News and Notes 367 



The Dominion Forestry Branch has lost 37 of its regular staff 

 through enlistment. Of these, 10 are forest school graduates, 8 

 are technical men (not foresters) from the Forest Products 

 Laboratories at Montreal, and 19 are non-technical men. In addi- 

 tion, about 20 men have enlisted who were regularly employed 

 for the summer season only, on such work as fire-ranging, etc. 

 One of the men from the Forest Products Laboratories was 

 killed in the Battle of Langemarck. 



lx\ his recent botanical exploration of Panama, Mr. Henry Pit- 

 tier discovered a tree known to the natives as alcornoque, and to 

 which he has given the name of Dimorphandra megistosperma. 

 The species name has reference to the enormous seeds borne by 

 the tree, exceeding in size those of any other known dicoty- 

 ledonous plant. Mr. Pittier collected some of these seeds over 7 

 inches long by 4.7 inches broad, growing in pods nearly 10 inches 

 long. The tree is allied to the mora of Guiana, and grows to 

 heights exceeding 100 feet. Its wood is said to be better than any 

 other for structures kept permanently under sea water. 



A "meeting for those interested in the formation of a Great 

 Plains Forestry Association" had been called for December 31, 

 1915, at Columbus, Ohio, in conection with the meeting of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science. 



A program was announced in which E. H. Clapp, of the U. S. 

 Forest Service, F. Dunlap, of Missouri, C. A. Scott, of Kansas, 

 Dorr Skeels, of Montana, J. H. Foster, of Texas, took part. 

 Besides questions of organization, tree planting problems in the 

 different States represented by these men were discussed. 



The meeting was not very well attended, but a society was 

 formed under the title, "The Midwest Forestry Association," 

 with Dr. F. Dunlap, of Columbia, Missouri, President. An- 

 other meeting was to be called for May 20, at Kansas City, to 

 formulate more definitely the problems of the new society. There 

 seems still an open question whether this is to be a propagandist 

 association or made up of practising foresters. 



A Southern Forestry Congress is to meet in Asheville, N. C, 

 July 11 to 15, with a view to discussing the particular needs of the 



