230 
The selection of animals to be fattened is no 
longer a haphazard matter. Farmers and graziers 
have learnt by experience that animals which 
fatten well possess certain points in common. 
Thus a good beef steer for fattening has a head 
with definite characteristics, which are thus set out 
by the author :— 
“Tt should be broad and short, the face and 
cheeks should be full and deep with a_ broad, 
strong lower jaw. The nostrils should be large. 
The eyes should be large, prominent, and mild, 
indicating a quiet temperament. The forehead 
should be somewhat prominent, and covered with 
amass of wavy hair. The ear should be of medium | 
size, and covered inside and out with fine silky 
hair, and should be neatly attached to the head.”’ 
The other parts of the body have to be observed 
in similar detail. It would be interesting to inquire 
how far these “points”? possess any real signifi- 
cance, and how far they are purely fanciful. Al- 
though the author does not help us in this matter, 
he has done good service by placing on record 
the points recognised in American practice. 
(4) Mr. Johnson has gathered together in this 
little book—the only British book on the list— 
the main principles involved in tropical agricul- 
ture, with a view to the introduction of the subject 
into schools. He is convinced that West African 
youths must be encouraged to adopt agriculture as 
a profession if the immense potential agricultural 
wealth of the country is to be extensively de- 
veloped; he considers that the unhealthiness of the 
climate must militate against the direct exploita- 
tion of the industry by Europeans. This being so, 
it is obviously necessary that the principles of 
agriculture should be introduced into West 
African schools, and the book is intended for this 
purpose. It begins with a chapter on soil, then 
with six chapters on the plant, dealing respectively 
with the seed, the root, the stem, leaves, the 
flower, and the fruit. Next follows an account of 
the food of plants, in which the author reverts once 
more to the soil. Two chapters on diseases and 
insect pests come next, and finally there is a sec- 
tion dealing with the school garden. The book is 
well got up, and is clearly written; it should serve 
very well the purpose for which it is intended. 
THE POPULARISATION OF SCIENCE. 
Harmsworth Popular Science, Edited by Arthur 
Mee. In 43 parts. (London: The Amal- 
gamated Press, Ltd.) 
HE days when Science was an intellectual 
preserve for the few are long since past, 
and popularisation has become an. art—increas- 
ingly an art. For if we compare a work like that 
before us with the “Useful Information for the 
NO. 2295, VOL. 92] 
NATURE 
[OcTOBER 23, 1913 
| People,” or the ‘“ Science for All,” or the ‘‘ Popular 
Educator ” of half a century ago, we cannot but 
admit that popularisation has. made strides. The 
scope is more ambitious, bigger and deeper sub- 
jects are tackled; the mode of presentation is more 
interesting, which implies greater psychological 
skill; the style tends to be clearer, more vivid, 
less wordy; the illustrations are often extra- 
ordinarily educative ; and the whole thing is more 
vertebrated. Sometimes it is the evolution-idea 
that gives unity to the treatment; sometimes it is 
an enthusiastic conviction that Science is for Man 
—to aid him to enter into his kingdom; more 
rarely the unifying aim is to work out a course of 
intellectual gymnastics—“a_ brain-stretching dis- 
cipline.” 
Those who have listened to fine examples of 
popular lectures, such as some of the Evening Dis- 
courses at the British Association or at the Royal 
Institution, or who have read Huxley’s or 
Tyndall’s, must admit that sound popularisation is 
possible. If the lecturer has a deep first-hand 
knowledge of what he is talking about, if he has 
lucidity, vividness, the teacher’s instinct, and a 
few more gifts and graces, what may he not 
achieve—as we have seen and heard—in the way 
of making even a difficult subject luminous to an 
average intelligence, and that without any lower- 
ing of the scientific standard? And if sound 
popularisation is possible, it is also for many 
reasons desirable. Knowledge is power: savoir 
pour prévoir, et prévoir pour pourvoir; its in- 
crease is an increase not of sorrow to well-con- 
stituted minds, but of interest and zest, alleviating 
what Shakespeare calls ‘‘life-harming heavi- 
ness’; and thirdly, no one can doubt that one of 
the most pressing social needs of the age is the 
better education of the wage-earners, and, of 
course, of the leisured class as well. Therefore 
we heartily welcome the extraordinary work be- 
fore us, because it is sound popularisation, and 
sometimes reaches a very high level of success. 
The book runs to more than 5000 pages, and 
it has twelve main themes. It tells of other 
worlds in space, of the making of the earth, of 
early forms of life, of the pedigree of plants, of 
the evolution of animals, of the ascent of man, 
of the laws of health, of the mastery of natural 
forces, of the rise of industry, of the development 
of commerce, of the history of society, and of the 
possible improvement of the race. It is, of 
course, sketchy, selective, and sometimes a little 
sensational, but it keeps to the facts, it is written 
with great skill, and it seems to us a big educa- 
tional success. There is vitality and earnestness 
throughout, and the illustrations are exceptionally 
The numerous portraits of 
vivid and arresting. 
