December 8, 192 1] 



NATURE 



483 



placed on a sound basis. The most serious obstacle 

 to the return of healthy trade conditions is the great 

 iiccumulation of stocks of common teas. Since the 

 Russian demand has ceased there appears to be 

 little hope, at least in the immediate future, of 

 reducing the volume of these stocks, but unless 

 this is effected or the sales of tea are regu- 

 lated there can be no recovery in prices for a long 

 time. 



In connection with this may be considered an article 

 by Mr. J. W. McKay in the April issue of Tropical 

 Life. The author considers that although at this 

 period of depression in the tea industry the prospects 

 are certainly dull, yet now is the time to make plans 

 for the improvement of old tea estates in order to be 

 ready for the better times ahead. With regard to 

 many long-established estates it may be advisable to 

 abandon certain areas as being too poor to be profit- 

 able, but the greater proportion will probably, pay for 

 better methods of cultivation. Most of the older tea 

 estates show signs of reduced fertility, due partly to 

 the rapid decay of organic matter which takes place 

 in all tropical soils, but more particularly to the 

 unrestricted ''wash" which has been allowed to go 

 on for years. Such action means that the fine 

 soil particles are irrevocably lost, and when the 

 surface-soil is once gone it cannot be easily replaced. 

 When plenty of fresh land was available this de- 

 teriorated land was simply abandoned, and such will 

 probablv be the fate of considerable areas of old tea 

 land. There is much to be said for this treatment, 

 since it means that labour can be concentrated on 

 the better areas which remain. Several methods for 

 improvement are discussed : the construction of ter- 

 races and the planting of such shrubs as Tephrosia 

 Candida to prevent loss of surface-soil, trenching, 

 limited collar pruning accompanied by manuring, the 

 provision of adequate shade (since tea was originally 

 a iungle plant), and, finally, an intelligent use of 

 artificial fertilisers. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



Manxhester. — On Saturday, November 26, a 

 memorial tablet to the late H. G. J. Moseley was un- 

 veiled by Mrs. Sollas, the mother of this distinguished 

 young man of science, in the presence of a consider- 

 able number of friends and colleagues. Prof. W. L. 

 Bragg said that the request for funds for the purpose 

 of commemorating Moseley 's life and work in Man- 

 chester had met with a most generous response, both 

 in this country and abroad, and in addition to setting 

 up the tablet it had been found possible to insti- 

 tute a Moseley memorial prize in physics. Sir 

 Ernest Rutherford spoke at some length of the bril- 

 liant achievements of Moseley in his all too short 

 research career, and lamented the loss which science 

 suffered when Moseley was killed at Suvla Bay. 

 Prof. Rutherford recalled the affection which he and 

 other co-workers cherished for Moseley. In conclu- 

 sion he offered the memorial tablet to the University 

 on behalf of the subscribers, and it was accepted by 

 the Vice-Chancellor, Sir Henry A. Miers. The tablet 

 is a circular one of bronze, and is fixed to the wall 

 of the staircase outside one of the physical labora- 

 tories, and bears the words : " In Memory of 

 IHenry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley, 'SI. A. (Oxon.), Lecturer 

 lln Physics and John Harling Research Fellow in the 

 [University of Manchester, Lieutenant Royal Engi- 

 jneers, killed in action on Gallipoli, August 10, 1915, 



NO. 2719, VOL. 108] 



aged 28 years. Discoverer of the Law defining the 

 Order and Number of the Elements." 



An address on "The Natural and Artificial Dis- 

 integration of Elements " is to be delivered to the 

 Royal College of Science Chemical Society by Sir 

 Ernest Rutherford to-day, December 8, at 4.30 p.m. 

 Among other meetings of this society arranged for 

 the current session are lectures by Prof. Norman 

 Collie on "The Rare Gases," and by Sir William 

 Bragg on "X-Ray Work," which will be delivered on 

 Januarv- 26 and February 23 respectively. 



The annual meetings of the Geographical Associa- 

 tion will be held at Birkbeck College on January 5-6. 

 On the opening dav the presidential address will be 

 delivered by Lord Robert Cecil, and the following 

 papers willbe read: "London and Westminster Con- 

 trasted : A Study of the Geographical Factors which 

 have Influenced their Situation and Development," by 

 Mrs. Ormsby; "Problems of the Pacific," by Sir 

 Halford Mackinder, and "The Anthropological Insti- 

 tute and the Senices it can render to Geographical 

 Students," by Mr. E. N. Fallaize. Mr. R. L. Thomp- 

 son will open a discussion on geography and history 

 in schools The papers to be presented on the second 

 dav of the meeting are as follows: "The Co-opera- 

 tion of Historians and Geographers," by Dr. H. J. 

 Fleure (at King's College) ; " Some Climate Problems 

 of Modem Palestine," bv Miss L. Winchester, and 

 "The Hejaz," by Dr. D' G. Hogarth. 



The Lord Mayor of London has issued an appeal 

 for English books for the University of Latvia, one of 

 the new Baltic States, where it has been decided that 

 English shall be the first foreign language to be 

 taught both in the University and in the schools. 

 English and English ideals will, therefore, henceforth 

 take a very important place in the education of this 

 new Stated The teaching of English is, however, 

 sadly hindered by the dearth of good books in our 

 language, and the purchase of these at the present 

 time bv the Letts is impossible owing to the very 

 adverse rate of exchange. This condition of things 

 might easily be remedied, for there must be many 

 hundreds of books — standard works in our language, 

 disused school books, scientific, engineering, and bther 

 professional works — for which their owners no longer 

 have any use. It is for books of these types, which 

 might be used in teaching English, that the appeal is 

 made. Gifts of books should be forwarded to Sir 

 Alfred T. Davies, c/o the Consul-General for Latvia, 

 329 High Holborn, London, W.C.i. 



On November 29 H.E. the Swedish Minister and 

 other members of the Anglo-Swedish Society- listened 

 to an interesting account by Mr. G. R. Carline of 

 the visit which he made to Sweden this year, as a 

 scholar of the society, to study the open-air museums 

 of that country. Again in 1922 the society has de- 

 cided to award two travelling scholarships of 50L each 

 to qualified British students of either sex residing in 

 the British Isles to enable them to visit Sweden and 

 there carry out a definite course of study. The fol- 

 lowing conditions are prescribed : — That the candi- 

 dates should utilise their journey for definite inves- 

 tigation work ; that they should present a report of 

 their activities in Sweden ; and that they should take 

 up the scholarship within six months of nomination. 

 Applications must reach the secretary of the society 

 at 10 Staple Inn, London. W.C.i, not later than 

 February i, 1922, and should be accompanied by 

 letters of recommendation from a university professor 

 or from the head of a recognised institution. The 



