moisture, it should be opened slightly until the moisture disappears, then closed again. Plants should be set in the nursery bed in spring as soon as conditions warrant moving them. When seedlings have been taken from the first container, the soil should not be further disturbed; germination is irregular and more plants may appear. Not all the seeds will reproduce true to the color of the parent. If this is desired 100 percent, all propagation must be by division. From Seed to Border From the foregoing it will be seen there are really three plantings before a permanent location is reached for the primulas: first, for sowing, second, the transfer to similar containers for proper spacing; third, to the nursery bed; then finally into the border. All that has been written is from experience in the climate of northern New Jersey. There are variations one will learn from his own experience. For instance, in much colder regions it may be desirable to use salt hay as a covering every winter. But no matter where he is located, I want to tell the grower not to over- fertilize, or he will get foliage at the expense of flowers. As long as growth is good, he should let well enough alone. "*- fc » David D. Keck Appointed Head Curator Succeeding Dr. Gleason Jan. 1 DR. David D. Keck of the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Stanford University has accepted an appointment as Head Curator of the New York Botanical Garden. He will succeed Dr. H. A. Gleason in that post on January 1, 1951. institution's staff on the Stanford campus. By that time he had already been working for two years in collaboration with Jens C. Clausen and William M. Hiesey as a research team in experimental taxonomy. At the meetings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in New York in December 1949, this team was awarded the Mary Soper Pope medal of the Cran-brook Institute of Science. Graduated from Pomona College in 1925, Dr. Keck received a master's degree from there the following year, and a Ph. D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1930. Meanwhile, in 1926, he j oined the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Berkeley as assistant to H. M. Hall, and three years later moved to Stanford to continue their experimental project in a new laboratory building. Since 1934 he has been a member of the 119 Dr. Keek's many published papers, dating from 1925, reflect his interests in taxonomy, genetics, and cytology of the flowering plants, as well as in the natural sciences as a whole. His principal studies have been in the genera Penste-mon, Poa, Artemisia, Potentilla, and in Madia and its relatives. He has also published notes on Orthocarpus and Elaplo-pappus, among other groups. In addition to his purely taxonomic studies, in combination with the research team he has contributed such subjects as " Experimental Studies on the Nature of Species" to the publications of the Carnegie Institution of Washington in 1940, 1945, and 1948; " Regional Differentiation in Plant Species" to American Naturalist; also " Relations between Climate and Intra-specific Variation in Plants" and " Heredity of Geographically and Ecologically Isolated Races" to American Naturalist. With Dr. P. A. Munz, Director of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Dr. Keck has been working on the preparation of a new manual of the plants of California, on the basis of his experimental studies. Dr. Keck is a member of the A. A. A. S., American Society of Naturalists, Society for the Study of Evolution, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Botanical Society of America, Torrey Botanical Club, Western Society of Naturalists, and the California Botanical Society, of which he was treasurer from 1931 to 1940 and vice- president in 1945 and 1947. He is an honorary life member of the California Academy of Sciences. At the New York Botanical Garden he will be the fourth Head Curator in the history of the institution, Dr. John K. Small in 1906 having been the first to assume the title, which he retained until his death in 1932. Dr. F. J. Seaver served from 1942 until his retirement in 1948, with Dr. Gleason filling the post both before and after this period. Dr. Keck will be in New York in May on his way to Europe, where, after touring a large portion of the continent by car, he will present a paper at the Seventh International Botanical Congress in Stockholm in July. Returning from Europe he will complete his year's work at the Carnegie Institution before assuming his new position at the New York Botanical Garden. Notes, News, and Comment Book Service Department. A new book service department has been opened by the New York Botanical Garden in the Museum Building. For the first time, the Garden will handle books of outside publishers, instead of only its own. Some of these are books written by members of the staff, others are recommended books on botany, gardening, and related subjects. The volumes are on display in cases near the entrance to the Museum Building and are on sale at the Information Booth on the main floor. For books that are ordered by mail, there will be a mailing charge of 100 a volume. Postcards. Colored postcards showing five scenes of the New York Botanical Garden are now on sale in the Museum Building at 50 each. The pictures, which have been made from kodachrome views, show ( 1) forsythia in spring beneath the bare branches of the trees, ( 2) daffodils on the slope with evergreens and flowering cherries in the background, ( 3) azaleas in a woodland planting, ( 4) a water-lily, and ( 5) chrysanthemums in front of the central dome of the Conservatory. Individual cards or sets will be sent by mail without extra charge. The Garden also has on sale eleven year- round views in high quality photographs on postcards. These show the Museum Building, Conservatory dome, tropical rain forest, a flowering cherry tree, Cattleya orchids in greenhouse, the Montgomery Conifer Collection, rose garden, perennial border, daffodils, iris, and the rock garden. The price of these has been reduced to 3 for 100, and