Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 14.djvu/256

244 revolting account of the mode of burial of the poor in Père-Lachaise, the statement follows that "the Americans are the only people who bury their dead decently and beautifully—that is, so far as the present mode of sepulture will allow them. For beauty, extent, careful planting, picturesque views and keeping, the garden cemeteries formed within the past generation near all the principal American cities are a great advance upon anything of the kind in Europe."

In horticulture the questions discussed are such as the skillful cultivation of hardy fruit-trees, which has made fruit so good and plentiful in France, and has led to its large exportation; the remarkable culture of asparagus, by which it is grown so abundantly that for many weeks in the spring it is an article of popular consumption; Parisian mushroom-culture; lettuce-growing in winter and spring in the suburbs of Paris, by a method so successful that they are able to supply their own market and that of many other cities. When these tender lettuces are eaten in winter, in England, they are supposed to come from some soft southern climate, while in fact they grow in a climate as harsh as that of England. The various processes by which these results are gained are minutely described, and every page of the volume is full of interest and instruction. There are 538 superb illustrations, many of which, in the chapters upon the parks and gardens, are full-page views of scenery and architecture.

aborigines of California differ from the Atlantic tribes in sundry essential particulars, but most of all, perhaps, in their unwarlike temper. They are a humble and lowly race, one of the lowest on earth; yet the story of their lives might convey to more favored races many a lesson of thrift, contentment, and even of manly virtue. The author has lived among these Indians for three years, studying their manners and customs with intelligent sympathy, and his book is full of most curious information concerning their social, political, and religious usages. We must not omit to add that the work evinces in Mr. Power no mean degree of literary skill; hence it is "as interesting as a romance." It is illustrated with a number of excellent plates. There is an appendix on "Linguistics," by Major Powell (of whose "Contributions to North American Ethnology" this work forms Vol. III.), containing comparative vocabularies of the various dialects spoken by the native races of California. The large map which accompanies the volume shows the distribution of the different tribes throughout the State.

is a carefully-digested and useful little volume, giving a great deal of information in relation to American collegiate institutions. It treats of "Expenses," "Morals," "Religion," "Societies," "Athletics," "College Journalism," "Fellowships," "Chairs of a College," and "Rank in College as a Test of Distinction."

number runs from "Concert-Spirituel" to "Ferrara," and, like the former numbers, is full of musical science, art, erudition, and biography. The work improves with every number.

Sanitary Examination of Water, Air, and Food. By Dr. Cornelius B. Fox. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston. 1878. Pp. 528.

Life in other Worlds. By Dr. Adam Miller. Chicago: Fox, Cole & Co. 1878. Pp. 282. $1.50.

The Old House altered. By George C. Mason. New York: Putnam's Sons. 1878. Pp. 179. $2.50.

The Proportions of the Steam-Engine. By William D. Marks. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. 1879. Pp. 161.

How to parse. By Rev. Edwin A. Abbott. Boston: Roberts Brothers. 1878. Pp. 374. $1.

Introductory Chemical Practice. By G. C. Caldwell and A. A. Breneman. New York: Van Nostrand. 1878. Pp. 170. $1.50.

Zoölogy of the Vertebrate Animals. By Dr. Alexander Macalister. New York: Holt & Co. 1878. Pp. 146. 60 cents.

Outlines of Ontological Science. By H. N. Day. New York: Putnam's Sons. 1878. Pp. 452. $1.75.

The Blessed Bees. By J. Allen. Pp. 169. $1.