176 



The Journal of Heredity 



largement process. Fi\e by seven 

 photographs are in the long run none 

 too large. 



The work being done by the breeders 

 of this country is second to none in 

 importance, and every means should 

 be taken to make it more generally 

 known and more interesting to the 

 intelligent public. Striking photo- 

 graphs, unusual ones, will always 

 attract interest and focus attention, as 

 shown by the great use of pictures in 

 commercial advertising. If the methods 

 of business are successful, why should 

 we not copy them? 



The plant and animal l)reeder onlv 

 travels his path once. He hurries 

 along it. Let the sunlight make some 

 sort of a trail behind him which those 

 who come after can read ! The printed 

 word was once the chief method of 

 thought conveyance through the eye, 

 but today we have a new way and many 

 of us apparently do not realize it when 

 it comes to our own special field of 

 work. 



Take photographs liberally. Take 

 such as tell the story adequately. Re- 

 member you will need series of them. 

 Study the arrangement of your objects. 

 You will be amazed at the way these 

 photographs will increase the romance 

 with which as a scientific man you 

 surround yourself. You will leave 

 behind you a record which will be far 

 more accurate and perha[)s quite as 



valuable as the written notes you 

 make which give only your own inter- 

 pretation of what your imperfect eyes 

 see and your imperfect memory re- 

 calls. The scientific man who must 

 follow \-ou wants your ideas of course, 

 but he wants to see just what you saw 

 and make his own (leductions, or per- 

 haps de\elop some entireh- dififerent 

 theory from the one you were working 

 on. 



Photographs are a record which any- 

 one can read and subtle differences 

 can be pointed out easily in good 

 photographs that reams of description 

 could ne\er make j^lain. The Journ.\l 

 OF HiCRKDiTY must depend for its 

 appeal largely upon good photographs 

 to explain the scientific language of 

 its writers, and research men in gen- 

 etics should study with assiduity this 

 subject of photographs in order that 

 their work, which this Journal is pub- 

 lished to help, shall not die still born 

 but that it shall ha\e a chance to 

 attract to it the young workers who 

 are to take it up and carry it on. If 

 the institutions of research cannot 

 afiford to equip themsehes with ade- 

 quate means for the recording of the 

 results of their investigators, let them 

 see if they cannot cut down e.xpenses 

 at some other point than the one con- 

 cerned with the photographic records 

 of their achie\'ements. 



COPIES OF SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES 



MANY scientists lack the library 

 facilities which their work de- 

 mantls. They are compelled 

 cither to journey to distant libraries 

 or to try to borrow books by mail. 

 Often it is difficult for them to locate 

 something that is badly needed, and 

 again it ma\- be imjjossible to borrow it. 

 The Research Infonnation .Service 

 of the National Research Council is 

 prepared to assist investigators by 

 locating scientific publications which 

 are not generally or readily accessible 



It will also, as is desired, have manu- 

 scripts, printed matter or illustrati(ms 

 copied by photostat or t>'pewriter. 

 The>ost of copying \aries from ten to 

 twenty-five cents per page. No charge 

 is I made for this service unless an 

 advance estimate of cost has been 

 submitted and appro\ed b\- corres- 

 pondent. 



Re(|uests for assistance should be 

 addressed. National Research Council, 

 Information .Service, 1701 Massachu- 

 setts Avenue, Washington, D. C. 



