3IO 



NATURE 



[June 20, 19 18 



methods of purchase by farmers and others should be 

 adopted. The members of the Committee are : — Earl 

 Grey, Mr. J. S. Gibbons, Mr. W. R. Hopkinson, Prof. 

 F. Keeble, Mr. Douglas Newton, Mr. J. W. B. Pease, 

 Capt. Sir Beville Stanier, Bart., Mr. R. Stephenson, 

 Mr. N. Walker, and Major the Hon. E. F. L. Wood. 

 The secretary of the Committee is Mr. E. G. Haygarth 

 Brown, of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, 

 4 Whitehall Place, S.W.i. 



The possibility of exploration in the Himalaya by 

 aeroplanes is discussed by Dr. A. M. Kellas in the 

 Geographical Journal for June (vol. li., No 6). Dr. 

 Kellas believes that there should be no physiological 

 difficulty in flying for some time at an elevation of 

 25,000 ft. provided • oxygen and- a suitable apparatus 

 for utilising it were carried. October and November, 

 or, better still, September and May, he considers the 

 best months as regards climatic conditions, but the 

 problem of flying through cloud would have to be 

 solved. Another great difficulty would be landing and 

 starting at great altitudes. The show at such alti- 

 tudes is either powdery, or soft beneath a thin hard 

 layer, and would therefore require either rolling or 

 compressing with a heavy stamp ■ to make it firm 

 enough to give the necessary resistance to a moving 

 plane. Dr. Kellas thinks the airmen would have to 

 be acclimatised to high altitudes by many trial flights. 

 In the discussion which followed the paper a number 

 of airmen took pa^-t, and their general consensus of 

 opinion seemed to be opposed to the project. 



It was reported in the Times of June 12 that British 

 iron and steel manufacturers have taken an important 

 step for securing the future position of their industry, 

 and that they have agreed to form a national council 

 on trade policy. This council is to be representative 

 not only of the iron and steel capitalists, but probably 

 also of the employees. Undoubtedly it would be wise 

 to constitute the new body on this basis, and it would 

 afford another illustration of the effectiveness of the 

 alliance between employers and employed which is 

 coming to be one of the most important results of 

 the war in this country. The. function of the council 

 will be to obtain an assured supply of the raw 

 materials of the industry and a proper organisation 

 with regard to production and export. Such a policy 

 has much to commend it. The German iron and steel 

 industry was organised for this purpose for many 

 years before the war, but there was no place for 

 labour in it. A representative conference of masters 

 and men is also said to have agreed to the estab- 

 lishment of a second body, viz. an industrial council 

 to deal with all labour questions in every branch of 

 the iron and steel trade. 



By the death on June 11 of Mr. R. Hooper Pearson, 

 at the age of fifty-two years, horticulture has lost one 

 of its most earnest, capable workers. As managing 

 editor of the Gardeners' Chronicle Mr. Pearson exer- 

 cised a steadying, wholesome influence on the science 

 and practice of an industry, we might say a profes- 

 sion, which In recent years has grown in importance, 

 and in consequence of the war is likely to become 

 one of our principal food-producers. He was a great 

 worker without ostentation. His knowledge of things 

 appertaining to horticulture was exceptional. He had 

 sound judgment and an open mind, and, what was of 

 the greatest value in the position he held, kept steadilv 

 to the task of controlling and guiding the art of cul- 

 tivation along the path that leads to improvement. 

 To those who did not know him intimately he was 

 likely to appear lacking in "push" and "vim," but 

 his habit was to sift and weigh before coming to a 

 decision. This was evident in the journal which he 

 NO. 2538, VOL. lOl] 



managed with such success. He planned and edited 

 a series of popular handbooks known as " Present- 

 day Gardening," and was the author of the useful 

 "Book of Gardon Pests." Mr. Pearson's best work, 

 however, was more personal than books, and his hand 

 will be missed in many channels where he was wont 

 to serve disinterestedly. 



The recently issued annual report of the Decimal 

 Association shows that considerable progress was 

 made during the past year in the movement for the 

 adoption of a decimal coinage and the metric system 

 of weights and measures. The report of the Govern- 

 ment Committee on Commercial and Industrial Policy 

 is referred to, and, in explanation of the fact that it 

 does not favour any immediate change, it. is pointed 

 out that the Committee appears to have been led to 

 this decision by its anticipation of the exceptional 

 difficulties with which trade will be faced during the 

 period immediately following the war. In a leaflet 

 entitled "Great Britain's Interest in the Metric 

 System of Weights and Measures," which accom- 

 panies the association's report, it is maintained that 

 increased competition from our foreign rivals after 

 the war will necessitate the organisation and develop- 

 ment of our export trade, and demand the elimination 

 of all hampering influences such as our present 

 weights and measures. The suggestion is put for- 

 ward that during the transition period it would not 

 be unreasonable for the Government to bear the cost 

 of the reform in certain cases; for instance, by allow- 

 ing firms to retain out of the amount they would 

 otherwise pay as excess profits a sufficient sum to 

 recoup them for the charges they incur owing to the 

 change. 



After the marked failure of wheat all over the 

 world last year, it is pleasant to be able to record 

 that this year's crop promises to be good. According 

 to a leaflet issued by the International Institute of 

 Agriculture, the Argentine Government's estimate of 

 the 1917-18 yield of wheat in the Argentine is 211-3 per 

 cent, higher than last year's crop and 358 per cent, 

 higher than the average for the five years 1911-16. 

 New Zealand has issued an amended estimate of the 

 wheat crop in that country, showing an increase of 

 246 per cent, on the 19 16-17 yield, but a decrease 

 of 2 per cent, on the five-year average. The total 

 yields of wheat for the southern hemisphere (Argen- 

 tina, Uruguay, Union of South Africa, Australia, and 

 New Zealand) are estimated at 554 per cent, above 

 last year's crop and 343 per cent, above the average 

 yield for the five years 1911-16. The total crop of 

 oats in Argentina and New Zealand for 1917-18 is 

 estimated at 123-1 per cent, above last year's crop 

 and 6-5 per cent, above the five-year average. As 

 regards the northern hemisphere, the agricultural 

 situation was an average one in Spain at the beginning 

 of April ; in France the weather is generally favour- 

 able for the growing crops and for spring sowing. In 

 Great Britain the weather is favourable for all crops, 

 while in Ireland the condition of crops Is considered 

 quite satisfactory. It may be stated In summary that 

 on April I the condition of crops in the northern 

 hemisphere was excellent In Ireland, good In Great 

 Britain, France, and the United States, and average In 

 Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Morocco. 



We have recently received a copy of the first numbei 

 of Helvetica Chimica Acta, a new periodical devoted 

 to the advancement of pure chemistry. Before 19 14 

 the contributions to chemical literature emanating 

 from Swiss laboratories had reached a total of, 

 approximately, 380 per annum, but the Swiss 

 Chemical Society has hitherto had no official organ 



