LITERARY NOTICES. 



5 6 3 



botany ; physics, meteorology, astronomy, ge- 

 ography, and geology receive attention once 

 in two weeks ; chemistry and mineralogy once 

 a month. The author, however, considers the 

 exaltation of one science above another and 

 the artificial sequence found in various cur- 

 ricula very misleading. The life of the indi- 

 vidual is the natural center of interest, and 

 each science has its value in revealing the 

 forces that modify it. This idea should be 

 emphasized as the motive for acquiring knowl- 

 edge. From another standpoint, the author 

 does not believe in specialization for begin- 

 ners. The child-mind is drawn toward Na- 

 ture at first from all sides. To accord with 

 this, study should be primarily broad rather 

 than deep. It will be useful to note if this 

 method results in preserving the youthful 

 zest for knowledge. The book contains an 

 index and suggestions for reading in connec- 

 tion with each subject. 



In a paper on Comparative Architecture, 

 Mr. Barre Ferree defines his subject as taking 

 the facts of historical and descriptive archi- 

 tecture and describing the comparative prog- 

 ress made by all nations under all conditions. 

 It does not concern itself with the history and 

 descriptions of styles, but with the reasons 

 for their existence. There is no greater evil 

 in architectural study than isolation. No 

 just estimate of all the works of men can be 

 possible which does not take into account 

 their buildings; yet architectural historians 

 do not hesitate to prepare essays on these 

 subjects in which the historical events that 

 rendered possible the great structures they 

 are describing are ignored or scarcely re- 

 ferred to. "As complete a record is needed 

 for understanding the life of a building as 

 for understanding the life of a man." Such 

 are some of the features which the author 

 regards as essential to an adequate treatment 

 of the subject. 



The Report for 1891 of the Chief of the 

 Weather Bureau refers more particularly to 

 the scientific and practical work of the office, 

 and enlarges upon some of the features of 

 especial interest to the public. The chief of 

 the bureau has endeavored to extend the 

 benefits of the meteorological service to agri- 

 cultural interests, as they had already been 

 applied to commercial requirements. The 

 attempt to enlist in the work scientific men 



of established reputation not regularly con- 

 nected with the bureau has been fairly suc- 

 cessful. In their reports especial attention 

 will be paid to the applications of meteorol- 

 ogy to agriculture. 



A very useful number of the Experiment 

 Station Bulletins of the Department of Agri- 

 culture is that which consists of a paper on 

 The Fermentations of Milk, by H. W. Conn, 

 of Wesleyan University. The paper contains 

 a summary of our present knowledge regard- 

 ing the decomposition changes in milk under 

 the influence of ferment changes and bacte- 

 ria, with particular reference to the needs of 

 the dairy industry. Among the special topics 

 discussed are fermentation by rennet, sour- 

 ing, the number of bacteria in milk, relation 

 of electricity to souring, alkaline fermenta- 

 tion, butyric acid, bitter milk, alkaline curd- 

 ling and the peptonizing process, blue milk, 

 alcoholic fermentation, slimy fermentation, 

 miscellaneous fermentations, and the practi- 

 cal bearing of the subject upon dairying in 

 its several branches. 



The Seventh Annual Report of the Board 

 of Health of the State of Maine is largely de- 

 voted to school hygiene, and embodies what 

 might be called considerable treatises on the 

 healthf ulness of schoolhouses, school diseases 

 and infectious diseases, the personal hygiene 

 of the pupil, the hygiene of instruction, phys- 

 ical culture, the schoolroom, desks and seats, 

 ventilation, heating, water-closets, etc., and 

 schoolhouse plans. An act to provide for the 

 registration of vital statistics went into effect 

 in the beginning of 1892, some of the fruits 

 of which may be looked for in future reports. 

 A. G. Young, M. D., secretary, Augusta. 



A feature in the movement to secure the 

 systematic construction of better roads, which 

 is now pushed with vigor all over the land, is 

 A Memorial to Congress on the Subject of « 

 Comprehensive Exhibit of Roads, their Con- 

 struction and Maintenance, at the World's 

 Columbian Exposition, with an open letter to 

 the President of the United States, in which 

 Albert A. Pope is the chief promoter. The 

 memorial is re-enforced by a large volume of 

 expressions of personal and newspaper opin- 

 ions. 



Contributions from the Botanical Labora- 

 tory of the University of Pennsylvania, Vol. I, 

 No. 1, contains papers on Rudbeckia hirta (a 

 monstrous specimen), by J. T. Rothrock ; 



