BOOK REVIEWS 75 



hiiman physiology is more marked. In this text considerable 

 space is devoted to laboratory directions. 



The last two texts, those on agriculture, are attempts to present 

 a good deal the same sort of material as is found in the preceding 

 ones with agricultural interests as the unifying theme; thus in 

 Maine and Hatch's High School Agriculture, Botany is treated in 

 Chapter 3 as Agricultural Botany, and a great deal of the preced- 

 ing chapters on Plant Food and Fertilizers is material that many 

 botanies use. The same thing may be said of Chapter 4 on 

 Economic Plants. Chapter 6 is largely on Insects. The chapters 

 on farm animals deal, of course, with the vertebrates, but largely 

 with the external features and characteristics of the various farm 

 breeds. 



Kyle and Ellis have written their book with the avowed inten- 

 tion of keeping its subject matter within the bounds of children's 

 interests and making the presentation conform to the dictates 

 of proper pedagogy. At the same time they aspire to prepare 

 children for living intelligently and happily as well as profitably 

 on the farm. The subject matter is about the same so far as the 

 reviewer can see, as is found in other text books on the elements of 

 agriculture. 



It seems to be merely a question as to whether we shall teach 

 botany and zoology from the standpoint of farm interests alone 

 or shall teach botany and zoology with more or less of an economic 

 flavor, or whether we shall relate our biology instruction primarily 

 to the human mechanism, and here are six texts that illustrate 

 these tendencies. 



One would, without much difficulty, pick on John M. Coulter's 

 Elementary Studies in Botany, Bigelow's Introduction to Biology, 

 and Maines & Hatch's High School Agriculture as the better text 

 in each pair for ordinary high school conditions. 



School and Home Gardens, W. H. D. Meier, p. v+ 318. Ginn & 

 Company. 



This is intended as a practical book of instructions for the 

 preparation of the soil, planting and cultivation of the various 

 plants, flowers, vegetables, shrubs, trees and vines that one might 

 want to plant on the home grounds or the school yard. Succes- 

 sive chapters are devoted to the Window Garden, 4 p ; Growing 

 Bulbs in Glasses, 4p; Growing Plants in Pots, igp; Window 