they too will be sent by mail without extra charge. Tapestry Booklet. The Garden's booklet " Flora of the Unicorn Tapestries" by E. J. Alexander and Carol H. Woodward has been reissued in an edition of 3,000 copies. Two illustrations have been added to this printing, showing a detail of the second tapestry in the series and the entire seventh, the concluding scene, showing the unicorn in captivity. Honorary Curator. The title of Honorary Curator of Economic Botany, which has been held by B. A. Krukoff since 1940, was eliminated by the Board of 120 Managers at a meeting of the Executive Committee March 27. For many years Mr. Krukoff has been interested in medicinal plants. He has done extensive exploring in the interior of South America, and has deposited his herbarium specimens with the Garden. Since his direct association with the institution, he has published papers on the American members of Erythrina, Strycli-nos, and the Menispermaceae, and on the botanical components of curare. Mr. Krukoff is associated with Merck & Co. For the past year or more, he has been away from New York the greater part of the time, continuing his work in Guatemala and elsewhere. Garden Design Exhibit. Mrs. Helen M, Fox has been chairman of an exhibit of photographs, drawings, blueprints, books and prints illustrating garden design, which is being held at the New York Public Library from March 17 to May 19. Several photographs from the New York Botanical Garden are included in the exhibit, which emphasizes garden designs suitable for the northeastern states. Mrs. Fox is also the compiler of a selected list of books appearing in a booklet, " Planning & Planting Your Garden," which is available by mail from the New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, New York 18, N. Y., for 500. Members' Day. Orchids were displayed through the courtesy of Thomas Young, Inc., of which C. R. Beckert is President, at the Members' Day program of the New York Botanical Garden in the auditorium of the New York Genealogical Society April 13. The speaker was C. Leslie Erickson, who has been working with orchids since the age of 14 and who, with his father, is now employed by Thomas Young, Inc., at Bound Brook, N. J. Staff Conference. John J. Wurdack, Technical Assistant at the New York Botanical Garden, spoke on " The Sand Dune Flora of Brazil" at the monthly staff conference held Wednesday, April 12, in the Members' Room. His talk was illustrated with kodachromes he took and specimens he collected in Brazil during the war, also with vegetational and rainfall maps and with books contributing to the subject. Spring Tours. The Volunteer Associates of the New York Botanical Garden have arranged two separate garden tours this spring. On May 2 members of the New York Botanical Garden and garden clubs were invited to visit the gardens of Mr. Pierre S. Du Pont and Mr. & Mrs. Henry F. Du Pont at Wilmington, Delaware. On May 23 a trip will be made to Millbrook, New York, to visit the gardens of Mrs. Oakleigh Thorne and Mr. & Mrs. Walter Beck. Booklets. The downtown office of the New York Botanical Garden has prepared three booklets which are obtainable at 801 Madison Avenue, New York 21, and also in the Garden's new Book Service Department in the Museum Building. Two of them have appeared as articles in the magazine issued by the downtown office, The Garden. These are " A Garden for Gourmets" by Albert C. Burrage, 250, and " Our Rose Varieties and Their Malmaison Heritage" by Edwin De T. Bechtel, $ 1. A third booklet is a cook book of favorite recipes of members of the Volunteer Associates, $ 1. Visitors. Dorothy Fensholt, graduate student at Northwestern University, spent ten days at the Garden in April studying algae. Clark T. Rogerson of Cornell worked on Ascomycetes in the herbarium the last of April. Clara S. Hires, head of the Mistaire Laboratories, Millburn, N. J., with two of her assistants, Beverly Heller and Mrs. Charles W. Cram made investigations on mosses in the herbarium Mar. 29. Among other recent visitors have been John A. Stevenson of the Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md.; John T. Middle-ton, University of California at Riverside; Carl L. Withner, Brooklyn College; M. A. Johnson, Rutgers; Eula White-house of Southern Methodist University, Dallas; H. K. Svenson, American Museum of Natural History; Howard E. Brossman, Superintendent of the Mitchell Park Conservatory, Milwaukee; and Mr. & Mrs. B. F. Miller, of Laramie, Wyoming. Mrs. Miller is the daughter of Aven Nelson. Douglas H. Allen of New York, international industrialist and author of " History of the Operations of the Rubber Development Corporation," was a luncheon guest at the Garden April 11. W. A. 121 Sexton of Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd., Manchester, England, Dr. G. Morel of Harvard University, Dr. N. F. Stanley of Sydney, Australia, and Dr. Hasan M. Yusef, on his way back to Fouad I. University, Egypt, were among other visitors of early spring. Chobei Takida, head of Japan's leading pharmaceutical house, at Osaka, spent the day at the Garden Feb. 24. Dr. E. B. Hirshberg of the Schering Corporation, Bloomfield, N. J. made investigations of Dioscorea at the Garden recently. Advisory Council. Eight new members were elected to the Advisory Council of the Garden at the meeting of the Board of Managers Feb. 23. They are Mrs. Warren R. Austin, Mrs. Neville Jay Booker, Mrs. Harry T. Peters, Mrs. Wallace S. Whittaker, and Mrs. Robert C. Hill, of New York City, Mrs. Raymond Gunnison of Pawling, N. Y., Mrs. Langdon Simmons of Greenwich, Conn., and Mrs. John Senior of Lenox, Mass. Mrs. James Russell Parsons, who was elected to the Advisory Council in February 1931, resigned in February 1950. She had also been a member of the Corporation since 1933. Board of Managers. Dr. Thomas Lewis of S. B. Penick & Co., has been elected to the Board of Managers in the class of 1950. Consultant. Dr. A. B. Stout, who retired from the staff of the New York Botanical Garden in 1947, left his home at Pleasantville, New York, in early April to spend the summer as consultant to the W. Atlee Burpee Co., Floradale Farms, Lompoc, California. Floral Flyer. Members of the New York Botanical Garden will be granted ten free rides a year on The Floral Flyer. The membership card will be used as a ticket, to be punched by the conductor on the tractor train. NOTICES AND REVIEWS OF RECENT BOOKS North of the Golden Gate MARIN FLORA. J. T. Howell. 