246 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [5:9— dec. 1909 



As its title indicates this book is intended especially for Southern schools 

 the adaptation being the use of the best practices and materials of South- 

 ern agriculture for illustration. 



The first part of the book deals with plant growth, including the plant's 

 relation to the soil. The second part deals with crops, including enemies 

 (the cotton boll weavil receiving particular attention), animal husbandry, 

 farm machinery. Important reference tables are arranged in an appendix 



The book is well written and ought to be easily understood by the 

 average grammar-grade child. 



Elements of Agriculture. W. C. Welborn, Xew York: The Macmillan 



Co., 1908 pp. XVI — 359. 



This book is prepared for use in Southern and Western elementary 

 schools. Three phases of the subject are taken up, as follows: Crop pro- 

 duction, including the plant and its environment, characteristics of various 

 field crops, soil fertility, etc. ; special crops in which the management of 

 each crop is described in detail ; animals production, including feeding and 

 ration, care of animals, various kinds of farm animals in detail. An appen- 

 dix gives classification of most common economic plants, plant diseases 

 and insect enemies of plants and their remedies, score cards for judging, 

 and a glossary. The book is well adapted for the grades in which it is 

 intended to be used. 



Elements of Agriculture. G. F. Warren, Xew York: The Macmillan Co., 



1909, pp. XXIV — 434. 



The author has attempted to carry out the suggestions of the Committee 

 on Instruction in Agriculture of the Association of American Colleges and 

 Experiment Stations, and has intended the book to be used in high schools 

 but has made it advanced enough for short college courses. All important 

 phases of agriculture are discussed in the eighteen chapters that make 

 up the body of the book. The text of each chapter is followed by ques- 

 tions, laboratory exercises and collateral reading. 



A summary of chapter V, The Soil, will illustrate the method of treat- 

 ment which is typical of each chapter : The soil, sub-topic : what soil is ; 

 rock particles, sub-topics: amounts of mineral matter, how size of 

 particles is determined, how soils are named, importance of size of soil 

 particles, relation of size of particles to water, relation of size of soil parti- 

 cles to plant food, relation of size of soil particles to air, size of particles in 

 relation to temperature, size of particles and crop adaptation, the best 

 soils, rlocculation ; soil water, sub-topics: importance of soil water, 

 movements of water in soil, conservation of moisture, dry-land farming, 

 irrigation, drainage (the last two sub-topics are further subdivided); soil 

 air, sub-topic: importance of soil air; organic matter of the soil, sub- 

 topics; the uses of humus, humus of arid and humid soils; life in the soil, 

 sub-topics: importance of soil organisms, soil-bacteria. The chapter is 

 reviewed by means of twenty-four questions. The following is typical : 

 "Where does a fence post rot most rapidly? Why? 



Fifteen excellent laboratory and field." exercises give concreteness 

 to the text. Ten good references are given in the collateral reading. 



