CURRENT LITERATURE 



687 



Land Problems and National Welfare. By 

 Christopher Turner, with an introduc- 

 tion by the Right Hon. Viscount Milner, 

 G. C. B., G. C. M. G., etc. pp. xvil, 

 344. London: John Lane, the Bodley 

 Head; New "Vork: John Lane Com- 

 pany, 1911. Price, $2.50 net. 

 This is a thoughtful study of land prob- 

 lems as the basis of social economics, and 

 political reforms. Its author is a land- 

 owner, who, says Lord Milner in his in- 

 troduction, "combines with practical knowl- 

 edge of agriculture a high sense of the 

 duties of his position, and, what is perhaps 

 more uncommon, a keen sympathy with the 

 farmer and the laborer." Mr. Turnor in 

 his own preface quotes at length from the 

 report of the Roosevelt country life com- 

 mission, saying that its conclusions are 

 applicable in England and "form an excel- 

 lent preface to the whole subject of rural 

 development." It may be said in return 

 that while this volume applies to English 

 conditions which differ so materially in 

 many ways from ours, there is much in 

 it that is worth the attention of our Amer- 

 ican students of rural development. In- 

 deed we find that so far as the economic 

 and practical conditions of agriculture are 

 concerned this book might almost have been 

 written for an American audience. It 

 treats successively of the landowner, the 

 farmer, the rural laborer, education and 

 agriculture, political economy and the land, 

 small holdings and agriculture, agricultural 

 organizations, politics and the land, the 

 land and the empire. In view of the pres- 

 ent acuteness of the forestry problem in 

 England and the opinion advanced on ex- 

 cellent authority that some millions of 

 acres of indifferent agricultural land should 

 be utilized for reforestation, it is disap- 

 pointing to find so broad and intelligent a 

 student of conditions as Mr. Turnor ignor- 

 ing this side of the land question alto- 

 gether. 



Woodworking Safeguards for the Preven- 

 tion of Accidents in Lumbering and 

 Woodworking Industries. By David 

 Van Schaack. Aetna Life Insurance 

 Company, Accident and Liability De- 

 partment. Hartford, Conn., 1911. pp. 

 217. Price. $1.00 



The Aetna Company has done a good 

 service in publishing this volume. Appli- 

 ances of wide variety for safeguarding 

 workmen from the logging plant through 

 the various factories are described and il- 

 lustrated with numerous pictures designed 

 to make their point with great clearness. 

 The author does not claim that he has in- 

 cluded all patented or home-made safety 

 devices in use in the woodworking indus- 

 tries, but this survey of the field is very 

 comprehensive, nevertheless. We are hav- 

 ing it brought home to us that we Ameri- 

 cans must be more regardful of human life 



and limb and not think solely of the ma- 

 chine and the product. The wood pro- 

 ducing and working industries are in the 

 dangerous class and should be safeguarded 

 in every possible way. 



Trees and How to Know Them,. A Manual 

 with Analytical and Dichotomous Keys 

 of the Principal Forest Trees of the 

 South. By W. A. Lambeth, M.D., Ph.D., 

 Professor of Field Botany in the Sum- 

 mer School of the University of Vir- 

 ginia, pp. 52. Atlanta, Richmond, 

 Dallas: B. F. Johnson Publishing Com- 

 pany, 1911. 

 A key for the identification of species 

 with brief descriptions of leaves, flower clus- 

 ters, and fruits, and a glossary of botanical 

 terms. The south is less well supplied 

 than the north with such instruments for 

 local tree study and this will probably be 

 serviceable. It includes the common trees 

 of the south, both indigenous and intro- 

 duced. Emphasis is placed upon the leaves, 

 as being easiest for the beginner. 



Ornamental Shrubs of the United States 

 (hardy, cultivated). By Austin Craig 

 Apgar. pp. 352. New York: American 

 Book Company, 1910. 

 This little manual by the well known au- 

 thor of "Trees of the Northern United 

 States" was completed by Professor Apgar 

 just before his death and edited by his 

 daughter. It is Intended for the use of those 

 who are not botanists but who wish to 

 know by name the shrubs to be seen in 

 parks and private grounds. For its pur- 

 pose it is convenient and well arranged. 

 Its main parts are three: leaves, flowers 

 and fruit; keys to the genera; and de- 

 scriptions of the shrubs. There is a 

 glossary and index. The illustrations are 

 from the author's sketches. 



The Forests of the Philippines 



A bulletin on "The Forests of the Philip- 

 pines" has just been issued by the Philip- 

 pine Bureau of Forestry under the direc- 

 tion of Major George P. Ahern. The au- 

 thor is Dr. H. N. Whitford, chief of the 

 division of investigation, who, in a course 

 of studies extending for several years and 

 covering practically all accessible portions 

 of the archipelago, has gathered together 

 and embodied in this bulletin the most com- 

 plete and authentic discussion of the sub- 

 ject which has yet been prepared. The 

 book will be found of great value by all 

 who are interested in the forests of the 

 Philippines and their products, whether 

 the point of view be that of a scientist, a 

 business man, or a lover of nature. In 

 many respects the forests of the Philippines 

 are among the most varied and wonder- 

 ful in the world, and now almost for the 



