PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 6 



the year slightly but not ruinously in debt; but as a set-off we 

 have had the gratification of welcoming to our ranks three new 

 contributors whose papers are especially worthy of a place in the 

 Society's Proceedings. 



During the year seven Ordinary Members were elected, and 

 two Members resigned. The Membership had not, therefore, 

 very materially altered. 



Since the last Annual Meeting the Council has had under con- 

 sideration the question of continuing the suspension of entrance 

 fees. During the period of five years (1899-1903) in which the 

 entrance fees were given up, 81 Members were elected, of whom 

 about 41 are effective at the present time. After considering 

 the matter carefully, the Council has decided to recommend that 

 the suspension of the payment of entrance fees should not be 

 continued, but that the amount of the entrance fee should be 

 reduced from £2 2s. to £1 Is. for Ordinary Members and given 

 up altogether in the case of Associate Members. An opportunity 

 for considering this recommendation will be afforded to Members 

 at an early date. 



The additions to the library for the year amounted to 1087, 

 received by gift or exchange from 179 Societies and eleven 

 individuals. 



The Macleay Bacteriologist has during the past year continued 

 his researches into the bacterial origin of the vegetable gums. 

 In September, 1902, he showed that arabin, the soluble wattle- 

 gum, was formed in the tissues of certain Leguminosae by a micro- 

 organism, Bacterium acacice, and that metarabin, the insoluble 

 wattle-gum, was the product of another. Bad. metarabirucm. 

 Following up this discov-ery, he has during the past year read to 

 the Society papers which deal with the other byproducts of these 

 bacteria, with the causes of gum-formation in plants of other 

 natural orders, and with kindred subjects. One or both of these 

 microbes have been isolated from the vine, the cedar, the almond, 

 the peach and the plum, all of which were affected with gum-flux. 

 Having found the source of arabin and metarabin, Dr. Greig 

 Smith studied the pararabin gum of Sterculia, and after isolating 



