256 
NATURE 
[May 6, 1915 

vergent, and its sum is equal to that of s. The 
essential thing is to note that an infinite series is 
defined not only by its terms, but by the order in 
which they are written. The author fails to em- 
phasise the fact that in dealing with permutations 
of series we must keep any term in a finite place in 
a finite place. G. B. M. 

FARM MANAGEMENT AND RURAL 
IMPROVEMENT. 
(1) Soil Management. By the late Dr. F. H. 
King. Pp. ix+ 311. (New York: Orange Judd 
Co.; London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Triibner 
and Co., 1914.) Price 1.50 dollars. 
(2) Hunt and Burkett’s Agriculture: Farm 
Animals, covering the General Field of Animal 
Industry. By Prof. T. F. Hunt and Prof. C. W. 
Burkett. Pp. ix+534. (New York: Orange 
Judd Co.; London: Kegan Paul, Trench, 
Tribner and Co., 1914.) Price 1.50 dollars. 
(3) A Handbook for Farmers and Dairymen. Sixth 
edition. By Prof. F. W. Woll. Pp. xvi+4go. 
(New York: J. Wiley and Sons, Inc. ; London: 
Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1914.) Price 6s. 6d. 
net. 
{4) Rural Improvement: the Principles of Civic 
Art Applied to Rural Conditions, including Vil- 
lage Improvement and the Betterment of the 
Open Country. By F. A. Waugh. Pp. xi+ 
(New York: Orange Judd Co. ; London: 
Kegan Paul, Trench, Triibner and Co., 1914.) 
Price 1.25 dollars net. 
(1) 
265. 
HE book on soil management, which has 
been prepared from various notes and 
lectures of the late Dr. King, bears eloquent testi- 
mony, not only to his wealth of knowledge of the 
subject he had made so thoroughly his own, but 
also to much painstaking inquiry into the systems 
of agriculture and soil treatment in China, Korea, 
and Japan. Much of the book is naturally devoted 
to the consideration of productive capacity as de- 
termined by water supply, soil structure, and the 
physical features of the soil generally, and also 
contains many original observations on the effect 
of cultivation, mulching, and drainage. Teachers 
of agricultural science in this country will not 
fail to find much useful matter and many apt 
illustrations in this portion of the book. Not the 
least valuable portion of the work, however, will 
be found in those pages descriptive of the prac- 
tices adopted in the Far East, by means of which 
soil fertility has been conserved to such a remark- 
able degree that a greater number of people are 
fed per unit area than in any other country in 
the world. Strict economy of all fertilising mate- 
rial is the main consideration, but the practical 
experience of centuries of Asiatic agriculture has 
NO. 2375, VOL. 95] 

evolved modes of conservation, fermentation, and 
crop production in respect to which we stand, at 
the present day, merely on the fringe of investi- 
gation. — 
(2) The perusal of Messrs. Hunt and Burkett’s 
book on farm animals leaves one with a number 
of dissimilar impressions. The work is primarily 
intended for use by high-school pupils of fourteen 
to eighteen years of age, and aims at providing 
a survey of the whole range of animal industry. 
The scope of the book is certainly wide enough 
for all ordinary requirements, and there seems 
to be no reason to doubt that by a process of 
judicious mental winnowing sufficient concrete 
impressions may be obtained to impart an intel- 
ligent recognition of the issues upon which suc- 
cessful husbandry depends. A number of admir- 
able practical exercises constitute the most valu- 
able portion of the book, but one is inclined to 
deplore the inclusion of matter such as the first 
lesson on the “sorting of animals” and the appa- 
| rent lack of discrimination in respect to many 
illustrations of the kindergarten type. 
(3) Prof. Woll’s handbook comprises in tabular 
form many of the data of value in agriculture 
generally, and dairying in particular, and the fact 
that it is now in its sixth edition may be taken 
as evidence of the useful function it is performing. 
The various sections, e.g., those on farm animals, 
poultry, veterinary science, seeds, weeds, farm 
pests, forestry, etc., are prefaced by short articles 
by American authorities, and give an excellent 
digest of the subject. A certain proportion of 
the data bears, of course, reference to American 
conditions only, but the majority of the subject- 
matter will be found useful by English and 
colonial readers. Most of the tables are taken 
from trustworthy sources, and only one or two 
of doubtful authenticity have crept in. It is 
perhaps a matter for regret, from an agricultural 
point of view, that soils have not received any 
attention. 
(4) Although much of the attention of the 
dweller in American rural districts has, in times 
past, been occupied by the necessity of making 
both ends meet, signs are not lacking at the 
present time that the main problem now is “not 
how to make more money, but how to live more 
comfortably.” Whilst the value of co-operation 
in the purchase and sale of commodities, how- 
ever, has been extensively realised, that of 
common effort in the development of civic life and 
institutions has not received the attention which 
it must ulfimately do, and Mr. Waugh in his 
interesting book on rural improvement makes a 
strong plea for the appreciation of civic art—the 
art that builds a sound physical frame for the 

