342 Catalogue of Works 



The first part of a more extensive work, which it was the intention of 

 the author to extend to every department of Agriculture, but his death, 

 last autumn, limits it to the present tract, which may be considered as a 

 practical view of the present state of vegetable physiology. 



Puvis, M. A.: Essai sur la Marne. Bourg. 8vo. 5fr. 

 Marl is here proved to be of no use applied to calcareous soils, but more 

 or less useful to soils of every other description. There are sandy marls, 

 and clayey marls, and the soils to which they are respectively applicable 

 are obvious enough. Marl acts as an improvement of the constituent parts 

 of a soil ; not like dung, which is positive nutriment, and applicable to every 

 description of soil alike. 



Annuaire de la Societe Royale et Centrale d' Agriculture. Paris. 12mo. 



We record this title, for the sake of noticing the very complete organiz- 

 ation of this Society, which was instituted in 1761, was suppressed in the 

 troublous times of 1793, revived in 1798, and is now in a very flourishing 

 state. After a list of the Society, is given a table of their correspondents, 

 of which there are some in every department of France, and fifty distri- 

 buted over every part of the world. Then follows a list of eighty-two pro- 

 vincial societies, and fifteen foreign societies, with which they are in regular 

 correspondence ; and the titles of nineteen French agricultural periodicals, 

 purchased by or presented to the Society. If agriculture is not in a 

 prosperous state in France, it is not for want of societies or books; but there 

 is a chasm between these societies and the people, which must be filled up by the 

 education of the latter, before the former can be of much use. All societies, 

 however, are useful and agreeable to those who associate ; man delights in 

 giving utterance to his ideas on subjects to which he is much attached ; some 

 who .cannot write can speak, and those who will not take the trouble to do 

 either, can show something worth speaking about. Another grand support 

 of a society, is the idea of getting something considerable for little or 

 nothing — of reaping the honours of science and patriotism, where we 

 have not sown the seeds. Some men are content to shine with a borrowed 

 light, and those who would never have been heard of standing alone, be- 

 come of consequence by being connected with others ; individuals who 

 have no power singly, become formidable en masse; and a society with its 

 leading spirit, (without which it is nothing), may in some respects be com- 

 pared to an army and its general — it commands the respect due to power. 

 A great proportion of the public in every country feel it necessary to 

 ha"e something to look up to — some peg to hang their faith on, by which 

 they may be saved from the trouble of forming an opinion of their own. 

 As this class should be gratified as well as every other, it would be a pity 

 not to have plenty of societies — in France and England there should be 

 plenty of every thing. 



Soulange-Bodin, M. le Chevalier, P. of the Linn. Soc. of Paris, M. of the 

 R. and Central Agricultural Society, F.H.S. &c. : Discours sur lTmport- 

 ance de PHorticulture, et sur les Avantages de son Union avec les Sciences 

 Physiques. Paris. Pamph. 8vo. pp. 20. 



An eloquent oration by our excellent correspondent and enthusiastic hor- 

 ticulturist and patriot. It is quite heroic, and what an Englishman would 

 call perfectly French, for which reason we like it the better. A man never 

 displays himself with so much effect, as when he appears to be what he 

 really is. That is partial criticism, which would condemn a Frenchman 

 because he is not like an Englishman ; every man ought to be compared 

 with himself and the circumstances in which he is placed. The object of 

 this discourse is to excite a taste for horticulture in France, for which pur- 



