270 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [i, 6, nov. 1905 



First Book of Farming. By Charles L. Goodrich. New York: 

 Doubleday, Page. 1905. Pp. 259, 86 Figs. $1.00. 



This is the golden age of agriculture from the intellectual, if not 

 financial, point of view. Books on practical agriculture and books on 

 the aesthetics of agriculture have quite revolutionized our attitude 

 toward farming — " the business of getting a living from the soil " — 

 and today as never before the very name of farmer is quite as con- 

 sistent with our ideas of culture and education as those of lawyer, 

 doctor and minister, which have long been accepted as indicating 

 learning. No wonder then that the author of this book is proud that 

 he is a farmer. On the title-page we read, " Charles L. Goodrich, 

 Farmer " ; and in small type following is mentioned the position at 

 Hampton Institute which Professor Goodrich long held with great 

 credit to himself and to the institution. 



The '' First Book of Farming " aims to assist teachers, farmers and 

 students in their search for the fundamental truths and principles of 

 farming. Considering plants " the central and ill-important factor 

 or agent," the author devotes Part I to the general principles under- 

 lying plant culture. After a chapter containing a brief introduction 

 to plants, the root is taken up as the most important part of the 

 plant and then follow in logical order : soils, water, temperature, plant 

 food in the soil, seeds and their planting, preparing the soil, leaves, 

 stem and flowers. All these topics are treated in a very simple, direct 

 style, and the numerous illustrations and suggested experiments 

 make the way to a correct understanding of the leading principles 

 of agriculture easy for any average intelligent reader. 



Part II deals with soil fertility as affected by farm practices, first 

 ■ explaining the nature of a fertile soil and then its relation to water, 

 cultivation, manures and fertilizers, rotation of crops and drainage. 

 Under all these topics the philosophy of the best practice and prac- 

 tical directions are clearly presented. 



As will be seen from the above outHnes, the book is limited to 

 the plant side of farming, and there is no special reference to the 

 useful and injurious animals of the farm. However, plants come be- 

 fore animals, and these latter naturally belong in a " Second Book of 

 Farming." 



The most inviting feature of this book is the simple and direct-to- 

 the-point style. Instead of the complex narrative in which the lead- 

 ing facts are largely hidden, everywhere in the book the problem 

 and its answers stand prominent in concise sentences. Here we can 

 get the concentrated facts minus the opinions and theories which 

 only confuse the beginner. For the general reader there is no better 

 book, to teachers of elementary agriculture and school gardening it 

 will be valuable for suggestions, and for the pupils of upper gram- 