320 pages, 2 maps. 24 photographs ( by Charles T. Townsend). University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1949. $ 4.50. Probably few visitors to San Francisco have failed to see, rising above the waters of the bay, the gentle silhouette of Mount Tamalpais, landmark of the Marin country which lies just to the north of the Golden Gate Bridge. They may also have visited the miniature redwood forest in Mill Valley, the sandy Pacific beaches, and perhaps even the picturesque, lighthouse- crowned headland of Point Reyes. If they have done any of these things, they cannot help but enjoy Mr. Town-send's beautiful photographs of Marin scenes. The plants of this Marin County are the subject of Mr. Howell's attractive, lovingly written book. Within an area of only 529 square miles, he has recorded the occurrence of some 1,313 species, which he estimates to be nearly twenty-five percent of the total flora of the state. This remarkable abundance is at least partly due to the varied habitats and geological backgrounds comprised within this small area. The existence of serpentine outcrops on Mount Tamalpais and Tiburon Peninsula, for example, is responsible for many highly localized distributions. He finds the Golden Gate, however, to have been of very little significance, at least in the past, as a barrier to the migration of species. There are provocative and informative discussions of the physiographic features, geological structures, soils, climate, plant associations, floristics, and botanical exploration. The keys are full and apparently readily workable. Although there are no taxonomic descriptions, there are 122 abundant citations of localities, and numerous critical laxonomic and other notes. In a state, most of whose inhabitants originated " somewhere else," it is scarcely surprising that some 300 of the plants should also be immigrants. Since this is a larger number of aliens than Jepson's Manual of 1925 included for the entire state, it is perhaps symptomatic of what is happening to California's vegetation. It is all the more fortunate, therefore, that Mr. Howell has so thoroughly documented the present flora of this accessible region before it has been thoroughly engulfed in the onslaught of ever- expanding Suburbia. LINCOLN CONSTANCE University of California, Berkeley. Clements, Condensed DYNAMICS OF VEGETATION. Frederic E. Clements. Compiled and edited by B. W. Allred and Edith S. Clements. 296 pages, illustrations, glossary, index. H. W. Wilson, New York. 1949. $ 3.75. Dr. Clements was a very interesting man, to whom the writer of this notice is greatly indebted for encouragement and material help at a time when these were greatly needed. Some of the ideas basic to Clements' system of vegetation-units and their developmental relations are very different from those held by most field botanists. Professor A. G. Tansley characterized him as an " uncompromising idealist." Yet his awareness of the observable facts was very similar to that of the realists; it was in interpretation of facts and in application of terms that most of the differences arose. Much of his writing is taken too literally by students. The present volume is a reprinting in somewhat shortened form of articles and essays covering these chapter headings: The nature and role of plant succession; Competition in plant societies; Plant indicators; Nature and structure of the climax; The relict method in dynamic ecology; Climaxes, succession, and conservation ; Climatic cycles and human populations in the Great Plains; and Ecology in the public service. The photographs are numerous and excellent. The same general criticisms and commendations could be made for this work as for the publications which it summarizes. Some of the too- strong statements are perhaps more discernible in the condensation. The book is well edited, beautifully printed and bound, moderately priced. It succeeds admirably in its objective, to bring together, in more generally available form, the writings of Dr. Clements in this field of his principal interest. ARTHUR G. VESTAL University of Illinois Fungi Infecting Man BIOLOGY OF PATHOGENIC FUNGI. Edited by Walter J. Nickerson. 236 pages, illustrated, indexed. Chronica Botanica Co., Waltham, Mass.; Stechert- Hafner, Inc., New York, N. Y. 1947. $ 5. The short title given this book by the publisher may mislead some of its readers to expect to see that the biology of plant pathogens will also be considered. However, the editor points out in his preface that the aim was to discuss some of the aspects of the biology of some of those fungi pathogenic for man. The foreword by J. Gardner Hopkins, the internationally known dermatologist, further emphasizes this limitation of scope. He points out some of the important deficiencies that have heretofore hampered the understanding of fungus infections of human beings. He urges that the commotion over terminology and attempts to follow rules of nomenclature should not obscure the fact that much information on the biology of fungi pathogenic to man has been provided by botanists, chemists and physicians. One has but to read the twelve chapters contributed by persons of wide reputation to see what has been done in recent years and to realize the great need for further research along these lines. The editor, W. J. Nickerson, has written an interesting introduction as well as chapters on respiration and fermentation including metabolic products; and with J. W. Williams a chapter on fungus nutrition and metabolism. Additional chapters by authors known internationally include results of their own researches and bibliographies covering some aspects of their fields. These contributors are J. Lodder, A. de Minjer, A. L. Carrion, Margarita Silva, Rhoda W, Benham, C. W. Emmons, R. Ciferri, P. Redaelli, F. T. Wolf, D. S. Martin and R. L. Peck. 123 It would, of course, be impossible to cover the whole field of pathogens thoroughly in a volume of some 250 pages, but considering these limitations one will find in this book much valuable information, as well as sources of further information indicated in the various bibliographies. B. O. DODGE Heredity and Breeding ADVANCES IN GENETICS. Edited by M. Demerec. 