Library op the Department of Agriculture. 137 



(4) Bibliography (including- library and piiblisliers' cata- 



logues, etc.). 



(5) Economic sciences (statistics of various countries, educa- 



tion, political and social economy, finance, labour, 

 wage.^:, rent, commerce, etc.). 



(6) Useful arts (engineering, manufactures, trades, etc.). 



(7) Mathematics (surveying, etc.). 



(8) Agriculture (and all its branches). 



(9) Physical science (physics, geography, meteorology, 



chemistry, geology, etc.). 



(10) Biological science (natural history, zoology', entomology, 



embryology, evolution, heredity, botany, bacteriology, 

 pathology, etc.). 



(11) vScientific periodicals and societies (transactions, memoirs, 



etc.). 



Among these numerous works there are, naturally, items of 



Outstanding Interest to Every One. 



For instance, under travels Ave find books like those of Barrow oil, 

 travels in Southern Africa with early descriptions of the country, 

 and numerous illustrations and valuable information concerning 

 products, animals, etc. Under agriculture such works as transla- 

 tions of the treatises by " Cato and Varro " on Roman farm manage- 

 ment make excellent reading, and are invaluable to the student of 

 agricultural history and economics. Many works of this descrip- 

 tion written in the days of ancient Rome and Greece enunciate prin- 

 ciples which still hold good to-day and give opinions and advice 

 remarkable for their wisdom. Under botany, Johan Commelin's 

 work, published in Amsterdam in 1697, is of particular interest to 

 South Africa, containing as it does descriptions of plants found at 

 the Cape of Good Hope and sent to the Botanic Gardens in Amster- 

 dam by Governor Simon van der Stel. A most important part of 

 the collection is formed by the old English classics, such as the 

 works of Jethro Tull (1674-1740), Sir John Sinclair (1754-1835), 

 Arthur Young (1741-1820), etc. Many other items of considerable 

 interest could be mentioned. Naturally, up-to-date works for the 

 practical farmer bulk largely ; for example, a person wishing to build 

 a silo on modern lines can find what he wants as well as the one 

 wanting to know the particular crops most likely to bring him in the 

 best returns in his district. 



Though the Library is still far from complete, the casual visitor 

 will find that its value has not been over-rated. His appetite for 

 books of general culture and literary interest will be well satisfied, 

 while, at the same time, the practical value of the library to him, 

 either as a farmer or as a student, will be considerable, and he will 

 be stimulated to further reading, either by repeating his visits or by 

 making use of the scheme under which ordinary books (which do not 

 include works of reference) are lent out under special regulations, 

 copies of which may be obtained from the Librarian, 



