296 Reviews. — Liebig''s Organic Chemistry. 



REVIEWS. 



Art. I. Organic Chemistry^ in its application to Agricul- 

 ture and Physiology. By Justus Liebig, M. D. &c., 

 Professor of Chemistry in the University of Geissen. Ed- 

 ited from the Manuscript of the Author, by Lyon Playfair, 

 Ph. D. First American edition, with an Introduction, 

 Notes and Appendix. By John W. Webster, M. D., Pro- 

 fessor of Chemistry in Harvard University. 1 vol. 12 mo. 

 435 pages. Cambridge, Mass., 1S41. 



This important work to the agricultural community, and 

 indeed to all cultivators of plants, has now been published some 

 weeks, and it was our intention to have presented a digest of 

 it in our pages ere this. We placed the book in the hands 

 of a friend, who, we doubt not, will do full justice to it, and 

 we hope he may be able to lay the article before our readers, 

 in our next number. To give a proper idea of the value of 

 the work, is no light task; it requires considerable study, and 

 withal, so.me knowledge, by the reviewer, of the structure and 

 physiology of plants. The work has met with a very favora- 

 ble reception from the public, and we believe another edition 

 will be issued, in the course of the year. 



The introduction and notes to the American edition, by 

 Dr. Webster, render the work more instructive to the com- 

 mon reader. Many of the technical phrases are explained, 

 and some parts of the originial work, which would be of but 

 little value, only to the physiologist, have been omitted. 



The Appendix is alio extended to nearly fifty pages, and 

 contains the views of Dr. Jackson and Dr. Dana, respecting 

 geine and humus. Dr. Liebig has taken but a limited view 

 of the action of these properties, and the opinions of the form- 

 er gentlemen, although the opposite of those of Dr. Liebig, 

 are entitled to the greatest consideration. 



Were it not that we might anticipate some of the remarks 

 of our reviewer, we should make some extracts from the intro- 

 duction of the American editor. But, for the present, we 

 leave the subject here, advising a perusal of the volume, by 

 all who are interested in gardening or agriculture. 