440 pages, index, illustrations. Academic Press, New York. 1947. $ 7.50. This volume presents critical reviews of research on ten specific genetic problems. Those dealing with plants include: cytogenetics and breeding of forage crops, by Sanford S. Atwood; cytogenetics and speciation in Crepis by Ernest B. Babcock; origins and evolution of maize by Paul C. Mangelsdorf; types of polyploids, by G. Ledyard Stebbins, J r . ; and cytogenetics of Gossypium and the problem of the origin of the New World cottons, by S. G. Stephens. This is the first of a proposed series, the purpose of which, as stated in the preface, is to have critical summaries of outstanding genetic problems, written by competent geneticists, appear in a single publication and to be written in such form that they will be useful as reference material for geneticists and also as a source of information to nongeneticists. As to scope, the articles are expected to deal with both theoretical and practical problems of breeding, heredity, and related fields. A. B. STOUT. Highest Power Magnification ELECTRON MICROSCOPY. Technique and Application. Ralph W. G. Wyckoff. 248 pages, illustrations, bibliography, index. Interscience Publishers, New York and London. 1949. $ 5. This is a beautifully illustrated, simple introduction to the opening field of electron microscopy. The text is easy to read. The biologist who has not yet seen such forms as diatoms under the electron microscope has a poor concept of their essential architecture. VlRGENE KAVANAGH. Relations of Plants With Water WATER IN THE PHYSIOLOGY OF PLANTS. A. S. Crafts, H. B. Currier, & C. R. Stocking. 240 pages, illustrations, tables, bibliography, index. Chronica Botanica Co., Waltham, Mass.; Stechert- Hafner, New York. 1949. $ 6. The unique feature of this book is the large amount of material on the physical chemistry of water in relation to plant processes and conditions. This is treated in such a manner as to be intelligible to readers with only a limited knowledge of that field. While the book is of particular value to instructors and investigators in the field of plant physiology, it will be useful to every plant scientist who is interested in water relations. The chapters dealing with the structure of water, the properties of solutions, and water as a plant component bring together material never before summarized satisfactorily for plant physiologists. These chapters alone would justify publication of the book. The discussion of osmosis and osmotic quantities of plant cells is very thorough and fortunately uses the terminology of Bobbink & Atkins " GARDEN GEMS" for your Garden Library Build your garden with the help of this outstanding catalog. In it are described and illustrated in color the best of the New and Old- fashioned Roses; Unusual Evergreen Shrubs and Vines; Azaleas and Rhododendrons; Magnolias; Lilacs and many other Flowering Shrubs; all the novelty and old favorite Perennial Flowers and Ground Covers, and a host of other rare and unusual " Garden Gems" ; designed to help you plan and plant your garden. Free east of the Mississippi; 35 cents elsewhere. Customers of record receive their copies automatically. Visitors are always welcome at our nurseries located about nine miles from the New Jersey side of the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels and George Washington Bridge. Less than thirty minutes from central New York. Bobbink & Atkins Rose Growers and Nurserymen 401 Paterson Ave., East Rutherford, N. J . 124 Meyer, which is familiar to most readers. The varied and conflicting evidence concerning the occurrence of non- osmotic or " active" water intake by plant cells and tissues has also been carefully summarized. Water relations of the plant as a whole are discussed in terms of absorption, translocation, and water loss. The book is documented by about 800 references and illustrated by many tables, figures, and graphs. PAUL J. KRAMER, Duke University. For Gardeners From Coast to Coast IRIS FOR EVERY GARDEN. Sydney B. Mitchell. 224 pages, photographs, index, drawings by Tom Craig. M. Barrows, New York. 1949. $ 3. This is a much needed book for Americans, as recent popular publications on iris have been confined to England and, while valuable to the expert, are not suited for the general gardener in this country. It is a clearly written and practical book, well illustrated, and easy to use. Culture, propagation, breeding, treatment of seed and seedlings, pollen, diseases, and other subj ects are well covered. The many gardeners who think there are nothing but the old " dooryard" varieties of iris should be encouraged to try their hand on a newer species or horticultural variety. Such a book is necessarily limited, but Dr. Mitchell has given the essentials. My only adverse criticism is that in his history of American breeding he has neglected to mention such an important person as the late E. B. Williamson of Indiana, who made the first crosses here between the regelia and dwarf beared groups. There are many splendid varieties still available, descendants of those that Williamson and Paul Cook raised. In fact, many of the better irises in the United States exist because of Mr. Williamson and also Grace Sturtevant. Present- day breeders are too much given to concentrating on the huge- flowered, tall sorts. I do not agree that William Mohr was the " outstanding American breeder" because I am familiar with the work of others who are barely mentioned or completely neglected in the book. It has to be a limited book, of course, and it should be to make it easy to handle and of a reasonable price. Therefore I feel that, with these exceptions, it is really well carried out, and that it is, at the same time, an attractive, readable book. ETHEL ANSON S. PECKHAM Three New Textbooks Of General Botany COLLEGE BOTANY. Clarence J. Hylan-der & Oran B. Stanley. 