420 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
Our Book tTablc 
Farm Development, By Willet M. Hays. 5x8, 391 
pages, including index. Illustrated. Published by the 
Orange Judd Co., New York. Price $1.50. 
Assistant Secretary Hays, formerly agriculturist in the 
Minnesota Experiment Station and College of Agriculture is 
not allowing the duties of his office to suppress the store of 
knowledge gained through many years of useful experience as 
a teacher and experimenter. Some of this is coming to the 
fore in book form. Not the least valuable to contributions 
on agricultural education with special reference to farm prac¬ 
tice is the work noted above. Most books which aim to 
teach agriculture take up the subject from the laboratory or 
pedagogic standpoint, and it is usually divided into three 
parts, the soil, the plant, the animal. Mr. Hays makes an 
important departure from this method in treating his subject, 
leaving out the animal and the plant as specific divisions 
altogether. In brief the method of treatment is as follows: 
Having been prepared from notes used in giving a course 
in an agricultural high school, this book is written in such a 
way as to be perfectly comprehensible to the beginner, and is 
intended as an introduction, not as a complete treatise. It 
deals in an elementary way with many of the questions related 
to farming. A chaptei of nearly a hundred pages is devoted 
to drainage, which is coming to be recognized as so important 
an agent in conserving soil moisture. Other subjects which 
are dealt with at length are the soil and soil formation, irriga¬ 
tion, roads and bridges, and fences; while short chapters are 
given on the geological history of the earth, the selection of a 
farm home, planning the farm, and subduing the land. 
It is seen, then, that this book has special value for the 
man who takes up farming as a business and desires guidance 
at the outset, as well as for the teacher who has a class of 
students in elementary agriculture on his hands. We think 
that in the present state of development of agricultural 
pedagogics, the book possesses considerably more value to the 
practical farmer than to the student of the soil, the plant, and 
the animal; but in saying this, we do not wish to discount 
the value of the book to the teacher. It merely emphasizes 
its two-sided character. 
Mr. Hays has presented an excellent volume, and we have 
much pleasure in recommending it to our readers. 
Agriculture Through the Laboratory and School 
Garden, C. R. Jackson, Mrs. L. S. Daugherty. Orange, 
Judd Co. X 7F2", 402 pages, illustrated. Price, 
$1.50. 
Dming the past four or five years a number of books aim¬ 
ing to assist the teaching of elementary agriculture in the 
common and graded schools have been published. This work 
is an addition to that type of text. It does not aim to meet 
the needs of any special grade of school. It is very compre¬ 
hensive in character, covering soils and their physical and 
chemical sides, plant growth, milk and its care, with some 
specially good chapters on the improvement of plants, the 
pruning of plants, the enemies of plants and the ornamenta¬ 
tion of school grounds. From the standpoint of balance, the 
book is not quite symmetrical, in that much more stress is laid 
upon the plant than the animal. It contains, however, a 
good deal of suggestive matter, and from the pedagogic 
standpoint, is very well arranged. To all teachers who are 
interested in this phase of natural history, the book will be 
found to be of great service. 
Neighborhood Entertainments, Renee B. Stern. Pub¬ 
lished by Sturgis & Walton Company, New York. 5 x 7 
inches, 297 pages. Illustrated. Price, 75 cents net. 
There can be no doubt to those who will give the matter 
thought that there is a real call for such a book as this. One 
reason why so many young people leave the farms for the 
cities is that they can find there so much more entertaining 
occupation for their spare hours. But if the farmers’ sons 
and daughters of today leave their country homes, who will 
direct the farms tomorrow? Conditions should not be such 
that the man or woman, young or old, on the farm should be 
either tempted or forced to live in such an isolated way as to 
almost forget that the people round about, with whom occa¬ 
sional business transactions of one sort or another are carried 
on, may be approached in another way; for it is only natural, 
and therefore desirable, that there should be companionable 
association with those outside of one’s own family. The book 
at hand discusses the question of various clubs which may be 
made valuable in promoting community activity, and also 
deals with many kinds of entertainments which are of a 
purely social nature. 
SOME OF THE RECENT BULLETINS 
Climatic Adaptation of Apple Varieties, J. K. Shaw 
(from 23d Annual Rpt. Mass. Agr. Exp. Sta.). 
This is the result of four years’ study “of the effect of vary¬ 
ing climatic conditions on varieties.’’ A map is given, show¬ 
ing apple belts of the country, and a few varieties, which were 
studied especially, are discussed as regards distribution and 
characteristics. 
The Colorado Raspberry Industry, R. S. Herrick and 
E. R. Bennett (Bui. 171 Col. Agr. Exp. Sta.). 
According to this publication, the yield and quality of this 
fruit is at least equal in Colorado to that in the East. The 
dry climate largely prevents attack from disease. 
Thinning the Winesap, and Winter and Frost Injuries 
OF Fruit Trees, R. S. Herrick (Bui. 170 Col. Agr. Exp. 
Sta.). 
While the Winesap does not ordinarily attain very large 
size, it has been found that by thinning, even as late as July 
20, both size and color have been much improved. The 
second part of this publication discusses winter injury of 
young and old trees, and spring frost injuries, and notes the 
fact that every orchardist interviewed on the subject has 
found the orchard heater a good investment. 
A Study of the Improvement of Citrus Fruits Through 
Bud Selection, A. D. Shamel (Circ. No. 77 Bur. of Plant 
Industry). 
In this circular, the objects and early results of this study, 
but recently undertaken, are stated. Much variation has 
been found in the bearing records of different trees of the same 
variety under similar conditions. The work so far has been 
