486 
tal nourishment, such a repast, as offered by 
many of these books, is both too dry and too 
bulky for digestion,—nor are many cooks an 
insurance against “spoiling the broth.” 
What is, then, a logical and reasonable scope 
for the agricultural teaching and the text 
book in agriculture for our public schools? 
The simplest way out of the dilemma would 
be to return to the idea of “a book about 
agriculture” and give up the idea of “ pro- 
ductive agriculture” for our public schools. 
In its place, it would be the object of the 
agricultural teacher to make intelligible to his 
pupils, in a general way, those biological, 
chemical and physical principles underlying 
our agricultural operations. Hence, agricul- 
tural botany and zoology, including a his- 
tory of the practical phases of the evolution of 
our “ animals and plants under domestication.” 
The practical operations and the history of 
their evolution should not be lost sight of, 
but be subordinate to what we might call the 
scientific aspects, yet diligently drawn upon 
for the elucidation of these. The subject, 
thus handled, would not be incomprehensible 
for one author, or one teacher, or to all the 
pupils, but be within the scope of the average 
human mind. 
A good text book goes far towards making 
up for the deficieney of the teacher, and a 
poor text-book goes equally far in hampering 
the efficiency of the teacher. Not the least 
consideration in the value of a text book is 
its style. A book with a faulty style is like a 
poorly prepared, or badly seasoned meal, it 
is taken with a sense of repulsion. There are 
some of these text books, in which to their 
small merits are added the demerits of a bad 
stlye. 
H. Ness 
HORTICULTURIST, TEXAS HXPERIMENT STATION, 
CoLLEGE STATION, TEXAS 
FRED SILVER PUTNEY 
Frep Sinver Putney, professor of experi- 
mental dairy husbandry at the Pennsylvania 
State College, and well known among dairy 
professors and investigators throughout the 
United States, died of pneumonia at his home 
SCIENCE 
[N. 8. Von. XLVIII. No. 1246 
in State College, Pennsylvania, on October 5, 
1918. 
Always interested in live stock problems, in 
recent years he has devoted his energies to 
teaching and fundamental research along the 
lines of animal nutrition. Dairy cattle feed- 
ing problems have been his special interest 
and his work along these lines is well known. 
He is co-author with Dr. C. W. Larson of the 
text-book and general reference work, “ Dairy 
Cattle Feeding and Management,” and in con- 
junction with Dr. N. P. Armsby, of the 
bulletin, “ Computation of Dairy Rations,” in 
addition to numerous papers on dairy manage- 
ment and nutrition. 
Professor Putney was born in Hopkinton, 
N. H., on Nevember 10, 1881. He was gradu- 
ated from the Concord High School in 1901 
and received the B.S. degree from the New 
Hampshire State College in 1905. In 1908 
the Pennsylvania State College conferred upon 
him the degree of Master of Science, and he 
had completed recently the requirements for 
his doctorate degree at the University of Wis- 
consin. 
Professor Putney first went to the Penn- 
sylvania State College in 1906 where he 
worked with Dr. H. P. Armsby as an as- 
sistant in animal nutrition and general experi- 
mental work until 1908. That year he be- 
came assistant to Dean F. B. Mumford, of 
the college of agriculture, University of Mis- 
souri, at which institution he continued his 
studies in nutrition towards a doctorate de- 
gree. From Missouri he went to the Rhode 
Island State College as professor of animal 
husbandry and head of the department, and 
he remained at that institution for several 
years. In 1913 he returned to the Pennsyl- 
vania State College as assistant professor of 
dairy husbandry, and later became professor 
of experimental dairy husbandry. 
For the past years, Professor Putney has 
been on leave of absence for advanced study 
in animal nutrition. This time he spent at 
the University of Wisconsin and had just 
completed the requirements for his doctorate 
degree. Professor Putney married Miss 
Bertha Bond of Urbana, Illinois, September 
