Sitpp/einent to "Nature" May 5, 1904 



cism of foresters in this country that they are in- 

 sufficiently acquainted with the life and form of plants 

 -_with botany, in fact— and the pages of this book 

 seem to justify the criticism, at least there is occasion- 

 ally a looseness of expression regarding botanical 

 points which should not appear in a manual for 

 students such as this. Take, for instance, the state- 

 ment, " the atmosphere overlying the soil furnishes 

 certain nourishing substances— heat, light and mois- 

 ture " (p. 7), or again, " certain plants (Leguminosse) 

 ■can take nitrogen direct from the air by means of 

 tubercles or nodules" (p. ii). The mention of the 

 name Acacia up to p. 52 of the book instead of False- 

 Acacia is botanically wrong and misleading, and the 

 statement that elm does not ripen its seed in the 

 north of England (p. 66) is also wrong because botani- 

 cally unqualified. The identification of mistletoe with 

 Loranthus ctiropoeus (p. 324) is, we take it, a slip. 



As regards sylviculture the book has been entirely 

 brought up to date, and is eminently practical and 

 suggestive. It may, with every confidence, be warmly 

 recommended alike to the student, landed proprietor, 

 forester and nurseryman. All doubtful or controver- 

 sial matter has been carefully avoided, and every view- 

 stated, or method recommended, is founded upon the 

 author's own direct observation and experience, as 

 well as on that of others. 



The various sylvicultural systems are clearly and 

 concisely described, and their advantages and dis- 

 advantages amply criticised, so that the forester need 

 have no difficulty in choosing the one best suited to 

 his own locality and the objects of management. In 

 the important sections dealing with the raising of 

 plants in the nursery, much valuable and useful advice 

 is given. The ultimate success of a wood depends, 

 to a large extent, upon the health and vigour of the 

 plants from which it originated — hence it is very impor- 

 tant that young seedlings should be grown and 

 handled with the greatest possible care. On p. 191, 

 Prof. Schlich gives a timely warning to nurserymen in 

 regard to the pernicious practice of laying down seed- 

 lings, when they are pricked out, into shallow 

 trenches, involving the bending of the root-system to 

 one side — a defect from which the tree does not 

 recover for many years. He says, " unless nursery- 

 men give up that vicious practice they must be pre- 

 pared to see landed proprietors revert to the system of 

 home nurseries." 



Part iv. of the volume is replete with information. 

 In fact, it is a condensed volume on sylviculture in 

 itself. The notes on the Douglas Fir have been con- 

 siderably extended, but in regard to the fungus 

 enemies of this species, Phoma Douglasii might have 

 been included, as this disease has been known in 

 Scotland now for several years. 



ENGINEERING IN SOUTH AFRICA. 

 The Engineer in South Africa. By Stafford Ransome, 

 M.Inst.C.E. Pp. xx + 3ig. (Westminster: Archi- 

 bald Constable and Co., Ltd., 1903.) Price ys. 6d. 

 AT the close of the war the author was appointed by 

 the Engineer to visit all the British possessions in 

 Africa south of the Zambesi River, and to write frankly 

 and fully to that journal on the various problems which 

 NO. I 80 1, VOL. 70] 



have been evolved by recent events. The result was 

 a series of articles on " South Africa from an 

 Engineer's Point of View." These articles were of a 

 highly interesting nature, and were much appreciated 

 at the time. 



The volume before us combines the most interesting 

 portions of these articles with much additional matter 

 as well as most of the illustrations. Mr. Ransome is 

 well known as a successful author of books of this 

 type, and we are not surprised at the able way he 

 handles the subject. 



Any man seriously thinking of going to South Africa, 

 be he an artisan or a trained engineer, should mc^t 

 certainly obtain a copy of this book ; the information 

 given on the cost of living and travelling, as well as 

 on the prospects of employment, is very much to the 

 point. 



Chapter vi. deals with the labour question, a sul jcct 

 very much to the fore at the present time. Our 

 author, after pointing out the prohibitive cost of white 

 unskilled labour, discusses three alternatives, which 

 are as follows : — (i) the importation of Asiatic labour ; 

 (2) the trusting to Providence to induce the Kaffir to 

 work; (3) the taking of measures to make the Kaffir 

 work, his conclusion being that the third alternative 

 should be adopted, and that legislation should be in- 

 troduced to this end. Chapter xiii. deals with the 

 theory and practice of the railways, one of the most 

 interesting in the book. The railway mileage at pre- 

 sent open for traffic is 54.^7, under construction 2636, 

 making a total of 8093 miles. Our author has much 

 to say about the long delivery and high prices paid 

 for railway plant when ordered in Britain, and no 

 doubt has formed these views from conversations with 

 men on the spot ; he also compares American delivery 

 of such material to our detriment. It is only fair to 

 point out that the average locomotive built in Britain 

 for these railways is the most expensive of its kind ; 

 its design usually emanates from the colony, and 

 the locomotive builder here has to do what he is told. 

 On the other hand, the American locomotive builder 

 works with a much freer hand in every way. He 

 supplies what he thinks best, and is not handicapped 

 bv a rigid specification ; no wonder he can deliver 

 sooner ! 



Judging from chapter xiv., the harbours of Briti>h 

 South Africa are in a bad way, more especially those 

 in Cape Colony, where for political reasons their de- 

 velopment has been remarkably slow ; and the author 

 very reasonably argues that since the majority of im- 

 ports are likely to be for the Transvaal, the harbours 

 further up the coast are more likely to develop in the 

 future; this applies to the Port of Natal, Durban. 



Mr. Ransome gives us an excellent description of 

 diamond mining in Kimberley in chapter xvi., tracing 

 the development of the De Beers Company from the 

 commencement, and explaining the various methods 

 from beginning to end, and the same can be said of 

 chapter xvii., which has for its subject " Underground 

 at the Rand Mines." 



This volume is of interest to all connected with 

 South Africa, and Mr. Ransome may be congratulated 

 on the production of so excellent a book. 



N. J. L. 



