BOOK NOTICES 



ANOTHER NEW FORESTRY BOOK. 



"A First Book of Forestry," by Filibert 

 Roth, Chief of the Division of Forestry, 

 U. S. Department of the Interior, is, as its 

 title would indicate, elementary, being in- 

 tended primarily for study in public schools 

 and country homes. It does not pretend to 

 be a text-book or manual, its aim being "to 

 present in simple, non-technical language 

 some of the principles underlying the sci- 

 ence, and to state the methods which are 

 employed and the objects to be attained in 

 the practice of forestry." 



The reader is taken, in imagination, into 

 the forest itself, and the relation thereto of 

 light and shade, soils and moisture, heat 

 and cold, are explained. In the second part, 

 the author discusses the different methods 

 of raising or keeping up the forest, of pro- 

 tecting it from its various enemies, and the 

 utilization of forest products. A short dis- 

 cussion is given of what may be accom- 

 plished in the administration of farmers' 

 wood-lots, of waste and prairie lands, and 

 in the reclamation of sand dunes. Under 

 "Related Topics," the forest as a protective 

 cover is described, the character and distri- 

 bution of American forests are outlined, 

 wood is discussed as to its structural, phys- 

 ical and chemical properties, and a service- 

 able key for the distinction of our common 

 trees is given. The appendix contains the 

 Doyle-Scribner log scale, a table of circles, 

 and a descriptive list of the more impor- 

 tant woods and trees of the United States. 



There are many old men and women who 

 when asked for the name of the capital 

 of some State will stop and sing, to them- 

 selves, the old geography song they learned 

 in their school days, which ran, "State of 

 Maine, Augusta is on the Kennebec river," 

 etc. ; and it is difficult for almost any of us 

 to tell straight off the reel what the capital 

 of any State is without calling to our aid 

 this old song. 



This method of memorizing rhymes, or 

 idioms, or proverbs, has been practiced by 

 educators for hundreds of years, and prob- 

 ably always will be used to a greater or less 

 extent. 



In harmony with this old custom, Capt. 

 H. C. DuVal has written a series of rhymes 

 embodying the rules governing bridge 

 whist, which may be memorized by any per- 

 son in a single evening. This will enable 

 any bridge whist player to carry the rules 

 of the game on his finger-tips, so to speak. 



The book is published by the Pafraets 

 Book Co., Troy, N. Y., and sells at 25 cents 

 a copy. It may be obtained through any 

 large bookseller in the country. 



"Horses Nine" is the name under which 

 a collection of Mr. Sewell Ford's stories 

 appears in book form. These stories have 

 previously been published in Scribner's and 

 other magazines, and readers who have al- 

 ready become acquainted with Skipper, 

 Calico, Chieftan, Pasha and other equine 

 heroes will be delighted to have their life 

 histories in permanent form. The stories 

 are somewhat unequal in value, but Mr. 

 Ford has great power of making life felt 

 from the horse's point of view, and of cre- 

 ating sympathy and affection for the dear, 

 dumb creatures, which know no why nor 

 wherefore, but simply obey and trust, often 

 to their own undoing. 



"Horses Nine" should rank as a gift 

 book for boys and girls, and as a power 

 for good, with "Black Beauty," which of 

 course it far exceeds in literary quality. It 

 is published by Charles Scribner's Sons, 

 New York, and the price is $1.50. 



"A Virginia Girl in the Civil War" is a 

 charming book, more fascinating and far 

 more valuable than any of the hundred 

 and one hysterical novels and alleged ro- 

 mances, founded on that period, with which 

 the book market has lately been flooded. It 

 is a record of the actual experiences of the 

 wife of a confederate officer, yet it con- 

 tains no word of blame or bitterness for 

 the North. The delightful life in the old 

 South before the war, and the suffering 

 endured by Southern women during the 

 great struggle are depicted from the stand- 

 point of a gentle, sweet girl who lived both 

 lives yet who can tell the story without 

 rancour. 



The book is edited by Myrta L. Avary, 

 who says in her introduction that the his- 

 tory was told her over the teacups, during 

 the evenings of a winter spent in the South. 

 The publishers are D. Appleton & Co., 

 New York. 



"Gaston Griffith, a Country Banker," by 

 G. W. Ames, is apparently a life history, 

 on the diary plan. It is published by the 

 Gazette Publishing Co., Port Jervis, N. 

 Y., and is in 2 volumes, the second one 

 illustrated from photographs. The work is 

 unique and must be seen to be appreciated ; 

 yet I could live comfortably many years 

 without seeing another such book. 



Can not keep house without Recreation. 

 L. F. Chapman, Gould City, Mich. 



Recreation is all right. Go for the 

 swine. C. O. Jones, Mt. Union, Iowa. 



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