August 6, 1891] 



NATURE 



317 



attributes of man ; not because personality, wisdom, love 

 t- (the symbols we employ), can truly describe or define that 

 [ which passes man's comprehension, but because being 

 man we can no other. Man alone in the organic world 

 is capable of ideals, and for generations the name of God 

 has stood for man's central ideal of power and perfection. 

 And it seems to us that the sum and substance of positive 

 criticism as applied to man's conceptions of that which 

 admittedly lies beyond the reach of positive science 

 comes to this : " You must frankly acknowledge and 

 confess that such conceptions are symbolic and ideal." 

 But if symbolic and ideal we must expect the symbolism 

 to be variable in different ages, among different peoples, 

 and even in different individuals. Hence (apart from reve- 

 lation) the only indefensible attitude is that of inelastic 

 dogmatism, positive or negative. 



In conclusion, we may say that the " Riddles of the 

 Sphinx" are in this work treated with considerable, 

 though frequently misguided, power. The conception of 

 evolution as a tendency towards an ideal of perfect 

 individuals in a perfect society is good, and is in parts 

 well worked out. That many will be found to acquiesce 

 in the author's solutions of the old problems of life we 

 think exceedingly doubtful. Nor do we think that the 

 solutions will prove of lasting value. It is futile to 

 attempt to preserve the new wine of positive science in 

 the old bottles of prescientific metaphysics. The new 

 wine must be preserved in new bottles. In other words, 

 a new metaphysics must be and is being elaborated, in 

 special relation to the newer aspects of scientific thought. 



C. Ll. M. 



ANALYTICAL METHODS OF AGRICULTURAL 



CHEMISTS. 

 Proceedings of the Association of Official Agricultural 

 Chemists, 1890. (Washington : United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture.) 

 THIS is a Report of the Seventh Annual Convention 

 of the Association, under the Presidentship of Mr. 

 M. A. Scovell, and with Mr. H. W. Wiley as Secretary. 

 The objects of the Association are to secure uniformity 

 and accuracy of methods, results, and modes of statements 

 of analyses of manures, soils, cattle foods, dairy products, 

 and other materials connected with agricultural industry; 

 and to afford opportunity for the discussion of matters of 

 interest to agricultural chemists. In the words of a past 

 President, it aims at laying " a foundation so solid, that 

 every Court in this land must respect its conclusions,* 

 and every analytical chemist, whether he lives in this 

 country or elsewhere, must be forced either to practice or 

 admit the advantages and correctness of our system of 

 analyses." A study of the programme and of the pro- 

 ceedings shows that the objects have been most carefully 

 and conscientiously kept in view, and that all the working 

 members have been most thoroughly imbued with the 

 spirit of the Association. 



The reports submitted for the consideration of the meet- 

 ings, all drawn up by experts, and incorporating the work 

 of many members, were as follows : on the determination 

 of nitrogen ; on analysis of dairy products ; on analysis 

 of potash ; on analysis of cattle foods ; on analysis of 

 NO. T 136, VOL. 44] 



sugar ; on analysis of phosphoric acid ; on analysis of 

 fermented liquors ; and a report of a Committee on foods 

 and feeding-stuffs. 



As an example : for the report on the determination of 

 nitrogen in manures, three samples, containing nitrogen 

 in different states of combination, were prepared, and 

 sent to the members for analysis by various official 

 methods. Twenty-two reported the results obtained by 

 Kjeldahl's method on one sample, the same number the 

 results of Kjeldahl's method modified for nitrates on two 

 samples, and a less number gave results by the Ruffle 

 method, the soda-lime method, and Dumas's method on 

 one or more of the samples. The whole of the results 

 are collated, with the remarks of the analysts thereon, 

 so that data are obtained for testing the accuracy of the 

 methods under various conditions, and eliminating per- 

 sonal factors. Various suggestions for the improvement 

 or simplification of the processes are made and discussed, 

 and some of them recommended for systematic trial 

 during next year. Similar good work is done for the 

 other Committees. 



The remarks of the Committee on ways and means 

 for securing more thorough chemical study of foods and 

 feeding-stuffs, are particularly worthy of attention, point- 

 ing out, as they do, the deficiencies in present methods 

 of analysis, and the absolute necessity of more exact 

 methods and more accurate study of the proximate prin- 

 ciples contained in foods, and of their physiological 

 value. As a contribution towards this knowledge, Mr. 

 W. E. Stone sends a paper on the occurrences and esti- 

 mation of the pentaglucoses in feeding- stuffs, in which 

 he shows that bodies yielding furfurol, and therefore 

 presumably pentaglucoses, are present in grass, straw, 

 linseed meal, and a great many other feeding-stuffs. 

 Among the points which are noticed, and which should 

 be known to all analysts, is the fact that cotton-seed meal, 

 often used in mixed manures in the Southern States, is 

 completely soluble in nitric acid with a little hydrochloric 

 acid, but that the solution does not yield all its phosphoric 

 acid to ammonium molybdate. 



Should such a Bill as that introduced by Mr. Channing, 

 for the better prevention of the adulteration of manures 

 and feeding-stuffs in this country, ever become law — and 

 the Government has promised to take up the matter — the 

 formation of such an Association of Official Agricultural 

 and Analytical Chemists in this country would be almost 

 a necessity, and it seems that the Institute of Chemistry 

 is the proper body to arrange the organization of such an 

 Association. 



GEOLOGICAL RAMBLES ROUND ABOUT 

 LONDON. 

 Hand-book of the London Geological Field Class. By 

 Prof. H. G. Seeley, F.R.S. (London: G. Philip and 

 Son, 1891.) 



THIS little book is a record of excursions similar in 

 some respects to those collected in the volume of 

 Geological Excursions which was noticed in these columns 

 on June 18 (p. 149). But there are points of difference. 

 This hand-book deals with a more limited area, being 

 practically restricted to the south-east of England ; it has 

 a purpose more definitely educational. The latter may 



