1920] RURAL ECONOMICS. 91 



masonry tank of suitable stone is durable and costs slightly less than the con- 

 crete tank. The timber tank, although very much cheaper, is reganhnl only as 

 a temporary structure with a life of about ten years. It is liable to give 

 trouble in use, requires more attention in maintenance than either a concrete 

 or masonry tank, and can seld<»m be economically constructed in East Africa 

 except where suitable timber is available at a reasonable price. The most 

 suitable stone for masonry work is one which can be easily dres.se(l with a 

 chisel and is fairly^hard and compact. Very soft stone which can be cut out 

 with an axe is considered undesirable. 



Feeding alfalfa hay, H. C. Gardiner (Natl. Wool Grower, 10 {1920), No. 2. 

 PI). II-I4. flvK. 4). — Plans for feeding racks for sheep and cattle are given and 

 discussed. 



The design of these structures has been based on a feeding period of al)out 

 90 to 120 days. The basic principle of design is the presence of a hollow wall 

 which acts as a feed chute from the principal bin. The purpose of these racks 

 is to prevent loss in hay, it being stated that in the average feeding of alfalfa 

 to sheep there is an approximate loss of from 15 to 20 per cent. Experience 

 with these feed sheds for both cattle and sheep is briefly reviewed. While the 

 cattle feeding rack is designed of sufficient strength to permit moving by an 

 engine, it is concluded that they are best left in place and not movetl, and that 

 instead of erecting the rack on a sill it should be built on cement blocks or on a 

 concrete wall. 



How to build a straw stack {Agr. Gaz. [London], 90 (1919), No. 2^00, p. 

 678, fifis. S). — Brief practical information on the building of straw stacks is 

 given. 



It is stated that there is no necessity for forming a steep roof on a stack to 

 make it turn the rain, and that a full and rounded top is even more effective. 

 Sections of oblong and round stacks in course of erection are given, showing 

 right and wrong methods. The stack should be begun in the middle, using a 

 continuous ridge of hard trampled straw and be gradually Imilt up from the 

 center outward. In forming the outside walls the straw should be shaken out 

 and made to slope downward at the extreme edge. It is considered better to 

 use a hand fork in building a straw stack than an elevator attached to the 

 thrasher. 



RURAL ECONOMICS. 



Rural socialization, N. L. Sims (PoUt. Sci. Quart., 35 {1920), No. 1, pp. 54- 

 76). — The four stages in the development of community consciousness, which 

 the author considers is needed in most American rural communities, are said to 

 be marked by the functioning first of the gregarious instinct, then the play 

 Impulse, the economic need, and lastly the cultural interest. He holds that the 

 agency of pressure is unreliable, and that personal leadership springing from the 

 country itself, and trained in communal outlook and the fundamentals of com- 



I munity building, is essential. • 



The farmer's place in American business, A. Capper (New York: Natl. 

 Com.. .4.s.<?or. Advertisino Clubs World. 1920, pp. [11] ; a^so in Rpt. Proc. Farm 

 Paper Conf. and Exhibit, N. Y., 1920, pp. 61-66).— The author indicates the 

 fundamental role of the farmer as a producer of wealth, and urges business 

 Interests to investigate and advertise to the farm market. 



The farmer and the farm market, E. T. Meredith (Rpt. Proc. Farm Paper 

 Conf. and E.chihit, N. Y., 1920, pp. ^0-^8).— This is an address before the Farm 

 Paper Conference and Exhibit in New York City in January. 1920, in which is 



I presented an account of the farmers' buying power and tastes. 



