1886. | Recent Literature. 449 
imentation than any other of the great industries. Dealing as it 
does with the soil, the atmosphere, plants and animals, one would 
Suppose that careful and expensive experiments would invariably 
be confided to men trained in one or more of the great modern 
“ sciences—chemistry, physics, botany, zoology, geology, meteor- 
ology. That such has, however, not been the case, is shown by 
an examination of the reports which have appeared with more or 
less regularity ever since the agricultural colleges and agricultu- 
ral departments of the State universities were organized. With 
here and there an exception, such reports have contained nothing 
which were of any value to a scientific investigator in any field 
whatsoever. 
The report of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station 
for the year 1885 is noteworthy in several ways, not the least 
important of which is its early appearance, the copy under review 
having reached us early in February. Its contents are full of val- 
uable matter covering nearly the whole field of agriculture in its 
Widest sense, We can take time here for but a hasty glance at a 
few of the more important topics. 
The results of duplicate plantings (p. 37) are suggestive. In 
the case of Indian corn differences in yields equivalent to from 
two to fourteen and fifteen bushels per acre were obtained from 
similar plats treated in the same way. Of similar significance 
are many of the duplicate germinations of seeds (p. 54). 
In the germination of seeds to determine the influence of age 
(p. 58), much greater quantities were taken than is customary, the 
usual number here being some hundreds, often reaching several 
etait Results obtained in this way are much more satis- 
actory. e same precautions enter into the temperature exper- - 
ments upon germinations of Indian corn (p. 64), and in the latter 
case some very useful results have already been reached. . 
Of a very different nature, but still of high scientific interest, 
are the following, viz , a study of maize, being an attempt at 
orming a new variety (p. 73); variations [of Indian corn] from 
seed (p. 74); the characteristics of wheat varieties (p. 90), being 
@ Systematic classification and arrangement of many varieties; 
improvement in selecting (p. 107), abit of work such as Darwin 
delighted in; a description of the principal varieties of lettuce 
(P. 137), a systematic classification and arrangement; observations _ 
on growth, character and depth of roots : 
The botanist’ 
