REVIEWS 501 



industrial chemistry. The present volume is one of a series entitled " Industrial 

 Chemistry," produced under the editorship of Dr. Samuel Rideal. As stated in the 

 general preface,'". . . the British Empire has now an opportunity of increasing 

 its industrial output by the application of this knowledge to the raw materials 

 available in the different parts of the world." 



The author's plan has been to " pick up the story of those industrial waste 

 products which are useful as fertilisers, and carry it on through the soil and crops, 

 until new products are available for industrial uses." It should be said at once 

 that the author has succeeded in producing a rather remarkable little book, for 

 it contains a large amount of varied information in a comparatively small compass. 

 The book is divided into four parts, dealing respectively with Fertilisers, Soils, 

 Crops, and The Production of Meat ; the table of contents includes a large variety 

 of subjects, ranging from the properties and uses of the various fertilisers to the 

 chemistry, characteristics and uses of the crops produced ; there are, moreover, 

 sections devoted to the calorific value of foods, the future prospects of scientifically 

 controlled agriculture, and to the discussion of labour difficulties and education of 

 land workers. With such a big programme it is only natural that the information 

 imparted should occasionally be somewhat brief, not to say scrappy, but any 

 deficiencies in this respect are amply made up for by a very complete bibliography 

 which enables the reader to supplement his knowledge in any desired direction. 



The author has very pronounced views on the application of scientific 

 principles to agriculture, and quite rightly points out that the unintelligent use of 

 fertilisers can easily do more harm than good, and a knowledge of the proper 

 fertilisers requires not merely a knowledge of the fertilisers themselves, but also 

 of the types of soil to which they are to be applied and the conditions under 

 which the cultivation of the crops is undertaken ; or again : " To-day the needs of 

 agriculture in populous countries are often more connected with the mismanage- 

 ment of the past than with any other one factor." His views on the production of 

 beet sugar in this country are that it can undoubtedly be accomplished success- 

 fully, but that only the future can tell whether it would be a profitable undertaking ; 

 experience shows, however, that "no nation can afford to be entirely dependent upon 

 outside sources, and at least some fraction of the necessary sugar may have to be 

 grown in Great Britain, even if it is not economically profitable." With regard to 

 the supply of agricultural labour after the war the author considers that the 

 returned soldier who has learnt the use of spade and pick may be well suited to 

 agriculture and forestry, while many women at the end of the war will be more 

 suited than the returned soldiers to the routine work formerly done by men. 



In conclusion, it may be said that the book is replete with useful information, 



presented in a thoroughly readable form, and should be read by all who are 



interested in the agricultural future of the country. 



P. H. 



The Chemistry of Synthetic Drugs. By Percy May, D.Sc, F.I.C. Second 

 edition, revised and enlarged. [Pp. xii + 250.] (London : Longmans, 

 Green & Co., 191 8. Price icy. 6d. net.) 



The author points out in the preface that new drugs are constantly being intro- 

 duced, but that their constitution is frequently unknown to chemists possessing an 

 otherwise general knowledge of organic chemistry : the present book is designed 

 to remedy this state of affairs and to stimulate interest in a branch of chemistry 

 which affords scope for commercial application. In view of the difficulty ex- 

 perienced in this country in maintaining supplies of essential synthetic drugs at 



