Reviews. — Bost. Journal of J\'^atural History. 1S5 



and equal!)' ? Is its power of retaining water equal? As a areneral 

 fact, it may he stated, that the soil which absorbs fastest and most, 

 evaporates slowest and least. Geine evaporates least in a jriven 

 time. The power of evaporation is modified by the consistence of 

 soil; by a different dei^rree of looseness or compactness of soil. Gar- 

 den mould, for instance, dries faster than clay. As it has been al- 

 ready shown that the power of being warmed is much modified by 

 moisture, so the ])ower of a soil to retain water makes the distinc- 

 tion of a hot or cold, wet or dry soil. In all the relations to mois- 

 ture, as to heat, geiue exercises the greatest influence. 



The volume should form an accompaniment to every good 

 husbandman's library; its analyses of soils and manures should 

 be familiar to all who wish to improve their soils, and in- 

 crease the product of their farms. 



Art. II. Boston Journal of J\''atural History; containing 

 papers and communications read before the Boston Society 

 of JValural History, and publis'ied by their direction. Vol. 

 IV., No. 1. Boston: 1842. 



The present number commences the fourth volume of the 

 Society's publication. It contains eleven excellent articles 

 on subjects connected with natural history, the only one of 

 which, relating to botany, is that by Mr. Teschemacher, de- 

 scribing a new species of the Rafflesirt, an abstract from 

 which we have already given, (p. 135.) 



We are pleased to learn that the Society is in so flourish- 

 ing a condition. From an extra sheet which accompanies this 

 number, containing a brief review of the Society since its 

 organization, we learn the following in regard to its library. 



When the Society orii;inated, the jzreat diffifulty in the way of 

 making advances in the study of natural history, "was the waii^t of 

 books. No one possessed more than a few volumes on some subject 

 to which he mi<,dit have given his individual atteniion. The im|)or- 

 tance of forming a library was at once felt; and most of these scat- 

 tered volumes have been collected, until there are now about a thou- 

 sand volumes in the library. Most of these have been donations, 

 either directly, or after having been purchased by private subscrip- 

 tion, nothing being drawn from the general fund of the Society. It 

 VOL. VIII. — NO. V. 24 