638 pages, illustrated, indexed. Macmillan, New York. 1949. $ 5. In this new text, Drs. Hylander and Stanley of Colgate University have stated admirably the reasons for such a book and, in general outline, have fulfilled their intentions. The line drawings are calculated to sustain the interest of the general college student; the text is not " stuffy"; presentation is ideal for students in educational curricula planning to teach biology or botany; and the text material is well- balanced, with sections on general morphological considerations, classification, ecology and geography, heredity and evolution, and paleobotany. In several respects, however, serious students may question the material presented. The drawings are perhaps too diagrammatic; use of common names throughout may be criticized ( although an appendix of scientific names is included) ; and the portrayal of classification by " trees" certainly oversimplifies and confuses systematics and phylogeny. Other minor disputable points include ( p. 347) the sketch of Amanita without an annulus; the discussion of distinctions between " monocots" and " dicots" and their phylogeny ( for example, the disputed primitiveness of hydrophytes and the " absence of endosperm" in dicots); illustration of Equisetum arvense with yellowish fertile shoots as typical ( albeit familiar) of horsetails; and the selection of so many illustrations from the same few genera of the Liliaceae. Still, the text may well be used for the presentation of a semi- cultural botanical course in a general college curriculum. COLLEGE BOTANY. Harry J. Fuller & Oswald Tippo. 993 pages, illustrated, indexed. Henry Holt, New York. 1949. $ 5.75. _ Drs. Fuller and Tippo of the University of Illinois have written a standard introductory botany, suitable for the general college course or, with use of supple- 125 Wa^ j- ide S s Gjaj- cJenj- LOVELIEST NEW FLOWERS COME FROM For the newest, most exciting introductions and outstanding old favorites, see Wayside Gardens* splendid new catalog for Spring planting. It is a vast treasure chest of sparkling jewels for your garden. J ^ W ^ J/ ee* ROSES Babe Ruth — Glorious new rose- pink hybrid tea. Strong, vigorous plants bloom profusely. Tom Breneman— A delightfully fragrant hybrid tea of radiant coral rose. Extremely hardy. As well as 150 other varieties including the superb 1950 " All America Rose Selections." J& vsfo Mm CHRYSANTHEMUMS Bronze Cactus — Glowing Indian copper bronze flowers with subtle salmon shadings bloom abundantly on vigorous 2V£' plants from September on. ^ « . CYDONIAS Spitfire — Early flowering, 7 foot high shrub is covered with huge, crimson flowers. Magnificent for hedges. Knaphill Scarlet — Big, showy, vermilion flowers bloom lavishly at tulip time on this choice, low growing plant. Ashes of Roses — Most enchanting new " mum" in our entire collection. Iridescent old rose with apricot tones. Very hardy and free flowering. Mm PASTEL CANNAS Six stunning new hybrids. Enormous trusses of radiant flowers in soft, pastel shades of peach, old rose, yellow and gold. For luxurious color and beauty all summer, plant a few in front of foundation planting. i£ « M^ Ma, HARDY ASTERS Peace — From early September until late October, this sturdy plant is a mass of exquisite, pinkish- lavender flowers fully 2" across. Excellent for cutting. Plenty — One of the finest fall flowers. Thousands of semi-double, 2" flowers of lovely soft blue completely cover this superb plant. Hardy, will grow anywhere. SEND FOR THE WORLD'S FINEST HORTICULTURAL BOOK- CATALOG Unquestionably, this is the finest catalog offered anywhere. Almost 200 pages filled with exciting new introductions and worthwhile old favorites, fully listed and illustrated in " true- to- life" colors. This splendid reference book contains explicit cultural in- , structiqns for each item. To be sure you get your • „ « • copy, it is necessary that you enclose with your *•#- « « * ""* quest 50$, coin or stamps, for postage and handling, 126 mentary material from other sources, for an intensive course for students majoring in the field of botany. The five major sections of the text include: introductory remarks; structure, physiology, and reproduction ; a survey of the plant kingdom ; evolution and ecology; and economic significance of plants. Features to be commended are: presentation of a more modern classification of the plant kingdom, rather than the traditional " four-division" scheme; an excellent time scale correlating animals, plants, and geologic events ; and concise summaries of chapter contents. INTRODUCTORY BOTANY. Alexander N'elson. 479 pages, illustrated, indexed. Chronica Botanica Co., Waltham, Mass. 1949. $ 3.75. Dr. Nelson of the University of Edinburgh has written this text as the first of two books; in this volume biological concepts are presented, and the projected companion volume will include the applications of plant science to human and animal medicine. The presentation is not in the stereotyped order of traditional introductory texts; in the systematic section, for instance, the flowering plants are first discussed, and subsequently the " lower" plants, with the bacteria and fungi bringing up the rear. Genetical aspects of botany are emphasized throughout. Only rarely in an elementary textbook are such items as phosphorylation, the Traube cell, heteroploidy, crossing- over, incompatibility, and xenia included. The use of such terms as imbalance, manurial salts, mycodomatia, and sink may at first be strange to American botanists, and the lack of the typical lavish illustration of U. S. textbooks might be a drawback to the general student. However, for anyone planning a career in any field of biology, the book is to be recommended highly, both for the logical scientific approach to complex ideas and for the extremely reasonable cost. J. J. WURDACK. Horticulture, Agriculture, Forestry HORTICULTURE ENTERPRISES. Revised. Walter B. Balch, A. S. Colby, and T. J. Talbert. Edited by R. W. Gregory. 