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Cape Cod Pilot
In writing this account of the Rothamsted Experiments the sixty years work of two men, Lawes and Gilbert, whose names have become familiar in every part of the world where agriculture is something more than a matter of tradition and custom I am of necessity acting as an external demonstrator, describing from the outside, as it were, what seem to be the chief lessons conveyed by the experiments which I have now the honour to conduct. Lawes and Gilbert are dead, and with them passed away many observations of value and many notable generalisations which they had found no opportunity of giving to the world, nor had I the personal contact with either which would enable me to report even such portions of their experiences as might have been conveyed by conversation. But though these losses cannot be repaired, and though nothing can replace the instinctive knowledge that comes of having seen a thing grow year after year, yet the position of an outsider has some advantages, especially when drawing up an account which, like the present, is addressed to the general student of the subject. In the first place, the outsider approaches the consideration of each experiment without any of the prepossessions arising from too exclusive a recollection of the purpose with which the experiment was originally framed. Readers of the Rothamsted Memoirs will know how certain ideas, e.g., the source and function of the nitrogen in vegetation, occupied the minds of Lawes and Gilbert from the very beginning of their experiments until the end.(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)About the PublisherForgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. C
400 pages, Hardcover
Published March 15, 1969
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 10, 2024
I have seen copies of this book for years in local bookshops. It has been reprinted several times. I thought it was an old guidebook for the Cape. I was in Tim's Used Bookstore in Provincetown several weeks ago. I picked up a copy and started browsing in it. I was hooked. I bought it for $12.
This book was published in 1937 as a WPA Guide to Cape Cod. Berger was a struggling writer in the 1930s. He and his wife moved to Provincetown in 1934. He got hired by the WPA and got paid to write this quirky guide to Cape Cod. The publication of this book got him a Guggenheim Fellowship which eventually led to a career as a speech writer for prominent Democratic politicians, including FDR, in the 1940s. He later did government and private PR and speechwriting and wrote several books. He never wrote anything else like "Cape Cod Pilot".
Berger takes us down the bay side on the current Route 6A to Provincetown and then back up the ocean side on Route 28 to Bourne. In each town he tells he tells stories, folktales, history and tall tales. He mentions local characters. Josh Northrup of Orleans was the last municipal lamp lighter on the Cape. He tells the full story of the Witch of Billingsgate in Wellfleet.
He describes the industrial glory days. In the 1830s the salt works in the Dennis area were producing over half a million bushels of sea salt annually. In the 1890s David Stull of Provincetown was "the ambergris king". He sold the whale secretions to Paris perfumers for $200 a pound.
Berger has a good eye for domestic architect and gives directions to the houses work looking at. He enjoys stories of great sea wrecks. One of the themes he keeps coming pack to is the scavenging and wrecking history of Cape Cod. Any shipped which crashed on the Cape shore, and there were many, was likely to be stripped clean very quickly by Cape Codders.
The WPA had a reputation for being a nest of left wingers. Berger fits that mold. He is very sympathetic to the Indian inhabitants of the Cape. He tells story after story of them being cheated by the original settlers.
My favorite story is about Captain Samuel Dewey. In 1834 the US Navy installed a carved bust of Andrew Jackson as the new figurehead on the U. S. Constitution. Captain Dewey, as a good Federalist, was outraged. On a bet, he snuck onto the ship. In the middle of a wild thunderstorm, he cut the figurehead off and left with it. Several years he returned it to President Martin Van Buren. It is currently in the New York City Museum.
This is a fun collection of well told great stuff about Cape Cod in the olden days.
This book was published in 1937 as a WPA Guide to Cape Cod. Berger was a struggling writer in the 1930s. He and his wife moved to Provincetown in 1934. He got hired by the WPA and got paid to write this quirky guide to Cape Cod. The publication of this book got him a Guggenheim Fellowship which eventually led to a career as a speech writer for prominent Democratic politicians, including FDR, in the 1940s. He later did government and private PR and speechwriting and wrote several books. He never wrote anything else like "Cape Cod Pilot".
Berger takes us down the bay side on the current Route 6A to Provincetown and then back up the ocean side on Route 28 to Bourne. In each town he tells he tells stories, folktales, history and tall tales. He mentions local characters. Josh Northrup of Orleans was the last municipal lamp lighter on the Cape. He tells the full story of the Witch of Billingsgate in Wellfleet.
He describes the industrial glory days. In the 1830s the salt works in the Dennis area were producing over half a million bushels of sea salt annually. In the 1890s David Stull of Provincetown was "the ambergris king". He sold the whale secretions to Paris perfumers for $200 a pound.
Berger has a good eye for domestic architect and gives directions to the houses work looking at. He enjoys stories of great sea wrecks. One of the themes he keeps coming pack to is the scavenging and wrecking history of Cape Cod. Any shipped which crashed on the Cape shore, and there were many, was likely to be stripped clean very quickly by Cape Codders.
The WPA had a reputation for being a nest of left wingers. Berger fits that mold. He is very sympathetic to the Indian inhabitants of the Cape. He tells story after story of them being cheated by the original settlers.
My favorite story is about Captain Samuel Dewey. In 1834 the US Navy installed a carved bust of Andrew Jackson as the new figurehead on the U. S. Constitution. Captain Dewey, as a good Federalist, was outraged. On a bet, he snuck onto the ship. In the middle of a wild thunderstorm, he cut the figurehead off and left with it. Several years he returned it to President Martin Van Buren. It is currently in the New York City Museum.
This is a fun collection of well told great stuff about Cape Cod in the olden days.
March 7, 2012
This is an historical account of Cape Cod written during the Depression. The authors write as a sort of travel narrative of historic sights all up and down the Cape with lots of local color as they progress. I found my copy at an antique show, so it may be hard to come by, but it was a very enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews