PROF. KING S NEW BOOK. 



We cannot have too much good litera- 

 ture on any subject and it is therefore with 

 pleasure we review the neat little volume 

 on "Irrigation and Drainage," by Prof. F. 

 H. King, of the University of Wisconsin. 

 Prof. King has wisely departed from the 

 example of many writers on irrigation and 

 has presented in a broad way the funda- 

 mental principles underlying the methods 

 of irrigation and drainage, without taking 

 up the legal or sociological side and with- 

 out entering into a discussion of engineer- 

 ing problems and possibilities which, 

 while very valuable to those intimately 

 connected with these professions are of 

 but slight interest to the ordinary reader, 

 who desires to get a general idea of irriga- 

 tion its history and present standing. 

 To such Prof. King's book is a valuable 

 aid. Sixty-five pages are devoted to an 

 interesting introduction of the sub- 

 ject proper, and the remaining 435 

 pages are divided into two parts, the first 

 dealing with "Irrigation Culture," tracing 

 the history of irrigation from its infancy, 

 thousands of years ago, to the present 

 time, and dealing with the conditions 

 which make it imperative, the measure- 

 ment of water, the character of the water 

 used, methods of application, etc. The 

 second part of the book, "Farm Drainage," 

 discusses the principles of drainage and 

 the practical details of underdraining. 



The book is well bound, nicely printed 

 on a good quality of paper, well illustrated, 

 and in short is a practical and entertaining 

 volume which we unhesitatingly recom- 

 mend to any one desirous of obtaining a 

 clear idea of irrigation and drainage. It 

 is published by The Macmillan Co., 66 

 Fifth Avenue. New York City. Price 

 $1.50. 



SCRIBXER S. 



Scribner's Magazine for June opens 

 with an article appropriate to the season 

 of national conventions. It is entitled 

 "How a President Is Elected," and gives 

 a view behind the scenes of the way in 

 which the machinery of a Presidential 

 election is put in motion. It begins with 

 a meeting of the National Committee 

 which decides on the place where the con- 

 vention is to be held, and terminates with 

 the last night of the campaign when the 

 successful chairman telephones from head- 

 quarters, "I congratulate you, Mr. Presi- 

 dent." The author, A. Maurice Low, is a 

 Washington correspondent who has had 

 every facility to see the workings of a cam- 

 paign. A brilliant series of pictures fully 

 illustrate the narrative. Another article 

 of national interest is "Are the Philip- 

 pines Worth Having?" by George F. 

 Becker, a United States geologist who re- 

 cently spent more than a year in the is- 

 lands. This article is a very clear exposi- 

 tion of the mineral, industrial, and agri- 

 cultural possibilities of the islands, with 

 an account of their climate and the char- 

 acteristics of the people. It contains more 

 valuable condensed information about the 

 islands than has heretofore appeared, and 

 is fully illustrated from recent photo- 

 graphs. 



THE FORUM. 



Among the thirteen articles in the June 

 Forum, there are at least seven which will 

 be widely quoted and discussed: Consul- 

 General Ho Yow's vigorous criticism of 

 "The Attitude of the United States 

 Towards the Chinese;" "Do We Owe In- 

 dependence to the Filipinos?" by the Hon. 

 Charlei Denby; Sir Charles W. Dilke's 

 paper on "U. K., U. S., and the Ship 

 Canal;" "The Present Position of the 



