THE BOOKMAN

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 21, 25 January 1913, Page 15

THE BOOKMAN

NEW PUBLICATIONS "Vavro on Farming." By Marcus T. Varro. London : G. Bell and Sons. Ltd. TIII3 is not the latest American book on farming, with all the latest theories on the latest methods of nitrogenous manuring, stimulation of plant growth by electricity, seed selection, cross*fertilisation, Burbankery, bacteriology, entomology, motor traction in agriculture, and how to grow rich by truck-farming on ten acres. Strictly speakingj it has no right at all to a place under the heading of "Now Publications," for it was first published nearly two thousand years ago, at a time when the first Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, was clearing tip tHe tangle left by the sudden demise of thei great Julius under the daggers of Brutus and his fellow-conspirators. But farming is far older than M. T. VarrO, who himself quotes authorities dating back centuries before his time ; it is first of all the trades of mankind, for is it not said that "when Adam delved and Eve span, who was then a gentleman If" But there have been, gentleman farmers since, and in a mild way old Marcus Terentuis Varro was one, and knew what he was writing about, when, in his eightieth year, he composed this little treatise on farming for his wife Fundania', who had just bought a farm — it almost reads like the man who has made money in the city going out to take up land in his old age. Fundania must always have had a hankering j after the horses and cows, pigs and fowls, .so Marcus T. determined, if she was going to essay, the venturesome ' enterprise of life on the 1 land, she >■ might as well know all about it. No man was better entitled to writo on all subjects than the same M. T. Varro, for was he not the most learned tnart of antiquity, with four hundred and ninety books to his credit by the time he reached his eightieth year? Of all that mass of writing, the complete encyclopedia of antiquity, this treatise on farming is the only one > which remains to us in anything approaching completeness. AIJ the rest has perished, except a few dfisjecled , fragments, to the,eternal loss and regret of ' the modern world. All antiquity is unanimous as to the incomparable value of the writings of this greatest of classical scholars, during his .life time and for many hundreds of years after his death the supreme authority. "One great work," says Lloyd Storr-Best in his excellent introduction, "perhaps his greatest, certainly ' that which the moderns would choose of all others to possess— 4he Antiquities Human and Divine, in forty-one books— survived for nearly fourteen centuries, then vanished into a pawnbroker's shop, never to reappear. Petrarch, in one of his 'Let* ters to the Illustrious l)ead,' which was addressed to Varro, said that he had once had these books in his possession, and that he was tortured with eternal longing and regret for their loss. He had lent them to his old master, who I urtdor stress Of poverty had.pawned them, and, died before they could be found and I redeemed." "A plague" on all pawnbrokers," we say, paraphrasing the words of Falstaff. Whether the modern farmer in New Zealand may learn anything of profit fronr Varro's treatise or not, may bo a question for- the Department of Agriculture to decide, but there can be tio I doubt that the methods slowly elaborated through many hundreds of years by the most practical of all peoples aiid Used with complete success until 'the time when Italian agriculture was ruined by Wreign competition must be worth knowing, especially when Italy's similarity of geographical situation- to that of New Zealand — an island Italy — is borne in mind. The method adopted and the ! division of the work arc excellent, and the general arrangement wonderfully precise and clear. The treatise is' divided Into three books— the first dealing with agriculture ; the second with cattle, horses/ pigs, and sheep and their breeding and rearing ; and the third with the keeping of poultry, game, etc.— the small farming -of the time,. t One would like to quote a few passages just to show < the extraordinary shrewdness and quaint humour, of the old man, who, in the dedication to his wife, says : "My dear Fundania, if I had leisure T would give a' better form to this treatise. As I have not, I will do what a. man, may who has to bear in mind the need of haste. , Man is a bubble, they «ay; in which case the proverb must be the more true of an old man. And I am in my eightieth' year, which warns me to pack up- my baggage in readiness to journey out of this world. Well, as you have bought an estate and want to farm it ( to advantage, and as you ask me to give the matter my attention, I will try what I can do, in tlio hope that mj' instructions may serve you not only during my