NEW BOOKS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16961, 9 October 1920, Page 7

NEW BOOKS.

NOTES ON A CELLAR-BOOK, i "A man must have a mighty conceit , himself if he thinks that he can add m ncb worth adding to what Ji3s been already written of women and song. But except in song itself (wherein, alas, 1 have but critical and not creative skill), and in ""ays rather general than .particular, I must say I think Wine has been stinted of its due literarv sizThere aro noble exceptions, Thackeray perhaps the greatest of them. Bnt the serious books on wine have, as a role, been rather dull, and the nor.- ' serious books and even passages not very 'ingoing.' I have known a most virtuous person, a true wine-lover and a TV?" of groat talent, speak in prose of 'C&rte Blanche' (or no matter what colour) as if it were a.Kind of champagne like brut or ceil de perdrix; and even tho minor singers—l do not speak of Panard or Tom Brown, who are not hero 'minor,' of Peacock or Thackeray himself —are apt to be vague in their commendation of 'rosy' and 'sparkling,' and in that fashion generalised drinks. They seldom give us tho 'streaks of the tulip' as they should. So that a little preeiseness ifiay help, if only on a small scale and in a discursive fashion, to make the subject ripe and Teal to some extent, if not to the extent it deserves." Thus Mr George Saintsbuiy explains in a preface tho purpose of his "Notes cm a Cellar Book," which ho gives to the world in place of that "History of Wine," which, on tho strength of a Jong-distant hint, many people expected he would one day add to tho long list of gravely-gay and learned volumes known and loved by nearly two generations of those who care for literature. "It is j sometimes forgotten," he reminds us ic concluding his preface, "that only one of tho two horns of Parnassus was 6 acrod to Apollo, the other belonging to Dionysus. The present writer has. spent much of his life in doing his heat, as he «rald not produce things worthy of •Phoebus, to celebrate and expound them. It cannot be altogether unfitting that ho should, before dropping the pen. altogether, pay such literary respects as ho may to the other sovereign of the duplicate hwrn." he begins tip on the "origins" of/ his book—a priceless record of his pnrcliaees of. Christian liquor exisnding over a period of thirty years— 1884 to 1915. Before the cellar-book was begun, the learned author had became a student of wines, the proprietor . of.a cellar, and the master of many «nmd principles, one, of which was that wino must not only be worthy of man, , but, men must be worthy of wine. All his life he was buying wine, always with judgment and knowledge, perfecting his taste, and laying up such a store of ' profound knowledge concerning the nobler liquids of the earth as for profundity and exactitude can he equalled amongst living men only by his own immense knowledge of poetry and the drama. He begins, as he ought, with sherry, and goes on to port. The lov- . ing enthusiasm and scrupulous care with which be compares a dozes named vintages, disentangling the special excel- . lance of each . and marking their s subtle differences, giving detailed particulars of growers and shippers, and noting the reputations of the wines, has made every 'chapter nearly as "technical" as a theological treatise. This is specially the case in the chapter on port. Bnt Mr Saintebiay never was, and never could be, dry— in another sense, on important and significant word to the hirer of wine, but now, alas, in still another senae (the. American) .a word < what he calls ''blasphemous" signiUcanoe—and one may' know nothing of the relative methods of Margaux of '58, I and Pichon-Longnpville of '64, and yet enjoy, as Mr Saintsbnry enjoyed his >'51 Port, or his Eichebourg '69, the • ' delightful zest and humour of Ids lingering over past bottles. Mr Saintsbury will wonder whether a couplet of Barham's applied to claret or port, remember Meredith, reflect that '78, the year of the best Loovillo Barton, was the year also of the second "Poems and Ballads," praise Tennyson's William far saying he would •not marry Dora, suggest that prohibition caused Bolshevism in Russia, or declare that while he always admired fThe Swan," yet he never fully heard the "Eddying song*' that flooded • ■ the creeping moaan and clambering woeda And the willow branches hoar And dank, 'ind the Wavy smell of the soughing re«da, And the wvve-worn horns of the echoing . bank, And the aflvaiy matieh-flowers that throng The desolate creeks audi pools among— until he drank some good beer brewed in the neighbourhood of this Lincolnshire landscape. Of the years '88. and 'S9 he Bays, "Browning s 'A Pretty -.Woman' is the poem that reminds me most of them." And whyP Because in. those years there happened to be some clarets outside the great clans (Which "for freshness and passing pleasure of flower and bouquet—for drinking at a draught—were charming." The chapters on the wines—6herry, port Claret the Queen, and Burgundy the King, Champagne (which gives the learned authority occasion to- note the . one blot on Thackeray's namely, that he drank other white wines than Hermitage after dinner), and "hock Mid the rest" —are much like Homer or Milton in their mighty muster-roll ef> names. It is only in the absence of 'sQ these names and dates that the other chapters are a little different. Bur Mr Saintsbnry is just as learned and engaging in his memories of gin, whisky, liqueurs, and beer. He took (ul knowledge for his province. Nor does the appreciation of Christian «pwr end with tho liquor itself. There •a a science of glasses. Some glasses Mb "better for Burgundy than for jwefc, end better for Hermitage or Q*te Kotie than for Burgundy," and the glasses are described with the same loving care as has gone to the wines •Mid the literature for which this wise . Had learned mail has lived. "It need hardly be • added that, where ioe occasion demands it, tho author has HBne plain things to say concerning Pnsnrfoot and Prohibition. If only Prohibitionists had under their flag man with the learning and humour of Mr Saintsbury! But they have left tail formidable man .alone, and probeven his postscripts will not stir ttem, although one is an apology to shandygaff, another a provocative reference to. tho Budget, -and the third an evocation of "tho curse of Nature" on "Mae who would banish vintage wines frwn the world. (London: Macmillan jjpd 00. Through "Whitoombe and Ltd.)

WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND. No section of primary industry has during the past few years assumed bo much importance to the general public 83 that of wheat growing. The increasing cost of bread and the scarcity of , -*teat and iie by-products have brought tfce subject somewhat unpleasantly before the public. The most superficial oleerver knows that as a wheat prothia country hag been steadily

going down hill. A few figures indicate tho extent of the retrograde movement. Forty years ago—in 1880— ; when the population was under half a million, an area of 325,000 acres was sown. Even ten years ago we were still fairly holding our own. We cropped 311000 acres, yielding 8,661,100 bushels. Last year, although the population increased during the decade by a quarter of a million, the production dronDed tn 6,567,629 bushels, and tho Government statistics this year estimate a viol r I nf only 4,547,1)86 bushels, actually less than the quantity we were ablo to export in 1883. As it is scarcely necessary to remind readers, the Government in recent years has been compelled to import heavy quantities to meet local needs—last season to the extent of two million bushels.

These figures are arresting enough to necessitate 'a searching investigation into the sources and prospects of increasing this most important of all food requirements. A publication just is ued "Vvneat Production .in New Zealand,'' from'the pen of D. B. Copland, M.A., of the staff of the Tiismanian University, and forme; ly of Canterbury College, does this in an eminently thorough manner. The work is built on the results of one of a scries of investigations by students of Canterbury College, whilst prooeding to tho M.A. degree in Economics. Dr. J. Hight, who supplies an introduction, mentions that its publication has long been delayed by conditions created during the war, "and it is possible now only through the public spirit of the author and the publishers, who make it available in the hope that it may help to form a sound public opinion on an industry which for tho last few years has been thrust unpleasantly into public notice through tho shortage of home-grown supplies, difficulties of importation, high prices, and the inconveniences of Government regulation." The author, in his preface, modestly disclaims any claim that his work is an exhaustive treatment, as at many points he was forced to abandon interesting and profitable lines of discussion in the endeavour to solve completely the main issues. Nevertheless it is easily the most complete analysis of the wheat question yet published in the Dominion. i

In the 3CO odd pages composing the volume it is manifestly impossible to touch on many interesting phases of the eubject, and the briefest reference is possible only in others. The sections of most- direct interest to the averaga reader are those dealing with our own wheat history and prospects. The former is interesting. In 1861 an area of 29.547 acres was sown. That is our earliest record. 'In the "seventies" great progress was made. In 1860-69 the average annual area was 47,000 acres; in the 1870-79 decade it was 159,000 acres. Great rural prosperity marked this period, but at the commencement of the 'eighties a period of depression set.in—the gloomiest in New Zealand's rural history. In 1886 wheat was as low as 2s lid per bushel,- the average for the decade being 3s Bd. In the early part of these lean years meat freezing commenced, diverting some agricultural land to pastoral pursuits, but it .was not until 1885 that wheat production began to decline, and then only slightly. Meat freezing arrived "at a period when a fate tantamount to bankruptcy was facing our Dominion," and the new trarje "was rightly called the country's salvation." The year 1895 is given as tho commencement of a new era in wheat-growing._ Then expansion ceased, and a decline set in. That year also marked the lowest point in the value of farm products, and the decline in area also started in tho middle of the 'nineties. _ Thereafter. the price commenced to rise, and the yields, which had been showing a falling tendency, also began to improve. • The possibilities of production provide* a readable chapter. In Southland the production is small, and in South Otago the climate ia not highly ' favourable. The total area in " Canterbury and North Otago -is about 191- million . acres, of which threa million are suitable for cereals, and-of this 750,000 acres could be devoted to wheat-growing annually. If on the supposition that the extended area wonld influence a lighter yield, say, of 25 bushels per acre, New Zealand could then produce 18,750,000 bushels annnallv. "This could be done, moreover, without any great disturbance m the present state of rural occupation were sufficient supplies of labour and capital available.' states tlx© publicatipm It is worth noting that our recent annual average has just been about one-third of that quantity. . An exportable surplus of eight or nine million bushels of wheat, at present values, would provide an acceptable contribution to the country's wealth. A well-treated section, of the publication deals with the labour element, the financing of farmers, the rotation system of farming, methods of cropping, etc.. and a comprehensive chapter is allotted to the-highly controversial subject of the cost ,of production. Several recorded investigations are published in detail. These, being compdod over two years ago, will not hold good una ol " the" conditions now prevailing, but they are based on careful inquiry and deductions, and are valuable as a standard upon which to base sensible conclusions, for it must be admitted that many of the so-called "costs of production that readers are occasionally asked to accept, aTe the conception of a superficial sur7ev or based on self-interest rather than careful investigation based upon sound rd& An interesting section dealing "With the matter of the . improvement of "t p „t bv selection is contributed by DrHilgendorf, D.Sc. The conclusion of the volume provides a carefnl analysis of the present and future prospects. Qtrpss is placed on the need .ot more attention being devoted to tifio practice. "Intensive methods cf cultivation with a rotation of crops have proved most effective, and should convince the most conservative that any other method will bring ultimate loss!" The advice * opportune, for there is a tendency nowadays to depend too much on the little bag of manure" to the exclusion of liberal cnltivaticin and systematic crop rotation. The publication should provide a valuable addition to the economists library, and the author should have no diffidence in claiming for.it, as he dees, "certain definite conclusions, not without value in stimulating an industry, the prosperity of which largely conditions our national oconomicwelfare and general well-being." (Christchurch. Messrs Whitoombe and Tombs, Ltd.)

