Welsh Journals

and as curiously as Cellini at a cameo, but there is no sign of the workshop or its labours on the finished page. His style is \at its best here, and we. are glad to think that many of the children of Wales in this generation will be brought up on it. But above all, "O.M." put himself into the book. Some day (amd soon we hope) we shall nave his bio- graphy. but if anyone wants to know what manner of man this Prince among his contemporaries was, let him read Bedd Mazzini or Dante" in this perfect little volume, and he will understand. He will make the 'acquaintance of a true artist and a very gentle philopopher with the soul of a prophet and the heart of a child. We congratulate its editor and its pub- lishers On the appearance of the volume. T.H.D. The Restoration of Agriculture in the Famine Area of Russia. Translated by Eden and Cedar Paul. Being the Interim Report of the State Economic Planning Commrission of the Council for Labour and Defence of the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic. Pn. 154; Appendices I and II. and Supplementary Notes by the Translators. The Labour Publishing Co., 1922. Whatever our views may be regarding the political or financial methods adopted by the Russian Republic, one cannot help admiring the thoroughness with which thev tackle their immense economic problems, and the scale and general lines along which they hope to accom- plish the restoration of their greatest agricultural area. This book is well worth studying not merely on the part of agriculturists in our country, but it is a model of lucidity, technical and economic grasip of the value and potentialities of the great South Eastern wheat area of Russia. Our business men seeking markets for agricultural machinery, such as ploughs, tractors, etc., and our engineers on the look out for demands for electrical and hydraulic require- ments on a large scale, could not do better work for the restoration of their respective industries in this country than by a close study of this report and an examination of the possibilities of co-operation to restore one of the world's greatest granaries. The Report consists of a series of monographs written by Russian experts attached to the agricultural experi- mental stations in the South Eastern area, and by engineers who have been asked by the Soviet Republic to report especially on the needs of the famine area. It would be absurd in the short space at our disposal to attempt to give an analysis or a summary of; their sug- gestions or records, but it will be sufficient to show the range of their work when one records that their investi- gations cover questions such as The Characteristics of the Soil in the Area suffering from failure of the crops in the year 1921," "The Future of Agriculture in the South East and the Methods of its Organisation," to Irrigation Works," Improvement Schemes in the Volga Delta," "Electrification in the South East," Vegetable Gardening and its Possibilities," Agricul- tural Machinery Required," "The Production and Ex- port of Hides," "The Fisheries of the South East," The Home Industries of the South, East," and a most interesting and valuable article on "The Local Shale Beds and their Exploitation." The section on "Public Works in the Famine Area gives a profound analysis on the immense puiblic works that must be taken in hand to restore the famine areas, while in the Sketch of the Industries of the South East" we have a very faithful account of the intense economic specialisation of the whole area. Beginning with the November issue, it is proposed to increase the size of The Welsh Outlook H by four pages, while retaining its present price of 6d. A greater variety of articles will thus become possible*, and we trust that our constantly increasing circle of readers will rapidly become still "wider. Geographers and economists, business men and politicians, will find) this volume a mine of information about one of the most valuable areas in the world; while the/ need of world co-operation, not merely in the interests of commerce and industry, but also for simple humanitarian reasons, stand fully revealed by this book. The population of the area where the crops failed in 1921 is 19,000,000, one-seventh of the population of the Republic. The average annual export of grain from this area during the years 1909-1913 amounted to 63,000,000 cwts., being 24 per cent. of the total Russian grain export; while 22,000,000 cwts. of grain out of this total went to the foreign market. The report sets out to ascertain the causes of the present troubles and to discover remedies. Our final impression is that despite all its critics the Soviet Republic is doing all it possibly can in the task of re-organisation. The translators have laid all students of industry and agriculture under a deep debt of obligation by their excellent work, and we cannot but hope for a wide circulation to this valuable report. The only drawback to the Report is the absence of an index. but the table of contents under the separate monographs provides for this. J.M.R. Melody Lectures. By Prof. H. Walford Davies. (H.M.V. Gramophone Records). Prepared primarily for the use of schools, this series of a dozen records cannot fail to be productive of much good, and will be especially! effective in those districts where an up-to-date teacher is unavailable. They are double-sided discs, and deal succinctly with melodies, on the violin by Miss Marjorie Hayward, together with their formation, balance, and completion, illustrated the Leoturer at the piano. The lectures are brief, concise, and productive of much thought, and should prove alluring to the musician as well as the novice. At the semi-private audition to which I was favoured, I was much struck with the clarity of diction of the spoken word, and also the remarkable balance of tone of violin and pianoforte. The illustrations are most aptly chosen. Being tabloid lectures by an eminent authority, they commend themselves to the individual with a persistence that cannot be ignored. T.D. We greatly regret that owing to pressure 'on our space reviews of the following books have had to be held over until our next issue:- Branwen, Ferch fLlyr." (Drama, D. T. Davies). Educational Publishing Co., Cardiff. Y Ddraenen Wen." (Drama, R. G. Berry). Educa- tional Publishing (Co., Cardiff. "Gwaed yr Uchelwyr." (Drama, Saunders Lewis). Educational Publishing Co., Cardiff. v Y Gloyn Byw." (Ohwarae un Act, T. Gwynn Jones) Welsh Outlook Press. "The Matchmaker." (One Act Play, B. Etynon Davies) Welsh Outlook Press. "Y Tannau Coll." (Cynan). Tro Trwy'r Wig." (R. Morgan, M.A.) Hughes and Son. Gweithiau Taliesin o Eifion." Hughes and Son. "Ffansi'r, Ffin." Seymour Rees. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.