^''jiuTi,i8n^"'}  R^'^iey^^  CL'^d  Bibliograpliical  Notices.  33& 
Our  views  coincide  in  principle  with  those  advanced  by  Prof.  Attfield,  and 
we  heartily  commend  them  to  the  consideration  of  the  Committee  having  in 
charge  the  revision  of  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia. 
American  Manures,  and  Farmers'  and  Planters'  Guide.  Comprising  a  de- 
scription of  the  elements  and  composition  of  plants  and  soils,  the  theory 
and  practice  of  composting,  the  value  of  stable  manure  and  waste  products, 
&c.;  also,  chemical  analyses  of  the  principal  manufactured  fertilizers,  their 
assumed  and  real  value,  and  a  full  expose  of  the  frauds  practiced  upon  pur- 
chasers. By  James  Bennett  Chynoweth  and  Wra.  H.  Bruckner,  Ph.  D. 
Philadelphia:  Chynoweth  &  Co.,  1871.  ■12mo,  260  pages.  Bound  in  cloth. 
$1.50. 
The  authors  say,  in  the  preface  to  this  little  volume :  "  It  has  ever  been  con- 
sidered the  duty  of  each  member  of  a  community  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  ex- 
pose and  redress  existing  wrongs,  especially  when  those  wrongs  affect  the  vital 
interests  of  all.  .  .  .  We  shall  unmask  practices  that  have  been  backed  up 
by  favorable  reports  and  artfully  designed  statements,  falsely  claiming  to  be 
benefits  conferred  on  the  community,  and  which,  from  a  want  of  knowledge  to 
distinguish  real  from  imaginary  good,  have  passed  currently  as  such."  These 
passages  explain  the  ultimate  object  of  the  book,  namely,  to  prove  that  none 
of  the  fertilizers  in  our  markets  contain  enough  fertilizing  material  to  warrant 
the  price  charged  for  them.  Thus  the  fertilizing  value  of  one  article  sold  at 
S56  per  ton  is  calculated  to  be  '*37,  while  another  article  sold  at  $40  is  worth 
only  S6.  These  calculations  are  based  upon  actual  analysis — which  is  briefly 
described — of  samples  purchased  directly  from  the  manufacturers  or  their 
agents,  and  upon  values  which  in  Chapter  Y  are  estimated  to  yield  to  the  man- 
ufacturer a  profit  of  38  per  cent.,  figures  which,  from  the  experience  of  one  of 
the  authors  as  superintendent  of  a  manure  factory,  may  be  assumed  as  correct. 
With  the  results  of  their  analyses  of  American  manures,  the  authors  contrast 
the  composition  of  some  German  superphosphates,  showing  that,  under  the  in- 
spection system,  their  value  as  fertilizers  is  much  greater.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  every  purchaser  of  not  less  than  half  a  ton  of  the  manure  manufac- 
tured at  Mannheim,  Germany  has  the  privilege  of  having  it  analyzed  without 
expense  to  himself,  by  the  President  of  the  Agricultural  Experimental  Station 
at  Carlsruhe.  We  are  not  partial  to  the  appointment  of  inspectors  here,  be- 
cause such  offices  are  too  readily  dragged  down  into  mere  political  sinecures; 
but  we  believe  that  the  manufacturers  owe  it  to  themselves  as  well  as  to  their 
customers  to  make  arrangements  with  honest  and  competent  chemists  to  un- 
dertake such  examinations  free  of  expense  to  the  purchaser  of  a  certain  quan- 
tity. 
The  statements  and  certificates  contained  in  the  circulars  of  the  manufac- 
turers are  contrasted  by  the  authors  with  their  results  and  calculations,  and 
often  sharply  criticized. 
The  book  is  not  merely  of  ephemeral  value,  but  the  six  first  chapters  contain 
much  information  of  lasting  value  to  the  farmer,  and  are  written  in  such  a  clear 
manner,  divested  as  much  as  possible  of  scientific  language,  that  they  can  be 
readily  understood. 
