448 



SCIEJS'CJEJ. 



[Vol. IX., No. 222 



the evil consequences of unrestrained comj)eti- 

 tion"(p. 35). 



Unrestrained competition, Professor Adams ar- 

 gues, results in important evils of three sorts. 

 First, it tends to bring the moral sentiment per- 

 vading any trade down to the level of that which 

 characterizes the worst man who can maintain 

 himself in it. Secondly, it renders it impossible 

 for men to reahze the benefits that arise, in cer- 

 tain lines of business, from organization in the 

 form of a monopoly. Thirdly, the policy of re- 

 stricting public powers within the narrowest pos- 

 sible limits tends to I'ender government weak and 

 inefficient ; and a weak government, placed in the 

 midst of a society controlled by the commercial 

 spirit, will quickly become a corrupt government. 

 In these three important respects laissez-faire 

 fails. Therefore the principles for state interfer- 

 ence which. Professor Adams lays down are three, 

 one corresponding to each of the above evils : 1"*. 

 The state may determine the plane of competitive 

 action ; 2". The state may realize for society the 

 benefits of monopoly ; S"-"". Social harmony may 

 be restored by extending the duties of the state. 



To use the author's own language, " This essay 

 may be regarded as a plea for the old principle of 

 personal responsibility as adequate to the solution 

 of all social, political, and industrial questions ; 

 but it is at the same time urged that this principle 

 must be accepted fearlessly, and applied without 

 reserve. . . . [Monopolies], it is claimed, should 

 be controlled by state authority, and it is sug- 

 gested that the American theory of political 

 liberty will lead men to rely as far as possible 

 upon the efficiency of local governments in the 

 exercise of such authority " (pp. 84, 85). 



In some particulars we find ourselves obliged to 

 differ with the author, both as to principles and as 

 to applications ; but his argument is clear and 

 straightforward, and we bear cheerful testimony 

 to its ability and its candor. 



GRASSES OF NORTH AMERICA. 

 It has sometimes been urged, as an argument 

 against the establishment of agricultural schools, 

 that there were no adequate text-books in which 

 the student might find, systematically arranged 

 and classified, the knowledge of agricultural mat- 

 ters acquired by the farmer on the one hand, and 

 the student on the other. There has been, too, 

 a sufficiently large grain of truth in the accusation 

 to cause us to welcome such additions to agricul- 

 tural literature as Stoi'er's ' Agriculture,' recently 

 noticed in these columns, and Seal's ' Grasses of 

 North America.' Both these books, in quite 



Chrasses of North America, for farmers and students. 

 By W. J. Beal. Vol. i. Lansing, Thorp & Godfrey, pr. 8°. 



different ways and in quite distinct fields, go far 

 to fill what were serious gaps, and the future 

 student of agriculture will owe both authors a debt 

 of thanks. 



Although written by a botanist, and informed 

 throughout by botanical knowledge, ' The grasses 

 of North America' is a book for the farmer rather 

 than for the botanist. The chapters upon the 

 structure, form, and development of the grasses, 

 the power of motion in plants, plant growth, and 

 on classification, while containing much valuable 

 matter, are really preliminary to the succeeding 

 chapters upon more immediately practical topics. 



In these the author has collected the results and 

 opinions of the leading authorities of this and 

 other countries, and added much valuable original 

 matter upon such topics as the adaptation of the 

 various cultivated grasses to different purposes 

 and different conditions of climate and culture, 

 the preparation of the soil, the care of grasslands, 

 making hay, etc. A chapter upon the insect 

 enemies of grasses and clover, by Prof. H. J. Cook 

 of the Michigan agricultural college, and one on 

 the fungi of forage-plants, by Prof. William 

 Trelease of the Shaw school of botany, St. Louis, 

 conclude the book, which deserves a wide circu- 

 lation among the farmers and students for whom 

 its title designs it. It should be added that the 

 abundance of excellent illustrations greatly adds 

 to the value of the book. A second volume is in 

 preparation, to contain the description of all 

 known grasses of North America, with full notes 

 on their value for cultivation. 



The initial publication of the Henry Draper 

 memorial is issued by Professor Pickering as the 

 ' First annual report of the photographic study of 

 stellar spectra, conducted at the Harvard college 

 observatory.' With the Draper 11-inch photo- 

 graphic telescope, spectra have been obtained 

 which we believe have not been equalled else- 

 where ; and Mrs. Draper has decided to send to 

 Cambridge a 28-inch reflector and its mounting, 

 and a 15-inch mirror, with which Dr. Draper's 

 photographs of the moon were taken. But, what 

 is more important, Mrs. Draper has not only pro- 

 vided the means for keeping these instruments 

 actively employed, some of them during the whole 

 of every clear night, but also of reducing the re- 

 sults by a considerable force of comjDutei's, and of 

 publishing them in a suitable form. 



— The tenth annual meeting of the American 

 society of microscopists will be held in Pittsburgh, 

 Penn., commencing Tuesday. Aug. 30. Prof. W. 

 A. Rogers, Waterville, Me., is the president ; and 

 D. S. Kellicott, Buffalo, N.Y., secretary. 