life, but alter my death as we'll." One is tempted .to quote again and again passages which are true to-day as they we're in the mellow sunshine of rural Italy !some thirty odd . years before the birth of Christ— tHe years of itlie golden Augustan age of Rome— but space forbids. To the New Zealand farmer, who loves \his life on the land and therefore takes an interest in something' more than the price 'of wool and the pressure of the graduated land tax, 1 Marcus- Terentius Varro's treatise, " Reru'm Rusticarium 'Libri Tres 1 " (Three Books on Rural Affairs) can be -most heartily. v,ecommended as a Bheer joy to possess and lead. There is no need to worry ' about the Latin ; the book under review is an admirable translation, full of the crusty flavour of the original, yet understandable of all. " The Stereqgraphic Projection of. the Sphere." By Robert Hatchwell, «xtra master. "Devonia" Navigation School, Lyttelton, New T Zealand. Pp. 32. Price, Is 6d. (Whitcombe and Tombs). \ This ■ very useful- projection possesses two remarkable properties. One is ; the stereographic projection of any circle, great or small, not passing through the centre of projection, is , a circle y the rjther js the angles of intetsection of any two circles on a sphere ar^equal to the angles of intersection of then' projections, and are also equal to the angles of intersection of the radii of their projections, at the point of concourse. Most writers on this subject begin by stating and proving seven theorems before proceeding with the problems. But here is a little book which is 'wholly practical— nothing theoretical about it -whatever. And perhaps this is the best way tt for beginners. The directions are plain and concise, the diagrams, large '.and clear, and if the practical part is learned first the student is then ehcouraged to investigate the theory. The author claims that with a diagram carefully drawn it is quite possible to obtain an azimuth or amplitude, or a latitude or longitude to the nearest degree, and a great circle distance to a quarter of a degree. But he could get all his results with an average error of only about lOmin, if, instead of using a scale of chords, he measured his chords wiih an oruinary fully divided scale of equal parts (such as surveyors use), and then found the corresponding angle from a table of chords, such as that given in Chambera's mathematical tables. This little book is likely to become popular, and Captain^ Hatchwell will probably find that a second edition will be called for, containing more problems treated in the same simple manner. j

"The Captain of the King's Guard," by Commander E. H. Currey. R.N. (W. and R. Chambers, Ltd , London and Edinburgh.) "Ramon, Count of Calabrava, and Captain of the King's Guard" — so here the hero is identified in this pleasant story of Commander Currey's. Ramon has a notable figure, is wondrously clad, and possesses a "compelling voice." The leading lady is Elvira de Guzman, and the author builds this picture (a masterpiece) of her : "She has liquid brown eyes . . . red-brown hair that the sun turned to a golden tint; her complexion was somewhat pale, but the texture of the skin was exquisite j her lips were vivid, mutinous, bewitching ; her mouth slightly over large for perfect beauty." Early in the story Ramon, dashing rider that he is, rescues the charmer (a lovely equestrienne) from horrible death at the hooves of a maddened herd. Therefore, while man and circumstance- might part them for a while, Fate keeps their ultimate happy unfon steadily in view. And one of his working media is a Charles Stuart. Before the admirable consummation is gained there are fierce shedd- | ings of blood, a kidnapping, and such like soul and body torments. The author tells an exciting story of 1632 (in Spain), in, a vigorous straightforward style. The book is enlivened by six illustrations in colour by W. H. C. Groome. "Dagobert's Children," by L. J. Beeston. London : Stanley Paul. The author has evidently made a careful'study of the Franco-Prussian War, and has woven round the doings of 4a4 a small band of Franc- Tireurs,' or freelancers, as one would call them nowadays, a series of exciting incidents which make decidedly interesting reading. Incidentally, one .gets ja fine, flavour of the spirit which the French displayed in the hopeless struggle ', and although the incidents in whicn Dagobert and his children — fr,ee-lances all— figur*© are mostly disconnected, the narratives breathe an -air of realism which is attractive to a 1 degree. The style is more French than English, and therefore quite in keeping with the subject, and "Dagobert s Children" give the -reader a good idea of. the 'cla.ss of men who were" engaged in the struggla which ended in the capitulation of Paris and the cession of Alsace and Lorraine. "The Cruise of H.M.S. Cambrian," by