1^.8 



NATURE 



[April 12, 1917 



the important German patent publications be provided 

 for the library, but an attempt will be made also to 

 furnish as broad an international list as possible. 



The South-Eastern Agricultural College has or- 

 ganised a research and advisory department, which is 

 distinct from the teaching side of the college, and is 

 governed by a separate representative committee under 

 definite terms of reference from the governing body. 

 This committee is comf>osed not only of the chief 

 research workers at the college, but also of prominent 

 scientific men who hav^e been co-opted to serve in 

 advancing this side of the college activity. This 

 seems to be an admirable arrangement. The Wye 

 College has recently issued a very interesting memor- 

 andum outlining the work in progress and contem- 

 plated by the research department. The researches 

 referred to are : (i) Problems connected with the 

 general practice of fruit-growing; (ii) problems con- 

 nected with the treatment of fungous diseases and 

 insect pests by spraying; (iii) the biological study of 

 fungous diseases and insect pests ; (iv) flax experi- 

 ments ; (v) problems connected with the conservation 

 of fruit and vegetables; (vf) pasture studies; (vii) in- 

 vestigations in diseases of sheep; and (viii) hop-breed- 

 ing. The Wye College Fruit Research Station is 

 situated in the centre of the most important fruit- 

 and hop-growing district in the country, and it is 

 clear from the memorandum that the main lines of 

 research are concerned with these industries, although 

 in almost every instance the other researches referred 

 to have some special interest in the college area. 

 With regard to fruit-growing, special attention is 

 being given to the selection and classification of fruit- 

 tree stocks, with the object of obtaining "pedigree" 

 strains of well-known varieties, and afterwards it is 

 proposed to investigate the relationship betw^een 

 "stock" and "scion." The study of fruit-growing 

 includes the problem of combating the many fungous 

 diseases and insect pests which become prevalent in 

 intensively cultivated fruit areas. For the purpose of 

 these researches the college enjoys quite a unique 

 opportunity, being the only horticultural research 

 station which is actually surrounded by a large fruit- 

 growing district. 



Those who desire to see the study of physical 

 science receive its due proportion of school time, 

 of prizes and scholarships and other forms of 

 encouragement, as well as social distinction equal 

 to that " traditionally allotted to scholars brought • up 

 on purely literary fare, will rejoice to notice the 

 newly developed liberalism of some of the classical 

 leaders. Mr. A. C. Benson's paper at the Royal 

 Society of Arts on December 20 last was noticed in 

 Nature of February i, and now we find, in the ForX- 

 nightly Review for April, an article by Lord Bryce 

 entitled "The Worth of Ancient Literature to the 

 Modern World " (annual presidential address to the 

 Classical Association). This article concedes almost 

 everything fundamental which has been demanded for 

 manv years past by the advocates of educational re- 

 form'. It is no doubt true, as stated by Lord Br>ce, 

 that the present popular desire for more science "Bas 

 been created, not as a result of any appreciation of its 

 educational value or of pride in the achievements of 

 the human intellect, but as a consequence of the 

 association in the minds of the people between a know- 

 ledge of applied science and, material prosperity. 

 This is no ground for refusing to satisfy the de- 

 mand, which, for other reasons, is fully justifiable. 

 The time has come, we are told, when everyone 

 should aoproach the subject, not as the advocate of 

 a cause, but in an impartial spirit. Then Lord Bryce 

 goes on to inquire, What is the chief aim of educa- 



NO. 2476, VOL. 99] 



tion ? And the reply is : First, teaching the child how 

 to observe, and frorn the beginning directing his atten- 

 tion to external Nature. Along with this he must be 

 taught how to use language so as to be able to 

 convey accuratelv what he wishes to say. An article 

 by Mr. H. G. Wefls follows that of Lord Bryce, and 

 the subject is a review of Mr. R. W. Livingstone's 

 recent book entitled "A Defence of Classical Educa- 

 tion." It supplies interesting and amusing reading, 

 which will be relished probably by everyone except the 

 author of the book. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



London. 

 Royal Microscopical Society, March 21. — Mr. E. Heron- 

 Allen, president, in the chair.— K. W. Goadby : The 

 bacteriology of war wounds. With the aid of lantern 

 slides and photomicrographs, prepared by C. F. Hill, 

 the chief bacteria peculiar to the septic wounds en- 

 countered in the present war were demonstrated and 

 described in connection with the lesions they produced. 



Manchester. 

 Literary and Philosophical Society, March 6. — Prof. 

 S. J. Hickson, president, in the chair.— Dr. H. Wilde : 

 An Egyptian meteorite. Capt. Cyri! Norbury, of the 

 7th Manchester Regiment, observed the fall of this 

 meteorite in August, 1916, while engaged in military 

 operations in Egypt at the extreme north of the Sinai 

 Peninsula. The fall occurred in the early afternoon, 

 and was attended by a loud whizzing, followed by a 

 great thud. It was at once decided that the sounds 

 were caused by an enemy bomb that had failed to 

 explode, but on further search with a spade of the spot 

 where the body had disappeared it was unearthed. 

 Capt. Norbury noticed that a portion of the meteorite 

 was missing, but although a careful search was made 

 the missing portion could not be found. He also men- 

 tioned that a similar occurrence took place at the same 

 time fourteen miles awav, though the meteorite in that 

 case was never found, but the 6th Manchesters heard 

 a similar buzzing through the air. The weight of the 

 meteorite is nearly 35 lb., and the missing parts would 

 be about the same weight. The thin pellicle on the 

 surface of the stone (002 in. deep) through which it 

 becomes vividly incandescent during its passage 

 through the atmosphere is indubitable evidence of its 

 identity with those in the collection of similar 

 meteorites in the Briti.'h Museum. The Egyptian 

 meteorite is an amorphous silicate, grey in colour, and 

 contains microscopic particles of iron, which are 

 diffused throughout the mass and cause a magnetised 

 needle to adhere to any part of its surface. — Dr. A. D. 

 Imms : Remarks on "castration parasitaire " in insects, 

 with special reference to Termites. The author referred 

 to the occurrence among diverse groups of insects of the 

 phenomenon termed by Giard "castration parasitaire." 

 The most striking examples are afforded by the para- 

 sitism of bees of the genus Andrena by the aberrant 

 insect Stylops. of Bombus by the Nematode Sphaeru- 

 laria, of leaf-hoopers by the dryinid Aphelopus and 

 the pipunculid Chalarus, and of the ant Pheidole by 

 the Nematode Mermls. In Termites. Grassi and 

 Sandias (1893) pointed out that vast numbers of para- 

 sitic Protozoa occur in the hind-intestine of the sterile 

 castes, but not in the sexual forms. They concluded 

 that in the former castes the degeneration of the 

 gonads and the production of soldiers and workers are 

 correlated with the presence of Protozoa. In the primi- 

 tive Himalayan Termite Archotermopsis, Dr. Imms 

 stated that the gonads of thp so-called sterile castes 

 are as well developed as in the sexual forms, though 

 abundant Protozoa occur. In species of the genus 

 Eutermes the gonads are extremeh' degenerate or 



