ToL. I. No. U. 



THE AGrJCULTURAL NEWS. 



219 



.^^S=. 



I'KOGRESSIVE LESSORS IX SCIENCE. By 

 A. Abbot, M.A., (Oxoii.) and Artliui- Key, M.A., (Oxon.) 

 J/<;.-<r.--. Blackie it Sons, Limited, Lon-lon, IS'JO. Tiice 3.<. 6(/. 



The subject matter of this book is not so wide as tlie 

 title would lead us to expect, it is confined to the clieniistry 

 •of those substances which are found in animal and vegetable 

 tissues. 



Part I. gives an elementary account of tlie chemistry of 

 the non-nictallic elements found in plants and animals and 

 of a few of their more important mixtures and compounds. 

 Thus we get chapters on water, air, oxygen, suli)huric, 

 nitric and hydrochloric acids, chlorine, ammonia, carbon 

 dioxide, etc. Besides, these we have some account of the 

 theory of chemistry in chapters on ' Acids, Bases and Smalts,' 

 ' Laws of Chemical Combination,' ' The Atomic Theory,' 

 ' Chemical Nomenclature,' ' The Eijuivalent,' and ' The 

 C'oml.iining Volumes of Gases.' 



Tlie great merit of this part of the book is the way in 

 which every fact is taught as the result of an experiment, 

 whicli is actually performed by the student. This is 

 undoubtedly the only method of truly teaching science. 

 Some of the experiments however, for proving the laws 

 of chemical cond)iuation (Chap, xvii.), and for determining 

 the equivalent (Chap, xix.), ap}iear to re(]uire a much higher 

 degree of teclmical skill than can be expected from a young 

 student, and these would have to be given as demonstrations 

 by the teacher. 



A fault, that is frequently met with, and which wcjuld 

 tend to render the book unsuitable for a beginner lies in the 

 way ill which scientific terms are used before they have been 

 proi)erly explained. Thus we are told that ' air is a mixture 

 of two "gases (p. 2.3), and the terms ' element' and 'comiiound' 

 are fre(iueiitly used before any definition or exiilanation has 

 been given of what is meant by ' clement,' ' cumpdund' 

 'mixture.' 



Part II consists mainly of experiments for determining 

 qualitative!}-, the presence of the elements found in blood, 

 various animal and vegetaljle food-stuti's and in snil. The 

 tests are ea.sy to perforin and the subject matter is novel and 

 should prove very interesting. The subject is an imjiortant 

 one and is thoroughly worked out here; thus in the chapter 

 on phosphorus we are first given the ammonium molybdate 

 test for phosphates and then we test for phosiihate in the 

 ash from lilood, bone, brain, milk, seeds, filberts, fruits, yolk 

 of egg, fish, and in garden soil, granite and iihosphatic 

 manures. Tlie chapters on the other elements are similarly 

 complete. The last three chapters give a comiilete, (|ualitative 

 analyses of ditferent food-stuti's, milk, eggs, etc. 



Day in the West Indies. .\ number of islands have already 

 taken steps to give practical etiect to the suggestion. It is very 

 important that each Colony shouhl make a jioint of sulwti- 

 tuting young growtlis for tlie trees whicli are annually cut 

 down in the way of trade or otherwise. Some of the 

 self-governing Colonies have observed Arbor Day for years, 

 and on the Cmitinent of Europe it is considered a |mblic 

 holiday. In Italy, according to a recent writer, the Ffxln 

 (leliji Alhcri, or the ' Feast of Trees' has become a popular 

 institution. Its object is the gradual re aB"orestation of the 

 country. At the first cel.-bration of the festival no fewer 

 than 1,.300 young pine trees were i)lanted, and each year it is 

 intended to plant 1,;'.00 more, so that in cour.se of time a 

 forest of health-giving trees will spread over the Campagna. 

 The Queen of Italy is patroness of the movement, and at 

 the first gathering, in the pre.sence of 30,000 people, .she 

 fired, liy means of an electric wire, the guns which gave the 

 signal for the commencement of the planting. 



Already Sweden has benefited by the wisdom wliicli 

 guided her people of a past generation to adopt sueli a. 

 course ; for the town of Orsa, in the course of a generation 

 has .sold £l,ir)0,000 worth of trees, and by means of 

 judicious replanting has i)rovided for a similar income every 

 thirty or forty years. In conseipience of the development of 

 this commercial wealth there are no taxes. Just imagine 

 that ! Railways and teleiihones are free, and so are the srliool 

 houses, teaching, and many other things. When will our 

 forest growths be |)roductive of so happy a consummation. 



ARBOR DAY. 



A correspondent of the Uemenira Aiyos;/ wi'itos 

 thus in reference to the observution of an Arbor Day 

 in the We.st Indies : — 



I notice Dr. Morris continues to advocate in the current 

 number of the Agricultural Xew$, the observation of Arbor 



COMMERCIAL INQUIRIES IN THE 

 WEST INDIES. 



In a previous number (if the A'jrirultural Ncw^ (\\.'i'i^) 

 was puljlisiied a list of officers designated in the West Indies 

 to undertake the duties of receiving and answering commer- 

 cial inquiries whicli may be addressed to them either by the 

 Clommercial Intelligence Branch of the Board of Trade, or by 

 merchants and British trader.s who may seek advice. 

 The Board of Trndf Jourmtl, records that the following 

 additional aiiiiointments have been made : 



St. Kitts-Nevis ... The A.ssistaiit Treasurer. 



Dominica ... The Treasurer. 



Montserrat ... The First Treasury Oflicer. 



The Virgin Islanils ... The Commissioner. 



SOUR-GRASS AND TICKS. 



On page 105 of the A(jricalfui-iil Xews reference 

 wa.s made t^) the value of sour-gi-a.ss in warding oft' the 

 attacks of ticks and other ])arasites found infesting 

 cattle in some parts of the West Iii<lies, and it was 

 suggested that stock keepers might liy observations 

 ascertain whether or not animals fed upon sour-gTa.ss 

 were eipiallv liable to infection by tick.s. Adverting to 

 the subject" Mr. C. T. ]\Iurphy of Turner's Hall school, 

 Barbados, writes: — 



' W^ith reference to s<jur grass I iia\-e observed 

 that cattle always eat it best when withered ; and that 

 those cattle which eat it best rarely have a tick, whilst 

 their hides are loose and glossy. I think that if the 

 o-rass is cut just as it is about to flower, and cured 

 similar to hay. little or no difficulty would be experi- 

 enced in getting animals to eat it. I have also found 

 ' Simpsons' spice ' valuable in ridding cows of ticks, 

 besides improving their condition.' 