M. Duggan, is a record of the doings of the warship lately in Wellington Harbour, from the time 61 her being commissioned at Colombo in 1 September, ■ 1911, down to the same month in the following year. From Colombo the Cambrian sailed to the chief ports in Australia, thence to Hobart, back to Sydney, and f then to Manila and the various- places on the China Station, including Japan, the total distance covered being 26,409 nautical miles. The Writer's diary, or log, is complete enough as fi? as it goes, describing the places anril'^'e visited from the rather limited vieT7£6fnt of a man-o'-war. r Over twenty photographs illustrate scenes on the tour and persons and incidents on board the' ship. Messrs. Dent are adding to the reference section of "Everyman's Library" a complete encyclopaedia in twelve voh umes, edited by Mr. Andrew Boyle". The first volume is announced for publication about the middle of January, the subsequent volumes following .at intervals' of lour weeks until the work is completed in December next. Each volume will run t6 some 640 pages, with about 900 words on each page, the complete set containing, it is estimated, 6,000,000 words- There -will be some 1200 illustrations, but all maps have been eliminated, the work having been compiled with special reference to tlie series of literary and historical atlases issued in "Everyman's Library," the , fifth, and last volume of which will be ready this year. LITERARY NOTES. THe great demand for" the Right Hon. James Bryce's new work on South America exhausted the ' first large edition soon after publication. The work was reprinted with all possible despatch, and further 'supplies 'were available in a few weeks. "Winter's Pie" ,is the Christmas edition of "Prititers* ' Pie," and .is quite j as good as the original, and this is saying much. The editor says the public have asked for /'Winter's Pie," and he has given it to them. It now remains for them to consume, it as quickly as possible. The publication is in aid of the Printing Trade Charities. The only, thing is that so mttch is given for the, shilling" that the poor proprietor who issues a magaziitt tor a living cannot hope to compete on equal terms. -, Mr. Bok, editor of ..the Ladies' Home Journal, has "had an honour " accorded him which many a- famous man in history has gained before him. The November number of his magazine a year ago lias been burned in public by the women suffragists of- a Western State at their meeting held to celebrate the recent successes. In that numbei'j it is stated, was an article in which the^ wqjnen voters of California were criticised adversely. • ... . I ' ' .. • " Life is mostly . froth and bubble ; Two things Btand like stone — 'Kindness in anotherjs trouble,' ' Courage in your own." ' The editor of the Referee says he can not trace the authorship, of these ' lines and appeals, for , assistance. . VAU his j Australian readers," comments a London contemporary, "will' be happy to" pUt Him on ' the right track, for these lines are the best-known" and the'mos't widely quoted in the works of their national poet, Adam Lindsay Gordon. These lines have * received a compliment in Canada not yet accorded in their native Australia, for- they' are engraved on the memorial, stone of .a. great charitable institution in .' Montreal. " " , "Carmen Sylva, and Sketches from the Orient" js the title of a new book by Pierre Loti, which . the Macmillan Company will publish, immediately. The translation is the work of Mr. Fred Rothwell. The' English translation of ■ "Social Life in the Ineect World," by J. H. Fabre, the. famous .Flench scientist, proved so popular in America that a third large edition has been ordered by the publishers, the Century Company. Much has been written about Sarah, the first Duchess of Marlborough, a remarkable woman beyond doubt. A biography df her, based on the papers in the possession of the " Marlborough family, will, however, be a- book of exceptional interest. 1 " Such a biography has been" written' by ' Dr. 'Stuart Reid, who, some years ago, the whole of the Marlborough papers. Between Andrew Lang' and Stevenson there was a great depth of affection, which had come into being when Lang read "Ordered South" and waa instantly "sealed of the tribe of Louie, an admirer, a devotee, a fanatic"* (says the Pall Mall Gazette). When Lang first heard from Robert Louis Stevenson of the germ of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" he eaid, in the words of another, "This will never do,; but it was to him that Longmans sent the manuscript of the famous story. In a very commonplace drawing-room, as he said, he began to read it at 10.30 one %h}>." 'Arriving at the, place where Utterson, the, lawyer, and the doctor wait outside the doctor's room, ha threw down the manuscript and fled. "I had no taite for eolitude any mors,'i