480 pages, illustrated, indexed. J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. 1949. $ 3. This, the seventh, is a newly revised edition of a text originally published under the title of " Horticulture" in 1919. The new title was adopted in 1929. The book is a text essentially for learning the culture of fruit and vegetable crops, but also includes a number of ornamentals. SOUTHERN HORTICULTURE MAN. AGEMENT. E. W. Garris & H. S. Wolfe. Edited by R. W. Gregory. 564 pages, illustrated, indexed. J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. 1949. $ 3. Culture of fruit and vegetable crops in the states from Arkansas across to Virginia and from Texas across the Gulf Coast and into southern Florida is described in this volume. Instructions are given for truck farms and small home gardens. At the end of each chapter there are suggestions for study and practice and a list of practical references. FIELD CROPS MANAGEMENT. Revised. E. N. Fergus & Carsie Hammonds. Edited by R. W. Gregory. 600 pages, illustrated, indexed. T. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. 1949. $ 3. This is part of a series of books on agricultural management being published by Lippincott. Tobacco, corn, small grains, and hay are the principal crops treated, soybeans and other legumes being included in a long chapter on hay crops. FORAGE CROPS. Gilbert H. Ahlgren. 418 pages, indexed. McGraw- Hill Book Co., New York. 1949. $ 5. The name of Gilbert H. Ahlgren of Rutgers University is already familiar to Journal readers. As head of the Farm Crops Department at the New Jersey State College of Agriculture, where extensive experimentation as well as standard practice is always under way, he has a wide opportunity to become familiar with many aspects of the culture of farm crops. It is disappointing to find that he has not included the recent Rutgers experiments on the use of weed killers on the soil before the corn is planted in order to avoid the labor and expense of cultivating it during the season. Perhaps this will appear in a later volume. SOUTHERN FORESTRY. Charles N. Elliott & M. D. Mobley. 494 pages, illustrations, glossary, index. Turner E. Smith Co., Atlanta, Ga. 1949. $ 3. Industries, occupations, recreation, and wild life which are dependent upon the forests of the south are given broad consideration in this book. The purpose 127 has been to appeal to young people. The authors have both been instructors in summer camps where forestry was being taught. New Editions THE GARDENER'S TRAVEL BOOK. E. I. Farrington. 278 pages, illustrated. Oxford University Press, New York. Revised edition 1949. $ 4. Wherever one journeys there are gardens, parks and splendid trees to be seen, and with the help of " The Gardener's Travel Book" one need miss very little. The new edition is more compact than the one of 1938, yet more complete. There are still slight mistakes and omissions ( as there are almost bound to be in a book of this nature), such as the reference in both editions to the " Westchester Parkway," a non- existent entity. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in California has been unfortunately omitted this time but other places of horticultural interest have been added. Rockland County's Dutch garden at New City, N. Y., remains an undiscovered gem. But the wonder is, not that a few errors have persisted but that so much has been included to make the book a worthwhile companion for the traveler. APPLIED SILVICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES. R. H. Westveld. 590 pages, illustrated, indexed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. Second edition 1949. $ 6. When Stanley A. Cain reviewed the first edition in this Journal ten years ago he wrote that this book " will undoubtedly become a standard handbook for foresters. It will be almost as useful to ecologists and other students of forest vegetation." The new edition retains the form of the old — that of dividing the United States into forest types and treating the history, ecology, and management problems of each separately — and brings the reader up to date in forestry literature and practice. COMMON BRITISH GRASSES & LEGUMES. J. O. Thomas and L. J. Davies. 120 pages, illustrations, glossary, index. Longmans, Green, New York. Third edition 1949. $ 2.25. Designed for school and farm use in Great Britain, this book, now in its third edition since 1938, has value in the United ^ States, for about half of the plants illustrated and described are well known here. FUNDAMENTALS OF BACTERIOLOGY. Martin Frobisher. 936 pages, illustrated, indexed. W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia. Fourth edition 1949. $ 5.50. Only five years have passed since the third edition of this text, which was reviewed in this Journal in September 1945. New features include extensive material on microbiology, new information on viruses and on numerous common diseases, and the inclusion of the latest views on many topics. BACTERIOLOGY. William Burrows. 981 pages, illustrated, indexed. W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia. Fifteenth edition 1949. $ 9. The fifteenth edition in 41 years indicates a continuous bringing up to date of information in a field that is at present undergoing many changes both in point of view and in practice. Several parts have been rewritten and a number of electron micrographs have been added. HUNGER SIGNS IN CROPS. 390 pages, illustrated, indexed. National Fertilizer Assn., Washington, D. C. Second revised edition 1949. $ 4.50. The progress in the science of soil nutrition has necessitated a revised edition of " Hunger Signs in Crops," which was first issued in 1941. The abundance of illustrations in color, in addition to exceptionally clear halftones, makes this book of value to farmers as well as research workers in many fields concerned with plant growth. Fibers Under the Microscope TEXTILE FIBER ATLAS. Werner von Bergen & Walter Krauss. 