30 JANUARY 1909, Page 13

Crops and their Cultivation. By Primrose McConnell. (Cassell and Co.

1s.)—This is a section of "The Complete Farmer," which promises to be a most serviceable book. It is up to date, clearly written, and unpadded, and there is no unbusinesslike talk in it about tariffs. Mr. McConnell incidentally shows that while "the invention of the string-binder and the harvesting machine, the cheapening of sea carriage, and other causes" have enabled cultivators abroad to "grow wheat wholesale in gigantic acreages and to transport it at an excessively cheap rate to our markets," it now pays to produce wheat in this country. This is due, of course, to "improved methods of cultivation and the use of labour-saving machinery."