856 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



claimed for the clerical force of the Institu- 

 tion, and its excellence is attributed to the 

 absence of politics. 



The sixth and seventh parts of Mr. Ricli- 

 ard A. Proctor^ s Old and New Astronomy 

 (Longmans, Green & Co., London and New 

 York) relate to the physical functions and 

 constitution of the sun and to the planet 

 Mercury. The author's method of treatment 

 is clear and interesting ; he is well at home 

 in the subject, and has endeavored to serve 

 it in this book as one should serve the chosen 

 and ultimate work of his Ufe. The publish- 

 ers have done their part in making the work 

 attractive, presenting a page of pleasant as- 

 pect, abundantly illustrated with figures in- 

 tended to make the text more easily intelli- 

 gible, and engraved in a style that leaves 

 nothing to be desired. 



Several monographs have been sent us 

 by Dr. Alexis A. Julien — reprints of papers 

 read during several years past before scien- 

 tific societies. The one among them of the 

 most direct value is that on the Decay of the 

 Building- Stones of New York City, in which 

 the various stones employed in architecture 

 and their several qualities — particularly those 

 affecting their durability — are described. In 

 the Genesis of the Crystalline Iron Ores, the 

 various theories on the subject and the au- 

 thor's conclusions are given. — The Sealed 

 Flasks of Crystal calls attention to the liquid 

 inclosures in crystals, which are more fre- 

 quent than they are known to be, explains 

 their occurrence, and tells how to find them. 

 — A double paper On the Variation of De- 

 composition in the Iron Pyrites ; its Cause, 

 and its Relation to Density, besides the feat- 

 ures of treatment suggested, tells many 

 things concerning a common mineral, in a 

 style acceptable to the general reader. — Other 

 papers in the list are On the Geology of Great 

 JBarrington, Mass. ; Notes on the Gladation 

 of the Shawangunk Mountain, N. Y. ; The 

 Dunite Beds of North Carolina ; and the 

 Volcanic Tuffs of Challis, Idaho, and other 

 Western Localities. 



According to the Report of the State 

 Mineralogist, W. J. Irelan, Jr., the State 

 Mining Bureau of California is satisfying a 

 want which the State has been in much need 

 of since the beginning of quartz or ledge 

 mining. It is gatliering the records of the 

 earliest mining ventures, collecting statistics 



of present developments, studying the meth- 

 ods of recovery of the precious metals, ex- 

 amining the unexplored mineral sections, 

 determining the lithological structure of the 

 inclosing rocks, and making known to the 

 world the mineral resources of the State. It 

 has collected an extensive museum of speci- 

 mens, and is accumulating a valuable library 

 of books treating on the subjects for which 

 it was created. The report for 1888 treats 

 all of the counties of the State separately, 

 with all matters bearing upon their mining 

 interests and development ; and its nine hun- 

 dred and forty-nine pages are full of infor- 

 mation respecting the geology, mineralogy, 

 mines, method of working, machinery, and 

 results of each district. 



The Reports and Bulletins of the Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Stations, whether exam- 

 ined collectively or separately, furnish infor- 

 mation of value, to a large extent fresh. One 

 from Hatch Experime)it Station of the Massa- 

 chusetts Agricultural College (No. 3, January, 

 1889) is devoted chiefly to Tuberculosis. — 

 The Annual Report of the Connecticut Sta- 

 tion for 1888 includes a paper on Fertilizers, 

 their analysis and value ; Bulletin No. 96 of 

 the same station (January, 1889) is on the 

 Valuation of Feeding -Stuffs. — Bulletin No. 2 

 (October, 1888) of the Storrs School Station, 

 Mansfield, Conn., records Experiments on the 

 Effects of Tillage -upon Soil Moisture. — Bul- 

 letin No. 4, of the New York Station, Geneva, 

 is on the Chemical Composition of some Feed- 

 ing - Stuffs (grasses, clovers, forage - crops, 

 grains, and by-products). — Bulletins Nos. 3 

 and 4 of Cornell University Station (Novem- 

 ber and December, 1888) relate to certain 

 insects and to the growing of corn for fod- 

 der and ensilage. — Bulletin No. 3 of the 

 University of Illiyiois Station (November, 

 1888) relates to Field Experiments in Oats. 

 — Bulletins Nos. 2 and 3 of loiva Agricult- 

 ural Collccje Station contain thirteen arti- 

 cles on " Corn-Tassels, Silks, and Blades " ; 

 " Characteristics of Hardy and Tender Fruit- 

 Trees"; "Promising New Fruits, Grasses, 

 Insects, and Insect Remedies," and other 

 subjects. 



The Report of the Commissioned' of In- 

 ternal Revenue, Hon. Joseph S. Miller, for 

 the last fiscal year, deals chiefly with tobacco, 

 spirits, substitutes for butter, and adultera- 