FOB THE HOME MECHANIC. Messrs Cassell and Co. continue to issue the interesting "Work" handbooks which are now so well known and so much appreciated by amateur mechanics. One of the most useful is the book "Small Dynamos, and How to ivfnl-n Them." The first chapter is devoted to the elementary theoretical principles of the dynamo, together with a few generalities of construction. This is followed by chapters on cycle-lighting dynamos, hand-driven 20-watt dynamos, and other small machines. Wa *? r ~ motors, electric motors, and faction motors are "also dealt with, and a every point there are diagramatic illustrations of unusual _ clearness ana finish. A chapter on winding, and another on faults and tho remedies, will be of much value to the amateur. I no little book, like others of the series, is written by experts, and is exceedingly full and detailed, so that it is quite certain to meet ail the requirements ot those who wish to make and use small pradifcal .dynamos. . In order to meet tno doniand for formation concerning the principles, construction, and working of electric-ally-operated clocks, Cassell s .have issued a small practical book in these useful series. The writer is an actual maker of electrical clocks, and gives detailed instructions, illustrated ey many admirable drawings. and very clear so that no amateur

should find any difficulty in fitting himself out. Of the four types of electrical clocks,'only two are dealt ■with in this boob—the electric impulse clock ar.d the self-containing clock driven by the battery. Full details are supplied concerning the arrangement of chimes. (Christcnurch: Simpson and Williams.)

AN AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT. 4 It is a good many years since wo were all reading Larimer's letters of "A Self Made Merchant," and although there have been numerous imitations, none of these have been very satisfactory. More recently the world has made' the acquaintance of "Potash and Perlmutt-er," and discovered with delight the rich possibilities of the ready-to-wear clothing trade in America. Those who remember and enjoyed Lorimer's and Glass's books will enjoy a little volume, a cross between the two,: by Joseph E. Austrian. These are the letters of Philip Citron, of the House of Citron Gumbiner and Co., to his salesmen and partners. They are business letters, but Mr Citron mixes personal and social gossip with his instructions in a most entertaining manner, and introduces us to a multitude of very amusing and striking people in one of the most curious trades in the world. The names are very like those in "Potash and Perlmutter," and we recognise again many of the leading traits of these hyphenated Americans. Mr Austrian knows the trade quite as well as Mr Glass, and he makes it impossible not to be interested in all these queer people. The special charm of the book is its stealthy humour and its independence of mere farce. A few samples of Mr Citron's epistolary manner: — Sid Levy is back from France: "When ho is in the showroom the place seems like Aaron Breitstein. He wired a telegram from Rochester, this morning, and it read: 'Have established liason with Keen-Stern Dry Goods Co. Reinforce them immediately five dozen novelty silk waists 4.50 dollars, and express- this week sure. Business on my sector looks good. Have barraged my entire territory with advance postals. You will surely pin a Croix-de-Guerre on me this year if you make good deliveries all my orders.' " , "Some of these buyers are enough to make yon nutty. They want they shall have fresh styles every hour. The waist business is getting more like the daily newspaper line every day. I think we should make a hit if we engaged the managing editor of the New York 'Times' to run our factory."

"Sol, golf is a game played between a lot of holes through rough spots, hazards and bunk, just like. the waist line. The idea is to hit a little white ball with a stick so it goes into a small hole in the middle of a layout they call a .pitting green. You {jot to make it at or below cost, otherwise yon are a poor player. Then you make out your own credit and write it on a card and go to another spot and open a new account for the next hole." "Professor N. Clayture from the Wisconsin college, spoke about ' the Growing Scarcity of "Names for the Ready-to-'Wear industry.' He said there was over ten thousand manufneturers of ladies' ready-to-wear in New York Oitv alone, not counting Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and other markets. Each manufacturer has a name for hia business, and day new houses are springing. He e?aimed all the names in the Bible, the British Dictionary, and the telephone directory shall be almost used up, and a new. supply must come from somewhere as it is a serious problem for new houses to get a good epecial name to operate their business without law suits." (New York: Frederick A. Stokes, Go. Through "Whitoombe and Tombs.)