124 AGRICULTL'RAT, SCIENCE. 



pages outlining- modern chemical princii)le.s, chapters deaHng 

 with the atmospliere, the soil, natural waters, crops, manures, 

 stock feeding and dairying, and also one mainly devcted to 

 insecticides and fungicides. Altogether }^Ir. Ingle's handbook 

 is the nearest approach to a South African handbook of agricul- 

 tural chemistry that has yet appeared in print. 



Professor Lohnis, in his laboratory liandbook on Agricul- 

 tural Bacteriology. t has. it is true, no South African illustra- 

 tions to put forward, one obvious reason being that in South 

 Africa agricultural bacteriology is still uninvestigated. This 

 remark does not apply to veterinary bacteriology, which scarcely 

 falls within the ground covered by the author. Moreover, 

 the object of the book is to impart instruction in laboratorv 

 practice. It claims our attention for the important reason that 

 the study of agricultural bacteriology in this land cannot l^e set 

 about too soon in downright earnest, and it is quite time that 

 a thorough and general interest were aroused in this branch of 

 science. The bacteriology of foods, dairy products, manures 

 and soils requires to be understood with far greater clearness 

 than the prevalent hazy notions allow of — notions so hazy, 

 indeed, that bacteriology, chemistry and pharmacy are apt to 

 become agglomerated, in the minds even of those who have to 

 set the pace, into one mass of vague ideas, to the inexpressible 

 detriment of South Africa's agricultural industry. Bacteriology 

 is a relatively new science, and agricultural bacteriology one of 

 its more recent aspects, hence it is not only in South Africa 

 that the bacteriology of agriculture has not been as widely 

 studied as necessity demands : indeed. Professor Lohnis i^ >ints 

 to the abundance of literature on bacteriology for medico} 

 students, and in connection with the brewery industries, wliile a 

 laboratory book on methods of practical as:rieiilturaJ bacteriology 

 has been lacking. The author, therefore, designed his work 

 specially for students of agriculture, in order to fill this gap. 

 He devotes the first five dozen pages to a genera! introduction 

 to the subject of agricultural bacteriology and to experiments 

 in order to induce familiarity with bacteriological technique, but 

 the main part of the book consists of three^ sections, namely, on 

 dairy bacteriology, the bacteriology of manures, and soil 

 bacteriology. \\'hile every farmer need not be an expert bac- 

 teriologist, the dairyman and the agriculturist will be far better 

 equipped for their work if they have books in handy form like 

 that of Professor Lohnis, available for reference, for its character 

 is such that many in South Africa whose student days are over. 

 and had not the opportunities of studying the bacteriology of 

 agriculture which scientific advance has put within the reach of 



t Lohnis, Prof. Dr. F.. Laboratory method.'^ in Af^riciilfiirnl Bacteri- 

 ology. Translated by W. Stevenson and J. Hunter Smitlr Crown 8\o.. pp. 

 xi,V36. London: C." Griffin & Co., Ltd, 1913. 4s. 6d. 