50 pages, plus 27 plates; bibliography. Textile Book Publishers, Inc. New York. Revised edition, 1949. $ 4.50. This collection of excellent photomicrographs of the principal textile fibers of natural origins, and also man- made, is in its third printing, having had a broad distribution as a reference book in technical laboratories, among libraries, and as a school text book. In addition to the photomicrographs which depict the outer surface of fibers and their internal structure by means of cross and longitudinal sections, fiber types and their characteristics are discussed. Considerable data concerned with fineness measurement and variation in fibers of a given type are presented in tabular form. Factors affecting the identification of fibers, such as damage to 128 wool by physical and chemical treatments and by bacteria and insects, are discussed. Included is a bibliography of some 300 references. The 1949 edition has been brought up to date by including some of the newer fibers such as Orion and alginate rayon. JULIAN S. JACOBS, Editor, Textile Research Journal. Broad Study of Yeast THE YEAST CELL, ITS GENETICS AND CYTOLOGY. Carl C. Lindegren. Illustrations, tables, bibliography. Educational Publishers, Inc., St. Louis, Mo. 1949. $ 7. Yeast, an ever- fertile source of experimental material for students of nutrition, enzymes and metabolism, now, in the words of the author, ". . . has graduated . . from a promising organjsm for experimental breeding to a full- fledged membership in the Drosophila- maize- Neurospora hierarchy." To some this may seem to be an over- statement but to this reader it appears more like a careful judgment spiced with optimism. The book which Dr. Lindegren has written is a highly personal one; virtually all of the material presented is the result of first- hand observations in his own laboratory. Thus it is not an historical review nor a detailed survey of the literature but is rather like a series of laboratory note books. The coverage is wide, however, and anyone dealing with yeast or interested in genetics or cytology will profit by reading the book. Dr. Lindegren is undoubtedly the foremost authority on yeast genetics and cytology in this country and is responsible for much of the progress made in this field in recent years. LAWRENCE ATKIN, Fleischmann Laboratories. recent literature on potato culture, periodicals, a buyer's guide, and numerous tables dealing with potato production. AMERICAN TOMATO YEARBOOK. John W. Carncross, editor. 40 pages. American Tomato Yearbook, 289 Fourth Avenue, New York. 1949. $ 2. Graphs and tables illustrate the past year's situation in the growing and canning of tomatoes in the United States. Seed production is included, and lists of varieties grown in different parts of the country are provided. There is a list of references dating from 1940 and a buyer's guide. Food Production Text VEGETABLE CROPS. Homer C. Thompson. 611 pages, illustrated, indexed. McGraw- Hill, New York, 4th edition. 1949. $ 6. Mr. Thompson has made an extensive revision of his already successful book, integrating the latest research and experimental data, with the general subject matter remaining the same. The text may be somewhat technical as it was written primarily for college use. However, the layman who has an interest in the subject will find it quite practical in its presentation of vegetable gardening. The new material includes statistics on per capita consumption, new knowledge of nutritional value of vegetables, new information on plant nutrition, the placement of fertilizer, weed control, and the latest chemicals used as pesticides. Prepackaging and other new methods of handling vegetables for market are discussed in the chapter on marketing. This is an excellent edition, dealing with the production and handling of vegetable crops, and should still be considered the most accurate and scientific textbook available on the subject. JOSEPH M. LENT, University of Connecticut. Yearbooks on Vegetables AMERICAN POTATO YEARBOOK. John C. Campbell, editor. 84 pages. American Potato Yearbook, 289 Fourth Avenue, New York. 1949. $ 2. The Potato Association of America has provided a handbook containing short articles of interest to growers and also numerous reference lists, such as associations for the improvement of the potato industry, agencies for seed certification, Results of Frost BIBLIOGRAPHY ON FROST ACTION IN SOILS, ANNOTATED, 57 pages. Highway Research Board, 2101 Constitution Ave., Washington 25, D. C. 1948. 45f. Nearly 300 references are given in this annotated bibliography, which is the third in a series issued by the Highway Research Board. Several lines of comment are given on each reference. THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN Officers JOSEPH R. SWAN, Chairman CHARLES B. HARDING, President FREDERICK S. MOSELEY, JR., Vice- President ARTHUR M. ANDERSON, Treasurer HENRY DE LA MONTAGNE, Secretary Elective Managers SHERMAN BALDWIN MRS. ELON HUNTINGTON ROBERT H. MONTGOMERY WILLIAM FELTON BARRETT HOOKER HOWARD BAYNE EDWIN D E T. BECHTEL HENRY F. DU PONT REV. ROBERT I. GANNON, S. J. SIDNEY LANIER MRS. ALBERT D. LASKER CLARENCE MCK. LEWIS THOMAS S. LEWIS E. D. MERRILL Ex- Officio Managers FRANCIS E. POWELL, JR. MRS. HAROLD I. PRATT WILLIAM J. ROBBINS EDMUND W. SINNOTT CHAUNCEY STILLMAN OAKLEIGH L. THORNE WILLIAM O'DWYER, Mayor of the City of New York MAXIMILIAN MOSS, President of the Board of Education ROBERT MOSES, Park Commissioner Appointive Managers By the Torrey Botanical Club: RUTHERFORD PLATT. By Columbia University: MARSTON T. BOGERT, CHARLES W. BALLARD, SAM F. TRELEASE. THE STAFF WILLIAM J. ROBBINS, P H . D . , SC. D. HENRY DE LA MONTAGNE H, A. GLEASON, P H . D . P. P. PIRONE, P H . D . THOMAS H. EVERETT, N. D. HORT. H. W. RICKETT, P H . D. HAROLD N. MOLDENKE, P H . D. BASSETT MAGUIRE, P H . D . DONALD PHILIP ROGERS, P H . D . E. J. ALEXANDER, B. S. G. L. WITTROCK, A. M. F. W. KAVANAGH, P H . D . IGOR NICHOLAS ASHESHOV, M. D. ROBERT S. DE