DECEMBER 1913] NATURE 487 
Bp yee a ‘ - Ip 1 of such agricultural activity and indicates to tne 
SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE. general reader how much may be accomplished by 
[? might truly be said that only within the last two 
decades has the importance of the scientific in- 
vestigation of the infinite number of problems arising 
from agricultural practice received, in some measure, 
general recognition. During this period it has become 
more and more evident to those engaged in the pro- 
duction of plant and animal commodities that it is 
sometimes merely foolish, and at others almost dan- 
gerous, from an economic point of view not to accept 
the help freelv proffered by agricultural educational 
authorities. The aid given by these bodies may be 
" 
Th: white woolly currant scale. 
embodied in one or several schemes, such as the 
institution of demonstration experiments to illustrate 
certain manurial and cultural measures, the value of 
which is indisputable, facilities for consultation with 
experts in cases of special fungoid and insect pests, 
educational measures by means of in-college lectures 
and peripatetic work, and, lastly, the creation of a 
close connection between the farmer and the research 
worker. 
The report before us provides an inspiriting example 
1 The Journal of the South-Eastern Agricultural College, Wye, Kent. 
No. 28. Pp. 476. (London and -Ashford: Headley Bros., 1912.) Price 
7s. 6d. ; Residents in Kent and Surrey, 3s. 6d. 
NO. 2304, VOL. 92] 
From *‘The Journal of the South-Eastern 
Agricultural College.” 
efficient organisation and sound work; to the agri- 
culturist of the south-eastern counties it would con- 
stitute what might almost be regarded as a book of 
reference on many matters agricultural. 
The work is compiled in the form of reports from 
the departments of agriculture and dairying, horticul- 
ture, economic zoology, chemistry, botany, mycology, 
veterinary science, and concludes with general notes. 
Although much of the subject-matter must pass un- 
noticed here owing to lack of space, reference may 
be made to experiments on pig-feeding and the winter 
feeding of dairy cows, the effect of ferrous 
sulphate on the quality and quantity of pota- 
toes, the valuation of basic slag, and weeds in 
seed samples, the latter article being illustrated 
by many admirable plates. Some valuable ex- 
periments have been made on celery blight 
(Septoria petroseline, var. Apii) and its preven- 
tion, the results obtained showing that a vast 
improvement may be induced both in size and 
value of produce by means of spraying with 
Bordeaux mixture. 
In his report, the economic mycologist 
directs attention to the disquieting fact that 
measures of the ‘American 
Orders,” as at present car- 
do not in any way check the spread 
the compulsory 
Gooseberry Mildew 
ried out, 
of the disease to fresh plantations. At the 
beginning of the season there were in Kent 
alone about 3300 acres of mildewed plantations, 
and it is evident that the measures with respect 
to the autumn pruning of diseased bushes will 
have to be uniformly enforced in order to keep 
down further spread and to prevent the 
measures taken by conscientious growers being 
largely nullified by laxity in others. 
The report on economic zoology maintains 
its usual high standard and outlines the various 
insect pests which have come under observa- 
tion during the year. Of these, a bad attack 
by the white woolly currant scale (Pulvinaria 
vilis v. rvibesiae) is reported, a portion of an 
affected plant being shown in the accompany- 
ing illustration. 
A vaccine has been prepared by the veterinary 
department, and is being used in the “ strucix 
Sheep’ experiments, and we look forward 
with interest to the publication of the results 
of this work. 
CHANK BANGLE INDUSTRY 
IN INDIA. 
ROM a commercial as well as an artistic 
point of view the chank or conch shell 
industry is so important that in 1910 the 
Government of Madras deputed Mr. J. Hornell, 
superintendent of the Pearl and Chank 
Fisheries’ Department, to visit northern 
India and report upon the subject. The result of his 
inquiries is described in an interesting monograph 
published in vol. iii, No. 7, of the Memoirs of the 
Asiatic Society of Bengal. 
He begins by discussing the literary evidence of 
the position of the industry in early times, and reviews 
the evidence from the large collection of prehistoric 
remains collected by Mr. Bruce Foote, now deposited 
in the Madras Museum. Mr. Foote was inclined to 
assign many of these chank or conch shel] ornaments 
to the Neolithic period. But this identification is, in 
many cases, not supported by the investigations of 
Mr. Hornell. who points out that many of the speci- 
THE 
