December, 1921. 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 



117 



American scientists, through his excellent 

 scientific work and in the organization of 

 the United States Bureau of Entomology, 

 as well as through liis untiring services to 

 the advance of science and education dur- 

 ing his long and successful period as Per- 

 manent Secretary of the Association. 



Many affiliated, or otherwise associated, 

 scientific societies Av'ill meet with the As- 

 sociation at Toronto, for the reading of 

 papers, for scientific discussion, and for 

 the presentation of presidential addresses, 

 and the sections of the Association will also 

 hold sessions in many instances. The As- 

 sociation is becoming increasingly an af- 

 filiation and co-operative organization of 

 the numerous special scientific societies of 

 America and it is provided that the af- 

 filiated societies meeting with the Associa- 

 tion shall have charge of the programs for 

 the presentation of papers in their res- 

 pective fields. Each of the retiring Vice- 

 Presidents of the Association, one for each 

 of its sections, will present his scheduled 

 address on some aspect of his own special 

 province. 



The forthcoming meeting will be the 

 first winter meeting to be held at Toronto. 

 The only other Toronto meeting was held 

 in the late summer, from Augu.st 28 to 

 September 3, 1889. The report of the 

 1889 meeting indicates that the sessions 

 were held in the Main Building of the 

 University, in the Biological Building and 

 in the Building of the School of Practical 

 Science. The Main Building was destroy- 

 ed by fire on February 14, 1890, less than 

 six months after the close of the meeting. 

 It was rebuilt, however, shortly afterwards, 

 and since then a great complex of build- 

 ings has giown up in its neighborhood, but 

 it continues to be the center of University 

 activities. 



The registration for the first Toronto 

 meeting was 424. At that time the mem- 

 bership list of the Association contained 

 1,952 names. For the second Toronto 

 meeting the list will contain about 12,000 

 names. 



THE ORGANIZATION AND WORK OF 

 THE ASSOCIATION. 



General Scope. 



Through its meetings and through its 

 publications, the American Association 

 promotes intercourse and cr-operation and 



the feeling of fellowship among scientists 

 and those interested in the advance of 

 science and education. North America and 

 South America are its special geographic 

 fields, but members may be citizens of 

 any country. 



The As.sociation has become a great af- 

 filiation of American scientific societies, 

 and its meetings have become increasingly 

 characterized as conventions of many spe- 

 cial organizations. A large number of the 

 associated societies regularly meet with it 

 and the facilities of the Association are al- 

 ways at the disposal of these societies, fo.' 

 the arrangement of meetings, the prepara- 

 tion of programs, etc. Many associated 

 societies are also officially affiliated and 

 are represented in the Council of the As- 

 sociation, thus taking part in its direction. 

 Meetings. 



The regular annual meetings and the 

 other meetings that are occasionally held 

 constitute a powerful means of disseminat- 

 ing knowledge, of cultivating the scienti- 

 fic attitude of mind, and of promoting a 

 general appreciation of the great import- 

 ance of science and scientific study. It 

 has frequently been stated that the pro- 

 gress of democracy depends mainly upon 

 these things, and the truth of this state- 

 ment becomes increasingly emphasized as 

 science and the Mork of. scientists becomes 

 better understood by the public. 



The meetings also furnish the only 

 means by which a large number of active 

 workers in all branches of science are 

 brought together from distant regions, with 

 consequent opportunities for the formation* 

 and renewal of numerous personal ac- 

 quaintanceships and friendships. These 

 meetings do much toward preventing the 

 development of the undesirable aspects 

 of personal rivalry and toward the en- 

 couragement of friendly co-operation 

 among those interested in scienee and edu- 

 cation. 



Dr. J. C. Fields, F. R. S. Professor of 

 Matliemancs, University of Toronto, and 

 Professor of the Royal Canadian Institute, 

 is Chairman of the Local Committee for 

 the Toronto meeting. 



Mr. H. L. Seymour, C.E., is the Secre- 

 tary, and may be addressed at the" Royal 

 Canadian Institute, 198 .College Street, 

 Toronto, Ont. — Contributed by the As- 

 sociation. 