ROPP, P H . D . , D. I. C. MARJORIE ANCHEL, P H . D . ROSALIE WEIKERT MARY STEBBINS, M. A. RICHARD S. COWAN, M. S. JOHN J. WURDACK, B. S. ELIZABETH C. HALL, A. B., B. S. CAROL H. WOODWARD, A. B. FRANK C MACKEEVER, B. S. JOSEPH MONACHINO, B. S. OTTO DEGENER, M. S. ELMER N. MITCHELL BERNARD O. DODGE, P H . D . A. B. STOUT, P H . D . FRED J. SEAVER, P H . D . , SC. D. INEZ M. HARINC JOSEPH F. BURKE Director Assistant Director Head Curator Plant Pathologist Horticulturist Bibliographer Curator and Administrator of Herbarium Curator Curator Associate Curator Assistant Curator of Education Associate Curator of Laboratories Bacteriologist Assistant Curator Research Associate Technical Assistant Technical Assistant Technical Assistant Technical Assistant Librarian Editor of the Journal Custodian of the Herbarium Associate Custodian of the Herbarium Collaborator in Hawaiian Botany Photographer Plant Pathologist Emeritus Curator Emeritus Curator Emeritus Assistant Honorary Curator of Mosses Honorary Curator of the Diatomaceae ETHEL ANSON S. PECKHAM Honorary Curator, Iris and Narcissus Collections A. C. PFANDER Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds To reach the Botanical Garden, take the Independent Subway to Bedford Park Boulevard station, use the Bedford Park Boulevard exit and walk east. Or take the Third Avenue Elevated to the Botanical Garden or the 200th Street station, the New York Central to the Botanical Garden station, or the Webster Avenue bus No. 41 to Bedford Park Boulevard. PUBLICATIONS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN Books, Booklets, and Special Numbers of the Journal An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Addison Brown. Three volumes, giving descriptions and illustrations of 4,666 species. Second edition, reprinted. $ 15. Flora of the Prairies and Plains of Central North America, by P. A. Rydberg. 969 pages and 601 figures. 1932. $ 6. Plants of the Vicinity of New York, by H. A. Gleason. 284 pages, illustrated. A handbook especially compiled for the beginner. 1935. Second edition 1947. $ 2. The Bahama Flora, by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Charles Frederick Millspaugh. 695 pages. Descriptions of the spermatophytes, pteridophytes, bryophytes, and thallophytes of the Bahamas, with keys, notes on explorations and collections, bibliography, and index. 1920. $ 6.25. North American Cariceae, by Kenneth K. Mackenzie, containing 539 plates of Carex and related plants by Harry C. Creutzburg, with a description of each species. Indexed. 1940. Two volumes, 10^ 4 x 13J4 inches; bound $ 17.50. Foreign postage extra. Keys to the North American Species of Carex by K. K. Mackenzie. From Vol. 19, Part 1, of North American Flora. $ 1.25. Plants of the Holy Scriptures, by Eleanor King, with a check- list of plants that are mentioned in the Bible, each one accompanied by a quotation. Revised from the Journal of March 1941. 23 pages, illustrated. 1948. 25 cents. Food and Drug Plants of the North American Indian. Two illustrated articles by Marion A. & G. L. Wittrock in the Journal for March 1942. 15 cents. Vegetables and Fruits for the Home Garden. Four authoritative articles reprinted from the Journal, 21 pages, illustrated. Edited by Carol H. Woodward. 1941. 15 cents. The Flora of the Unicorn Tapestries by E. J. Alexander and Carol H. Woodward. 28 pages, illustrated with photographs and drawings; bound with paper. 1941. Second edition 1947; reprinted 1950. 25 cents. Catalog of Hardy Trees and Shrubs. A list of the woody plants being grown outdoors at the New York Botanical Garden in 1942, in 127 pages with notes, a map, and 20 illustrations. 75 cents. Succulent Plants of New and Old World Deserts by E. J. Alexander. 64 pages, indexed. 350 species treated, 100 illustrated. Bound in paper. 1942. Second edition 1944. 50 cents. Review of Juniperus chinensis, et al by P. J. van Melle. A study of the many varieties and forms of funiperus which have been commonly included in the concept of /. chinensis. 108 pages, illustrated, bound in paper. 1947. $ 2. Periodicals Journal of The New York Botanical Garden, monthly, containing news, book reviews, and non- technical articles on botany, exploration, and horticulture. $ 1.50 a year; single copies 15 cents. Free to members of the Garden. Now in its 51st volume. The Garden, a quarterly, designed to stimulate the laymen's interest in the world of plants and the science of plant life through articles written in popular vein. $ 2 a year in the United States; all other countries, $ 2.50. Published by the Garden's Manhattan office at 801 Madison Avenue, New York 21, N. Y. Now in its second volume. Addisonia, devoted exclusively to colored plates accompanied by popular descriptions of flowering plants; eight plates in each number, thirty- two in each volume. Now in its twenty- second volume. Published irregularly. Subscription price, $ 10 a volume. Not offered in exchange. Free to members of the Garden. Mycologia, bimonthly, illustrated in color and otherwise; devoted to fungi, including lichens, containing technical articles and news and notes of general interest. $ 7 a year; single copies $ 1.50 each. Now in its forty- second volume. Brittonia. A series of botanical papers published in co- operation with the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. Subscription price of volumes 1 through 5, $ 5 a volume ($ 4 to members of the Society). Now in its seventh volume. Price, $ 7.50 ($ 5 to members of the Society). North American Flora. Descriptions of the wild plants of North America, including Greenland, the West Indies, and Central America. 97 parts now issued. Not offered in exchange. Prices of the separate parts on request. Contributions from The Neiv York Botanical Garden. A series of technical papers reprinted from journals other than the above, 1899- 1933- 25 cents each, $ 5 a volume. List of separate titles on request. Memoirs of The New York Botanical Garden. A collection of scientific papers, 1900- 1927. Contents and prices on request. |
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