No. 2, December, 1921] BIBLIOGRAPHY, BIOGRAPHY, HISTORY 67 



BIBLIOGRAPHY, BIOGRAPHY, AND HISTORY 



N. E. Stevens, Editor 

 (See also in this issue Entries 492, 547, 802) 



412. Anonymous. A plant protection institute. Boooklyn Bet. Gard. Rec. 9: 127-128. 

 1920. 



413. Anonymous. [Bothalia.] Nature 107: 691. 1921. — The appearance of the first issue 

 of this publication for new or little known plants of South Africa is reported. Subscriptions 

 are to be sent to the Chief, Division of Botany, Pretoria. — O. A. Stevens. 



414. Anonymous. Conference on fruit diseases. Brooklyn Bot. Gard. Rec. 9: 12S-129. 

 1920. — Notes are presented on attendance and questions discussed at the conference in the 

 Shenandoah Valley, in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, August 3-9, 

 1920, arranged by the Advisory Board of American plant pathologists. — C. Stuart Gager. 



415. Anonymous. Co-operative indexing of periodical literature. Nature 107: 449-450, 

 550-551. 1921. — A leading editorial discusses the possibility of making index material avail- 

 able to abstractors prior to the preparation of abstracts, which at present generally precede 

 the corresponding index publication, an indefensible arrangement. A union catalogue of 

 current periodicals in libraries of the United Kingdom, which was prepared in 1914-15, should 

 be published as an essential preliminary to the proper organization of knowledge, and a com- 

 mon system of classification should also be agreed upon. The core of a subject is comprised 

 in a body of homogeneous literature which can best be dealt with by its representative pro- 

 fessional society, but outside this is a literature of decreasing relevance which can be eco- 

 nomically handled only through cooperative work. The solution would seem to be a central 

 bureau dealing solely with this non-homogeneous material, for which it would transmit entries 

 to the professional societies. As the professional abstracts become better developed, the 

 publication of corresponding indexes would tend to become less necessary. As different 

 branches of knowledge may have different views on the relation of indexing to abstracting, 

 a meeting should be held to determine the special requirements of each, and the feasibility 

 of cooperative work. This editorial was followed in the later issue by a number of letters: 

 F. A. Bather regards conference to determine the needs of each branch unnecessary, and con- 

 siders that publication of abstracts before indexes is not indefensible, as the two are different 

 in aim, substance, and preparation, while \V. M. Flinders Petrie suggests that the method 

 of handling depends on the future utility of abstracts, and with the latter in view has person- 

 ally adopted the following form in abstracting: (1) State briefly every new fact and argument 

 that leads to a definite result; (2) add references to any confirmatory or contradictory facts 

 that have been omitted; (3) suggest whether or not the paper is essential. — 0. A. Stevens. 



416. Anonymous. The American Iris Society. Brooklyn Bot. Gard. Rec. 9: 129. 1920. — 

 A statement of the objects and activities of the society, organized in New York City on Jan- 

 uary 29, 1920, is presented. — C. Stuart Gager. 



417. Anonymous. [Rev. of: Laufer, Berthold. Sino-Iranica. Chinese contributions 

 to the history of civilization in ancient Iran, with special reference to the history of cultivated 

 plants and products. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ. Ahthropol, Ser. 15: iv + 185-630. 1919 

 (see Bot. Absts. 8, Entry 876).] Nature 107: 430-432. 1921. 



418. Agrelius, F. U. G. A half century of bacteriology. Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 29: 

 23-34. 1920. — The presidential address given before the Kansas Academy of Science, March 

 15, 1918; an historical account. — F. C. Gates. 



419. Caruntu, D. Cuvint inainte. [Foreword.] Bui. Agric. 1: 3-4. 1920.— There is 

 announced and published the first number of Buletinul Agriculturii issued by the ]\Iinisterul 

 Agriculturii ?i Domeniilor, Directiunea Agriculturii ?i Viticulturii, Bucharest, Roumania. — 

 /. R. Schramm. 



