February i, 191 2] 



NATURE 



457 



The chief result recorded in a paper — received as a 

 reprint from The Journal of Agricultural Science (vol. iv., 

 art ii.) — on " silver-leaf " disease, by Mr. F. T. Brooks, 

 the contirmation of the accepted view that this symptom, 

 especially prevalent in the case of plum trees, is caused 

 by the fungus Stereum purpureum. Mention is made of 

 the observation of the same pathological appearance on 

 sycamore, horse chestnut, Spirzea, and other trees. 



In his report for the year 1910-11 as director of the 



Roval Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, Dr. C. J. Willis takes 



1. avf of the post which he has occupied for fifteen years, 



not less to the great benefit of the agricultural interests 



in the island than to his personal distinction. Owing to 



ii'' activities of the various assistants associated with him, 



'II' gardens have become recognised as an important centre 



if research, and in recent jears a notable stream of dis- 



inguished botanists has taken advantage of the research 



iciiities offered. During the year under review there has 



t-n a vigorous output of the .\nnals and Circulars, in 



hich the papers by Mr. T. Fetch have been prominent. 



In Tlie Journal of Genetics (vol. i.. No. 4) there is pub- 

 li-,hed a paper on the inheritance of doubleness and other 

 characters in stocks, in which Miss E. R. .Saunders follows 

 up her previous conclusions. Having obtained the results 

 ihat certain single races of stocks produce only single 

 ilowers, while others, eversporting, produce doubles and 

 -ingles, and that the pollen grains apparently all carry 

 doubleness, while the ovules carry in some cases double, 

 in other cases single characters, it is now shown that the 

 sulphur-white, a double-throwing race, is also eversport- 

 ing in regard to plastid colour. Further, the two pheno- 

 mena are curiously bound up, as the singles are all white, 

 while the doubles are mostly cream, but a few are also 

 white. These are the premises for which the author 

 elaborates an explanatory hypothesis capable of being 

 tested by further experiment. .\n appended note gives 

 support to the belief that stock seeds destined to give rise 

 to double flowers are proportionally more vigorous in 

 growth than the single quality. 



Onk of the most useful of the publications of the Hoard 



■ it .Agriculture is its Journal, containing articles of general 

 agricultural interest, and published monthly at the 

 extrenielv low price of fourpence. Among recent articles 

 ma\ he nviiiicined one by Mr. H. C. Long on the identifi- 

 cation anil eradication of some common weeds, a subject 

 f)n \\iii(h tile agriculturist still has mtieh to leaiai. Dr. 

 Raeder describes how small holdings for agii(uhu).il 

 labourers are created in Denmark, the method beine either 

 to make State contributions to societies established for 

 thi-^ [jurpose, (ir lo advance loan'- diiei t to the labourers 

 iheaiselves. Alilioui^li tile -niall holder enjoys full right 



■ il (i\', nei-^hip, the ((iniinon law has been modified in some 

 respects. The holding nuisi always be used for agricultural 

 purposes, and the sio( k niu^i always be kept up and main- 

 tained in gixid (omliiion. Certain privileges are forfeited 



if the holding 

 small li(,lder-. 

 lor waijes dur 



lah 



i^' I • 



suhlel. The 1, 



and on an a\ 

 if the \ear. 



majority of 



e lhe\ work 



In I'l'IcrDKniii' s M itlriluin^iii Im j; 



cusses the rell||-al idea (if L;e(i.;ra ] ih \ , 



geographiral leoii,!,^ ^1) i!i,-,t ihe intei-n 1 ii hi oI a 

 within earh should aid in (onipleting the piilui 

 reeidii. lie -hows in a map how the pies, m 

 divisiciiis ,,| <Miilinenl-, niighl h' more hi;_;irall\ 

 from a f_;ei il;i apl 1 ii al pcjilit ol view. 



irv, i:. U.mse di- 



I w mild 111,11 k I lilt 



" f.Klnls 



nl the 



I til'c :al 



In the Zeitschrift jiir Vermessungswesen for 1911 Prof. 

 Hammer discusses the relation of pace-length to stature, 

 and deals exhaustively with the data furnished by 368 

 students. He obtains 76 cm. as the ordinary pace-length, 

 corresponding to a height of 160 metres, and 91 cm. for a 

 height of 1-90 metres, the mean value of the whole series 

 being 83^ cm. for a height of 173 metres. He refers alsO' 

 to certain experiments on German soldiers, which seem 

 to indicate a distinct lengthening of the ordinary pace as 

 a result of military training. 



Mr. J. H. SiwFFORD, of Jerusalem, communicates to The 

 Geographical Journal for January a short account of a 

 circumnavigation of the Dead Sea made by motor-boat in 

 June last. Brief descriptions of the shores and various 

 places on them are given, but no special observations of 

 any kind were made. Some excellent photographs of 

 different parts of the shore are given, and especially 

 two illustrating the gorge of the Arnon River. Arr 

 indication of the present tendency towards a more 

 quantitative and precise treatment of geography is the- 

 paper in the same number, by Mr. B. C. Wallis, on the 

 importance of precise description, aided by figures. He 

 deprecates the use of indefinite expressions, and would usi- 

 percentages and ratios derived from statistics spread over 

 five-year or longer periods. The necessity for this j^ true- 

 not only for economic geography, but for other braiuhes, 

 and in many cases in advanced work the degree of accui ar\ 

 might often be stated with advantage. 



HiniDiel und Erde for January contains an escellenr 

 paper on seismographs and their rionU. h\ l>r. ( . 

 Mainka, of Strassburg. A suaunar\ is ei^,.,, (,l the many 

 different modifications of the horizontal pendulum, with a 

 detailed account of the author's bifilnr ])enduliim. (M tho 

 few records which illustrate the pape 

 ing is that of the Mi ssina earthqual> 

 bv the Mainka pendnluni. 



th 



■al 



Sm ve\' 

 \vi. , 



h: 



The Austrian Geolo, 

 lished (Abhandlungcii, 

 Dr. M,iri;in Salopek on th. 

 southern D.ilniatia and .Mont: 

 species and varieties are unfortunatel\ n 

 by a single specimen, but the desci ipt ion 

 figures will he useful for 1 onip,u ison wnl 



M, 



fossils wiiith an 

 and .Asia Minor. 



.\ siMiM.i; fori 



deserihed hv M. 



of /,(■ h'ltiiiiiin. 

 a I io-\dlt 5 or 1 

 ness required, 

 between two small 

 a[)art of whieh cm 

 poles of a 



or the 



(dl.llged. 



re\-olvine 



lamp lell 

 e\ lindriia 

 motion i^ 

 \- ; 1 r i ,■ 1 1 i o 1 1 , 



I ,11 I e, I K I 



Iher, 



l..r| 



now heiiie studied Irom .\lhani.a, tireece» 



1 of recording fil.imeiil el' cti-omeler is 



\ \ ill.ii (1 in I hi- 1 )'■! eiiih' ; , loll, numhei 

 Ihe U-sh,iped r,trhon lilaiiieiit is that of 

 i-i .indle l,iiii|), aiioidiii:; to the sensitive- 

 It is supported hoi i/onl,ill\ miihv.iv 

 ie.il pi, lies of metal, the dis|,mit> 

 ;;in he v.iried. I he\ .11 . 1 to the 



pile, ,ind the lihinient : ' to one 



( , 01 dine I,, ill,, put, lit i, 1 1 {" w lia h it is 

 iiol ion 1- I ,1 01 il' d photo-i .iphi, ,ill\ nil a 

 h\ 111. -.Ills ,.t lii- ' iie 



inl.. a ,ei,,,.s,,.p.. .ill 



: .ii ihc lil.iin. III. The 



.ihsoluiely si.ible, and 



>|u iicy not exceeding 5 per second are 



//), OM.i.l 



1,1 ( 



.1,11111,11 \, Mr. II 

 haoks on he, It I 



ai Po\ lit il! 



NO. 2205, VOL. 88] 



