FEBRUARY, 1950
0
FAEEDOM PROM WANT
Edited by E. K. DeTurk. Chronica Botanica Co., Waltharn, Maasachuwtis, 1948. 78 pp. 6 figs. I plate. 17 X 26 om. $2. Tars reprint from Chronica Botrulica, Vol. 11, No. 4,1948, eontains rimers which "mew out of a svmmium" held under t,hr
entire human race or will population increase continue to outstrip food supplies? As pointed out in the foreword by Norris E. Dodd of the Food and Agricultural Oreaniaation (FAO). the modern statement of the old Malthunian aoctrine, "that h&an procreation will oontinue a t such a rate that t,he great masses of humanity must always be uncomfortably near the edge of starvation," does "not necessarily represent the truth." Rather, as all the contributors to this volume srem to feel, application of agriculturd science already known plus new discoveries which will probably he made and a reasonable development in popular knowledge of nutrition in food economics and in food distribution such as the FA0 is trvine . - to hdna about could afford adetrurtte f w d for the human race. But, a d this isemphasizedin t i e hook, continuedresearch and, above all, more effective application of available agricultural knowledge can brook no delay. A paper on "Population and Food Supply" is contributed by Howard R. Talley, formerly Chief of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, now Director of the section on economics and statistics of FAO. He emphasiaes the need of concerted world-wide effort to achieve freedom from want. "World Soil and Fertilizer Resources in Relation to F w d Needs"is thesubject of apaper by Robert M. Salter, Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. He shows how one may argue that the world's food production could he doubled by 1960. "Crop Production Potentials in Relation to Freedom from Want" is discussed by Karl S. Quisenherry, Head of the Division of Cereal Crops and Diseases in the Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. He gives a history of progress in production of the world's chief food crops and points out the possibilities of further progress. "Animal Production in an Efficient Food Economyp' is examined by Frank B. Morrison, Head of the Animal Husbandry Department of Cornell University. While recognizing the obvious loss of fwd value when crops, especially cereals, are used
to produce meat, he points out the advantages of some foods of animal origin in food econamics. His discussion of the conditions favoring optimal yields of nutritive value from foods of animal origin, including milk and eggs, is of especial interest. "The Economies of Freedom from Want" is the subject of a fnscinating essay by John D. Black, Henry Lee Professor of Economics, Harvard University. He seems to feel that as nations succeed in modernizing their economies, the rate of population increase can be brought down to samething within reason. "Obligations of Science toward Freedom from Want" is the title of a paper by Max A. McCall, Assistant Chief, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Emphasib is given to the need for better dissemination of knowledge regarding agri-
PHILIP H. MITCHELL
ELASTOMERS AND PLASTOMERS, VOLUME I1 Edited by R. Houwink, External Lecturer in the Technical Unl. veraitg at DeM, Netherlands. Elwvier Publishing Co., Inc., New York. 1949. W T 515 pp. 225 ligs. 122 tables. 26 X 17 cm. $7. THIIbook i, the second swtimnl v8~lu1neulmajorrulu1neNo. 3 irr xwrirs of right and is thc second onr to hr puldislred, the firvt hvinp the third ertional volume whieh wa rc.virs.ed recentlv ir~ these columns. Like the previous volume, it is an intern&nal undertaking and writtenentirely in English. Of the nineteen contributors, all experienced in their fields, three are from the Netherlands, two from Switaerbnd, eight from Englctnd, and six from the United States. I t follows the same general method of presentation as the other volume, that is,' each of the thirteen chapters is an entity in itself with references atthe end of each chapter; the ample index covers the material in all the chapters. An interesting innovation is the printing a t the bottom of each page, "References p.-," with the insertion of the first reference peen a t the end of the chapter. This saves the reader much time. The book contains more information than indicated by its title. Under properties, most of the authors not only discuss the chemioal and physical properties but also give considerable thwretical bsckground. In general, the material is up-to-date with t references through 1947, and sometime^ through 1948; y ~ on
