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phases, sucfi ;us their imporUiuce as cereals and forage plants; two 

 chapters emphasizing in some detail the economic value of the 

 legume or pea family, and one chapter on the value of certain 

 hacteria in accumulating nitrogen. This chapter (XVI) mentions 

 the value of green manures and the failure of the preparation 

 '■ nitragen " in disseminating the nitrogen hacteria. It also con- 

 tains a long list of nitrogen-consuming plants, very tersely de- 

 scrihed and classified as to part of plant economically valuahle. 

 The final two chapters are devoted to weeds and weed control and 

 agricultural seeds, seed selection and seed- testing. The author 

 evidently considers plant breeding and genetics, plant physiology 

 and plant diseases as subjects of too specialized a nature to in- 

 clude in an elementary agricultural text. So far as the reviewer 

 can determine, they are not considered. Extensive bibliographies 

 on each subject are given, most of the materia! being very accessi"- 

 ble. Many interesting problems are touched upon. On page 219 

 the fertilizer waste due to the common method of sewage disposal 

 from large cities is discussed, while on page 83 a metliod of de- 

 sensitizing human beings against poison ivy is described. The 

 treatment takes one month and gives immunity for one month. 

 On pages 90-9,1 is a detailed account of Socrates' death by poison 

 hemlock, taken from Plato. On page 62 the planting of garden 

 larkspur in masses about gardens is advised by Froggat because 

 of its poisonous nature, as a protection against locusts and grass- 

 hoppers. Other species are cited as deadly to maggots and ticks. 

 This treatment, in the reviewer's opinion, would probably prove 

 about as efficacious as the proverbial Frenchman's flea-powder, 

 or the use of castor bean plants as protection against mosquitoes. 

 On pages 15 and 82 blondes (blue eyes) are said to be very sus- 

 ceptible to poison ivy, while brunettes (dark, swarthy skins) are 

 practically immune. This statement does not accord with the 

 reviewer's experience. Among eleven blondes questioned, six, 

 including the reviewer, were practically immune, while five were 

 susceptible. Of six brunettes, five were susceptible and one was 

 practically immune. On page loi nightshade berries {Solanum 

 nigrum) are mentioned as poisonous. On page 131, Ft. II, Pam- 



