NATURE 



346 __^ 



in the text, owing to the introduction of new priv 

 cess.es, lor example, under such headings as the manu- 

 facture of liquid carbon dioxide, stw;!. cenients, super- 

 phosphates, the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen, &c. 



The revision here has been thorough, and many 

 new illustrations, mainly photoRraphs. have been 

 added. Tlie older statistical data, xvhich formed so 

 novel a feature of an elementar)- treatise of this kind, 

 have been brought up to date. It is pleasing to note 

 that the few misstatements pointed out m the review 

 of the first edition have been rectified. A few^ mis- 

 prints of names still occur, e.g. Rooseboom for Rooze- 

 boom (1). 87"). "Lothian, Bell" (as /j;;« "'-»'"«) /°'' 

 Ix)thian Bell (p. 876). Gulber for (.uldberg (p. 127), 

 but such misprints are more or less inevitable in view 

 of the verv large number of proper names employed, 

 and is not a serious blemish. The work is un- 

 doubtedlv written bv one with a full knowledge of 

 his subject, and will F)rovo useful to a large public, 

 especiallv to chemical students, engineers, or others 

 interesi.^d .in the later developments of inorganic 

 chemical industry; in it theory and practice are admir- 

 al.lv blended. ' ^^ • ^ ^■ 



Dizionario di AferceoUynia c di Chimica applicata. 



bv Prof. V. Villavecchia. Terza edizione. Vol. 1.. 



A-M. Pp. xii+1558. (Milan: U. Hoepli, iqii.) 



Price 15 lire. 

 The present volume is the third edition of a dictionary 

 of commercial articles, produced in all the various 

 branches of applied chemistry— in the widest sense of 

 the term— ranging from such natural products as 

 minerals and metals, fruits and seeds, oils and fats, 

 through all the branches of applied chemistry upward 

 to the most refined chemical, pharmaceutical, and 

 alimentary preparations. Each article represents a 

 concise monograph on the subject of which it treats. 

 In addition to the Italian synonyms, the French, 

 German, English, and Spanish equivalents are given. 

 Each monograph details the origin, the description, and 

 preparation for the market of the article ; it describes 

 the commercial qualities, characters, properties, com- 

 position, the adulterants frequently found therein, the 

 most characteristic tests for purity, and the uses of 

 each article. Then follow statistical data, informa- 

 tion about market values, and. finally, data concern- 

 ing specifically Italian conditions, such as import 

 duties and imposts, and references to the Italian 

 pharmacopoeia. 



The reviewer has selected at random a number of 

 subjects with which he is specially familiar, and has 

 found the information concise, trustworthy, and ably 

 presented. This work must perforce interest the 

 Italian student in the first instance. The fact that 

 the present volume of 1558 pages, from Abelmosco 

 (musk sefds) to Mussena (Massena), appears in its 

 third, much enlarged edition, testifies to its u-ifulnr^^ 

 to the Italian reader. 



Autitial and Biennial Garden Pla)its : Their ]'aliie and 

 Uses, with Full Instructions for their Cultivation. 

 By A. E. Speer. Pp. xx + 256. (Londcm : John 

 Murray, 191 1.) Price 75. 6d. net. 

 There appears to be no lull in the demand for books 

 on gardening if one may judge from the voluminous 

 output of this class of article. It would seem scarcely 

 possible nowadays for anyone not to be able to grow 

 flowers, so clear are the directiogs and particulars 

 given in numerous manuals. The book before us 

 deals entirely with annual and biennial plants in the 

 form of a glorified nurseryman catalogue. By de- 

 describing it in this w-ay, however, it is not sought to 

 detract from the merits of the work, though it may 

 be remarked in passing that the numerous illustra- 

 tions, six of which are in colour, are so far inferior to 



NO. 2167, VOL. 86] 



[May 11, 



those In the catalogues of our leading see : 

 they might have been omitted with advaiu 



I he few pages of introduction give with udmirabk 

 conciseness the essentials of garden craft for the par- 

 ticular class of plants of which the book treats. Tli- 

 rest of the book is a descriptive catalogue, arrang. : 

 in .ilphabetical order, of the various species an 1 

 varieties of annual and biennial garden plants, ih- 

 author is to be congratulated on having given n 

 nearlv all cases the country of origin and date or 

 introduction of the various plants mentioned, though 

 in this connection the fact that Tropaeoltini uimus was 

 introduced from Peru in 1596 might have been re- 

 corded, as it is tme of the earliest known introduc- 

 tions to this country from South America. He is 

 also careful to give the natural order of each plant 

 and svnonvms, as well as the derivation of the 

 generic n.ime in every case, so that for these "•''itures 

 alone .Mr. Speer's book deserves a place on the sh.-lt 

 of every garden-lover's library. 



Full details as to the procedure to be adopted 

 sowing of seeds and subsequent treatment of the 

 seedlings are ^iven at the end of the account of each 

 genus. 



Paints for Steel .'structures. By Houston Lowe. 

 Fifth edition, revised. Pp. 115- (New York: John 

 Wiley and Sons ; London : Chapman and Hall, 

 Ud.,' 1910.) Price 45. 6d. net. 

 This is a new edition of Mr. Lowe's book, and gives 

 a popular description of the present-day knowledge 

 and experience as to the painting of iron and steel 

 structures. The best method of painting such 

 structures has been for some time attracting the 

 attention of chemists and others in the United States, 

 where a large amount of experimental work has 

 been done, and some very curious and interesting 

 results have been arrived at. Mr. Lowe is familiar 

 with these various experimental tests, and has brought 

 the results together in a convenient and popular form 

 in his little book. There are, of course, a great many 

 interesting chemical problems lying behind the ques- 

 tion of the painting and rusting of iron and steel 

 structures, which cannot yet be considered as having 

 been solved, and therefore much that can be said in 

 a book of this kind is tentative. On the other hand, 

 the experience gained by experimental tests, although 

 sometimes difficult to explain scientifically, is of value 

 to the practical man, and guides him as to what it is 

 best to do. 



The book, therefore, can be recommended to archi- 

 tects and engineers who have to deal with the paint- 

 ing of iron and steel structures, as they will get a 

 great deal of information in a simple form which 

 \vill assist them in drawing up specifications for such 

 purposes. A. P. L. 



Chemisfrv of Food and Sutrition. By Prof. H. C. 

 Sherman. Pp. viii + 355. (New- York: The Mac- 

 millan Company; London: Macmillan and Co., 

 Ltd., 191 1.) Price 6s. 6d. net. 

 This is a useful book; it contains numerous data on 

 the properties, composition, and calorific value of the 

 principal articles of food, and an up-to-date descrip- 

 tion of the scientific principles on which a dietary is 

 constructed, and how it can be adapted to the var>ing 

 i needs of the organism. The author has a clear way 

 j of putting his points, and has exercised much judi- 

 ciousness in not overwhelming his readers \vith too 

 ' many arguments on disputed points; he has carefully 

 selected his authorities, and the quotations he cites 

 are apt and sufficient. On the controversial subject 

 , of the amount of protein necessar>- for an adult in the 

 dav he carefully splits the difference between Voit 

 I and Chittenden.' and places the amount at 75 grams. 

 I The book is well worth careful perusal. \V. D. H. 



