NOTES. 299 



who lias been administrative assistant. Dr. Merriam is to retain an otficial 

 connection with tlie Survey as consulting biologist, but is to devote himself par- 

 ticnlarly to the preiJaration of a monograph on the mammals of North America 

 under an endowment provided by Mrs. E. H. Harriman. 



Eecent Appointments in the Philippine Islands. — Charles R. Jones, formerly of 

 the Bureau of I*]ntomology of this Department, has accepted an appointment as 

 entomologist to the Philippine Board of Agriculture, with headquarters at 

 Manila. Dr. W. H. Boyuton, instructor in pathology at the New York State 

 Veterinary College, has accepted an appointment as pathologist in the veterinary- 

 service of the islands. 



Increased Imperial Assistance to Agriculture in England. — What is believed 

 will prove the nucleus for greatly increased assistance to British agriculture 

 by the imperial government is an act passed by the recent Parliament known 

 as the Agricultural and Road Development Act. This measure is very compre- 

 hensive in its scope, the initial clause providing for " aiding and developing- 

 agriculture and rural industries by promoting scientific research, instruction, 

 and experiments in the science, methods, and practice of agriculture, including 

 farmers' institutes, the organization of cooperation, instruction in marketing 

 pi'oduce, e.xtension of small holdings, and adopting any other means which may 

 develop agriculture and rural industries." Under the provisions of this act 

 a board of 8 commissioners has been appointed, consisting of Lord Richard 

 Cavendish, chairman. Sir Francis Hopwood, vice-chairman, S. Eardley-Wilmot, 

 William Haldane, M. A. Ennis, John Davies, Sidney Webb, and A. D. Hall. 

 It is expected that particular attention will be devoted at the outset to afforesta- 

 tion and road improvement. 



The president of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries has appointed a 

 committee of 15 to advise the board on all scientific questions bearing directly 

 on the imin-ovement of agriculture, and especiallj^ as to methods to be adopted 

 for i)romoting agricultural research in universities and other scientific schools, 

 aiding scientific research workers, and insuring that new scientific discoveries 

 are utilized for the benefit of agriculture. T. H. Middleton, of the board, 

 will serve as chairman of this committee, other members of which are the 

 Duke of Devonshire, Prof. J. B. Farmer, Dr. R. Stewart Macdougall, P. Spencer 

 Pickering, and Stewart Stockman. 



A rural education conference of 42 members has been recently constituted 

 by the presidents of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Board of 

 Education for the discussion of all questions connected with education in rural 

 districts and those of interest to agriculturists and the two boards. Hon. 

 Henry Hobhouse is chairman of this conference, which includes among other 

 niemlters Maj. P. G. Craigie, A. D. Hall, William Somerville, and T. B. Wood. 



Appropriations for Canadian Agriculture. — The appropriations for the Cana- 

 dian Department of Agriculture for the ensuing year as recently authorized 

 aggregate .$1,037,000, an increase of $105,000 over the present year. Some of 

 the princiiial items are .$185,000 for the maintenance of experimental farms, 

 including an increase of .$45,000 for the estaolishment of additional farms; 

 $10,000 for the publications of the experimental farms; $108,000 for exhibi- 

 tions; $5,000 for the 5 stations for the fumigation of nursery stock; $100,rW0 

 for the development of the dairy and fruit industries; $82,000 for the estab- 

 lishment of cold storage warehouses and experiments in cold .storage for fruit ; 

 $52,000 for the development of the meat industry; $250,000 for animal diseases; 

 $50,000 for the seed inspection work ; $20,000 for the enforcement of the meat 

 and canned foods acts; $.5,000 for tobacco investigations; and $10,000 for the 

 International Institute of Agriculture. 



International Congresses at Brussels. — The International Congress of Tropical 

 Agriculture, which met May 20-2.3, was organized into sections dealing with 



