LITERARY NOTICES. 



853 



nearer the date to which it applies than any 

 previous statistical report issued by the com- 

 mission. It might be prepared still earlier, 

 except for the fact that the railways are 

 dilatory in handing in their returns. The 

 railway mileage in the United States at the 

 date of closing the report was 176,461 miles, 

 showing an increase during the year of 4,8975 

 miles, or 2'80 per cent. This rate of increase 

 as compared with the corresponding rates for 

 previous years shows that the railway con- 

 struction of the year stood below the average 

 of construction for the six preceding years, 

 but was in excess of the rate for the account- 

 ing year immediately preceding. The report 

 is a solid mass of facts and figures tabulated 

 to a very great extent, relating to all sides of 

 railway construction, operation, service, and 

 finance ; equipment, men employed, capital- 

 ization and valuation of property, public 

 service, earnings and expenses, and acci- 

 dents. The commissioners close the report 

 with recommendations that express com- 

 panies, owners of rolling stock, depot prop- 

 erty, stock yards, and the like, and carriers 

 by water, connected with railway interstate 

 traffic, be required to make reports to the 

 commission. 



With The Play of the Planets a mechan- 

 ical chart or i-evolving card, on which are de- 

 picted the phases of the moon, cprtain plane- 

 tai'y elements, the zodiac, and the days of the 

 month by the aid of the Book of the Play, 

 one may learn' to cast his horoscope. The 

 book of which, as well as of the game, F. E. 

 Ormsby is the author, by way of illustration 

 casts the horoscope of " Baby Esther," who 

 was born September 9, 1893. The work is 

 described as " a game, amusing and instruc- 

 tive," and in conformity with this a number 

 of games are given which may be played in 

 the social circle ; and it is as much for pur- 

 poses of amusement as of astrology that the 

 " play " is constructed. (Planetary Publish- 

 ing Company, Chicago. Price, $1.) 



Mr. Ormsby is also editor of a new month- 

 ly periodical. Planets and People, " devoted 

 to the science of occult forces, astronomy, 

 vibration, magnetism, life, and the mystery 

 of worlds, suns, and systems," which is pub- 

 lished by Ormsby & Sprague, Chicago. It 

 will give the first half of each number to 

 articles and sayings of leading minds and 

 thinkers m the occult realms of investigation. 



while the rest will embrace plain astronomy, 

 occult astronomy or astrology, both the helio- 

 centric and geocentric systems, physiology, 

 anatomy, phrenology, physiognomy, etc. 



The Sixth Annual Report of the Agricul- 

 tural Expsriment Station of Cornell Univer- 

 sity, besides the report of the director, /. P. 

 Roberts, contains the reports of the treasurer 

 and chemist, the botanist and arboriculturist, 

 the cryptogamic botanist and plant patholo- 

 gist, and the entomologist, agriculturist, and 

 horticulturist, and an appendix of twelve 

 bulletins, to which special attention is called 

 as containing matter of prime importance. 

 The year's investigations embraced a large 

 amount of practical and scientific work ; and 

 the quality of the woik is represented as 

 steadily improving. A glance at the bulletins, 

 without having time to examine them care- 

 fully, seems to confirm the director's estimate 

 of them that they are of high scientific char- 

 acter, and will be exceedingly useful to the 

 farmers. 



The periodical Our Animal Friends is 

 much more than the organ of the American 

 Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ani- 

 mals, and publishes so much matter of varied 

 interest relating to natural history and the 

 ways and doings of animals, with anecdotes 

 of animals and stories, with general informa- 

 tion, and handsome illustrations as to make 

 it a very attractive magazine for children 

 and the family. The twenty-first volume 

 September, 1893, to August, 1894 comes to 

 us handsomely bound and fitted to adorn 

 equally the library shelves or the table. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



Abbott, Arthur Vaughan. The Evolution of a 

 Switch Board. Madison, Wis. : University of Wis- 

 consin. Pp. 32. 



The Astrophysical Journal . An International 

 Review of Spectroscopy and Astronomical Phys- 

 ics. Monthly. Vol. I, Nos. 1 and 2, January and 

 February, 1895. Press of the University of Chi- 

 cago. Pp. 100. 50 cents. $4 a year. 



Atwater, W. O. Foods ; Nutritive Value and 

 Cost. Washington : United States Department of 

 Agriculture. Pp. .32. 



Aerial Navigation, Proceedings of the Inter- 

 national Conference on, at Chicago, August, 1893. 

 New York : American Engineer and Railroad 

 Journal. Pp. 429. $2.50. 



Ashland Collegiate Institute, Ashland, Ky. 

 Catalogue. Pp. 16. 



Baring-Gould, S. Noemi. New York : D. Ap- 

 pleton & Co. Pp. 263. 50 cents. 



Bedell, Frederick. On Magnetic Potential. Re- 

 print from the Physical Review. Pp. G. 



