August 27, 1908] 



JVA rURE 



589 



one who has had a long working cSpericnce of the 

 jjioblems involved, and one who possesses, what is 

 quite unusual, an intimate acquaintance with the 

 Par;\ rubber tree, both as a forest species and under 

 cultivated conditions. 



Decoration of Metal, Mood, Glass, <l^-c. Edited by 



H. C. Standage. Pp. 22S. (New York ; J. Wiley 



and Sons; London : Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 190S.) 



Price 8x. bd. net. 



This is described as a book for manufacturers, 



mechanics, painters, decorators, and all workmen in 



the fancy trades. It consists of a collection of recipes, 



.such as are found in the well-known works of Spon 



and Cooley, but selected for use in the decorative 



treatment of various materials. 



In the early sections the bronzing of iron, tin, zinc, 

 alabaster, plaster of Paris, paper, and feathers is dealt 

 with. Afterwards follow directions for such miscel- 

 laneous processes as the platinising of metals ; plat- 

 ing with aluminium ; the colouring of metals by immer- 

 sion in chemicals; silvering and gilding; tinning and 

 galvanising ; the use of enamels and glazes ; etching ; 

 varnishing, lacquering, and japanning. So far as can 

 be judged from a recipe here and there, the methods 

 seem to be trustworthy. 



The book has no pretensions to being scientific, and 

 it is necessarilv, perhaps, more or less of a medley. 

 Even so, the editing leaves something to be desired. 

 The matter could have been better arranged and co- 

 ordinated. Careless wording occasionally makes the 

 meaning obscure or misleading. Thus the ingredients 

 of a platinising solution (p. 25) include both f oz. of 

 " ammonia chloride " and 3 oz. of " sal-ammoniac "; 

 whilst no quantity is specified for the chief ingredient, 

 platinum chloride. A chemist would readily see where 

 the blunder lies; a "workman in the fancy trades" 

 would probably be using " langwidge " long before he 

 had found the proper correction. C. S. 



Cast-iron House Drainage, with Especial Reference to 

 Town Houses. By G. J. G. Jensen. Pp. xii-|-2o6. 

 (London : The Sanitary Publishing Co., Ltd., 190S.) 

 Price 4s. 6d. net. 

 The view is gaining ground in this country that it 

 is often desirable to provide cast-iron drainage in lieu 

 of the usual provision of stoneware pipes. '1 he vibra- 

 tion from heavy motor traffic, underground railways, 

 &c., is a circumstance which specially calls for tnis 

 provision ; and it is also possible to lay iron pipes 

 and to join them in circumstances which involve 

 delay and difficulty in the case of cement joints — such 

 as during times of frost and in water-logged ground. 

 The expense involved in repairs of stoneware drains 

 must ottcn exceed the initial increased cost (10 to 30 

 per cent.) involved in iron drainage, for the cast-iron 

 drain, as the writer points out, is far more durable 

 than the stoneware. This greater durability is mainly 

 due to the longer lengths in which the iron pipes are 

 manufactured, involving a very great reduction in 

 the number of joints; a stoneware drain, for instance, 

 thirty yards in length, will necessitate 45 joints, 

 whereas in a similar length of iron drain there need 

 only be ten. Moreover, the joints being made of 

 molten lead are stronger and more trustworthy than 

 the cement joints of the stoneware drain, and the iron 

 drain is straighter and smoother in the interior. A 

 further advantage possessed by cast-iron over stone- 

 ware drainage is the fact that the necessary bends, 

 connections, and provision for inspection can be 

 readilv made to suit the special needs of any par- 

 ticular premises. 



The advantages of iron drainage have been far 

 more generallv recognised in the United States of 



NO. 2026, VOL. 78] 



America than in this country, and the work under 

 review is doing a good service in advocating a wider 

 adoption of the safer method. 



The general principles of sanitary drainage con- 

 struction are also discussed in a very sound and 

 practical manner ; and the directions given through- 

 out the book leave nothing to be desired on the 

 score of clearness. 



Macmilla)i's Orographical Map of Europe. Designed 



by B. B. Dickinson and .\. W. .Andrews. Size, 



62x51 inches. (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 



1908.) Cloth, mounted on rollers, price is-?. 



Notes on the Orographical Map of Europe. By the 



same authors. Pp. 30. Limp cloth, price is. 

 I\ this excellent wall map the distribution of lowlands 

 and highlands is shown by six different colours re- 

 presenting land below sea level, and that between 

 the contours 0-600 feet, 600-1500 feet, 1500-3000 feet, 

 3000-6000 feet, and above 6000 feet. Ocean depths 

 in fathoms are indicated by white and four shades 

 of blue. The only names on the maps are 

 printed very small, and are intended for the use of 

 the teacher exclusively. The position of important 

 towns is indicated by' dots. These expedients have 

 made it possible to produce a remarkably clear map 

 on which the physical features of essential importance 

 can be seen easily from every part of a class-room. 

 In these days, when all good geographical teaching 

 is based upon the broad principles of physical geo- 

 graphy, an orographical wall map is an absolutely 

 necessary accompaniment to every lesson, and teachers 

 will welcome such a map designed by two competent 

 authorities and produced in the best modern style at 

 a moderate price. 



The explanatorv handbook provides valuable guid- 

 ance as to' how the map may be used most instruc- 

 tively. 



Familiar Swiss Flowers. By F. E. Hulme. Pp. 

 viii + 224. (London: Cassel'l and Co., Ltd., 1908.) 

 Price 7.';. 6rf. net. 

 The title of the book makes it evident that it contains 

 a selection of species, and is written for the dilettante. 

 .\s the illustrations are the guiding and principal 

 feature, the former is a necessity, and as to the second 

 observation it is recognised that professed botanists 

 are few, while the number of those sufficiently in- 

 terested in flowers to learn their names is large. It 

 will also be noted that Mr. Hulme is not treating of 

 Alpine flowers only, although a number of these are 

 naturallv included. 



The author's talent for depicting flowers is well 

 known from the floral studies reproduced in " Familiar 

 Wild Flowers " and other publications. The plates in 

 the volume under notice bear evidence of his apprecia- 

 tion of the characteristic appearance and identity of 

 the various specimens; the illustrations of the 

 anemones and the white flowers are especially 

 charming. The author has somewhat unnecessarily 

 mingled the figures of plants that bear no relation- 

 ship" to one another, and has taken up valuable space 

 with a few flowers that are too well known to require 

 illustration; but the selection is generally wise, and 

 tlie inclusion of many lowland plants should meet 

 with approval. Sufficient information is given in the 

 text to determine many species allied to those chosen 

 for illustration. 



At the present time of year, when so many tourists 

 are contemplating a holiday in Switzerland, they will 

 assuredlv add to their pleasure by taking with them 

 the means of identifying the flow^ers that appear to 

 have a greater brilliancv in that country owing to 

 their profusion, and this book, prepared with such a 

 purpose, can be safely recommended. 



