44 



NATURE 



[November 13, 1902 



used This is done by spreading poisoned grain about the runs 

 of the rabbits or by poisoning the water-tanks. But poison 

 has not turned out successful, and there is besides great objection 

 to the employment of such a dangerous agent in any case. 



The introduction of some infectious disease to kill the rabbits 

 has also been advocated, and even tried in certain districts, but 

 it has not succeeded. In this instance, even Pasteur attained no 

 definite result. 



In these circumstances, Mr. Rodier's plan, as set forth in his 

 pamphlet, which is certainly theoretically correct, ought to be 

 tried by the authorities on a large scale. It would be easy to 

 fence round a few thousand acres in one of the worst districts 

 and see what effect will be produced by capturing the rabbits 

 alive and killing only the females. Mr. Rodier tells us that his 

 plan has succeeded well at Tambua Station, and there is every 

 reason to suppose that it would succeed elsewhere if it were 

 properly tried. 



THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 1 



"T7EW things have been more gratifying to those "seriously" 

 interested in horticulture than the great improvement that 

 has taken place in the publications of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society during the last few years. The Society has more than 

 recovered from the disasters that befell it at South Kensington. 

 The present year is not yet completed, but already more than 

 one thousand new fellows have been elected. There is every 

 probability that the approaching centenary will be fittingly cele- 

 brated by the erection of proper offices, including an exhibition 

 hall and accommodation for the excellent Lindley Library. 

 This latter is the property of certain trustees, but is inseparable 

 from the Society so long as it exists as a corporate body in or 

 near the metropolis. 



One potent reason for the phenomenal success which has of 

 late years distinguished the Society is to be found in the zeal, 

 energy and organising faculty of the secretary. In no respect 

 are these qualilies more conspicuously illustrated than by the 

 publications of the S ciety edited by him. 



The papers con ributed to the Journal have almost always 

 been good of Llicii kind, but they were published at irregular, 

 often very long, in ervals, so that interest in them flagged or 

 disappear id i n irtrly. 



Under tl it- eiliti r -hi p of the present secretary, the quality of 

 the Journal has been more than maintained, whilst comparative 

 regularity of publication has been ensured ; so that those fellows 

 whose distant residence precludes them from availing themselves 

 to the full of their privileges may yet be assured that in the 

 Journal, as now issued, they have a full equivalent for their 

 subscription, and, as far as possible, are kept abreast of the 

 proceedings at headquarters. 



The current number shows an improvement on its predecessors 

 in the fact that a larger infusion of original illustrations has 

 been vouchsafed. Among these we may mention the three 

 coloured plates illustrative of several of the more common 

 fungi which attack garden plants. The article on which these 

 plates confer additional value is the production of Dr. M. C. 

 Cooke, and we are glad to see it is marked " to be continued," for 

 a more complete list of this kind than any that has yet appeared 

 is greatly wanted by gardeners. Another paper illustrated by 

 original half-tone blocks is that on ' ' plant communities " by Prof. 

 Carr, of Nottingham ; at least we are not so familiar with them 

 as with the numerous cuts which have done duty before in the 

 various horticultural journals. 



During the last year or two, a very useful addition has been 

 made to the Society's records in the shape of short abstracts 

 from current horticultural literature relating to the garden and its 

 inhabitants. These are supplied by a goodly number of trained 

 experts, and when experience has taught them a due sense of pro- 

 portion and a more rigid selection of what is appropriate to a 

 horticultural journal, their value will be even greater than it is 

 now. This portion of the volume will require the greatest care 

 in indexing, as without a comprehensive index reference will be 

 greatly hampered. The contents are so varied that further 

 detailed comment is impracticable. It must suffice to say that 

 all classes of horticulturists, practical, scientific, ajsthetic or 

 amateur, will find something to interest them in these pages. 



1 The Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society (September, 1902). 

 Edited by the Rev. W. Wilks, M.A., Secretary. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Oxford. — The resolution, " That candidates shall not be re- 

 quired to offer both Greek and Latin in the examination in 

 stated subjects in Responsions," submitted to Congregation on 

 Tuesday, was lost by 189 votes to 166. If the resolution had 

 been carried, a proposal would have been brought forward on 

 November 18, " That all candidates shall be expected to pass 

 in two out of the four following languages : — Greek, Latin, 

 French and German, one of the two being either Greek or 

 Latin." By the decision of Congregation on Tuesday, Greek 

 remains a compulsory subject at Responsions for all candidates ; 

 but the subject may be brought up again by a proposal to 

 exempt candidates for honours in certain of the final schools 

 from the compulsion of Greek. 



Mr. George Herbert Grosvenor, B. A., New College, has been 

 appointed to the biological scholarship at Naples for the year 

 1902-3. 



The late Colonel Walter Montgomerie Neilson, who was 

 the son of the inventor of the hot-blast as applied to iron- 

 smelting, and who, in a sense, was the founder of the locomo- 

 tive trade in the Glasgow district, has made a bequest of 500/. 

 in memory of his father, Mr. James Beaumont Neilson, to the 

 Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College, for the estab- 

 lishment of a gold medal and prize to be awarded each year to 

 the best student of the College completing his course of study of 

 three years for the diploma in mechanical engineering. The 

 medal and prize are to continue the name of, and the invention 

 by, Beaumont Neilson. The medal will be of the value of 

 10/., and the prize will consist of books. 



Dr. G. R. Parkin, the organising agent for the trustees of 

 the Rhodes scholarships, is at present in Oxford to consult with 

 the University and college authorities before proceeding to 

 frame, for the approval of the trustees, a scheme for the election 

 of the scholars. Dr. Parkin states that according to their size, 

 each of the colleges seems prepared to take from two to five of 

 the Rhodes scholars every year. This would give to the smaller 

 colleges six in all for the three years' scholarship, and to the 

 larger colleges about fifteen, when the plan is in full operation. 

 The first year the bequest comes into operation there will be 

 elected probably between seventy and seventy-five scholars, the 

 same number for the second year, for the third year about 

 thirty, and in subsequent years the same proportion will be 

 maintained. 



In the course of an address delivered at the Liverpool 

 School of Science on Saturday last, the Bishop of Liverpool 

 remarked that the time had passed for ever when Great 

 Britain stood first and the other nations of the world no- 

 where. There was great need for energy and exertion, and 

 great care must be taken to develop on educational lines as fast 

 as possible. Technical schools were meeting a real national 

 need and helping to preserve the greatness of the Empire. They 

 were bringing British science and industry together, and in future 

 they would find that science would transfigure industry, and 

 industry would make science more practical. But what were 

 first needed were the unification of education and the full 

 sympathy and cooperation of employer and employed, in which 

 respect foreigners were somewhat ahead of us. 



M. Boris Weinberg, of the University of Odessa, has 

 recently completed an interesting inquiry into the provisions for 

 the practical study of science made in 206 laboratories in con- 

 nection with colleges in Europe, America and Australia. In 

 March, 1900, M. Weinberg sent a circular letter to the directors 

 of all physical, mechanical, electrotechnical and chemico- 

 physical laboratories mentioned in the " Minerva Jahrbuch," 

 asking for information as to the number of demonstrators teaching 

 in the laboratories in 1900 and in previous years so far back as 

 1S65, the number of students in the same years, the smallest 

 number of students working at the same time in the laboratory, 

 the hours devoted to practical work by each student during a 

 week, and many similar points. His results are now published, 

 and deal with typical university colleges, medical schools, 

 technical colleges, &c. , of the countries of Europe, of the 

 United States and of Australia. The most valuable part of the 

 information brought together in the pamphlet is the careful 



NO. 1724, VOL. 67] 



