416 
NATURE 
[JUNE 18, 1914 
the intersections of the hour-circles and parallels of 
declination (at intervals of four minutes in R.A. and 
1° in declination) in Schonfelds and Gould’s Durch- 
musterung charts, so the plates (7x5 in.) in their 
longest direction have considerable overlap, the linear 
scale of the negatives corresponding to one degree of 
arc being 38 in. Mr. E. C. Slipher was a co-worker 
at the telescope, and with the examination of the 
negatives, but Mr. Lampland is responsible for the 
magnitudes and determinations of position which 
accompany the paper in the form of tables. Nearly 
all the objects dealt with are of magnitude about 
12 or fainter. 
RapiaL VELOCITIES OF 100 STARS WITH MEASURED 
PARALLAXES.—Messrs. W. S. Adams and Arnold Kohl- 
schutter contribute a valuable paper to the May num- 
ber of the Astrophysical Journal (Contributions from 
the Mount Wilson Solar Observatory, No. 79) relative to 
the radial velocity determinations during the past three 
years of stars fainter than magnitude 5-5 on the visual 
scale for which observations of parallax are available. 
The photographs were secured with the 60-in. reflector 
in conjunction with the Cassegrain 
adapted for use with one prism, but for stars from 5-5 
to o-5 magnitude a camera lens (Brashear special 
triplet) of 102 cm. focal length was used, while for 
stars fainter than 6-5 a lens (Cooke astrographic type) 
of 46 cm. focal length was employed. Briefly sum- 
marising some of the conclusions derived from this excel- 
lent piece of research work, the first to be mentioned 
is the enormous radial velocities of a few of the stars 
observed. Thus Lal. 1966 and Lal. 15290 indicated - 
velocities of —325 and —242 km., the first of these 
being the highest recorded radial velocity among any 
of the stars. Four other stars exceeded 100 km., and 
several between 75 and 100 km. A notable fact is the 
great preponderance of large negative over large posi- 
tive velocities, no less than 75 per cent. of the large 
velocities observed being negative. The following in- 
teresting table shows the stars exceeding radial velo- 
cities of 50 km. with their spectral types, showing 
that nearly all classes of the latter are involved :— 
Positive (5) Negative (15) 
Groom. 864. Go +100 Lal. 1045 Kr —58 
Groom. 1281 Fog $4 Lal. 1966 F3 319 
20 Leo. Min GI 54 Lal. 4855 Go 103 
33 Virginis Kr 56 Lal. 5761 A3P 151 
Lal. 30694 G5 57 Lal. 15290 F7 250 
Lal. 21185 Ma 85 
Lal. 27744 Gog 58 
OF 298 Ko 55 
WB: 1shy20,' sG 
Lal. 28607 is 133 
72 @ Herculis Go 59 
316 Aquila G7 80 
Lal.37120=1) (G2 143 
Lac. 8381 K6 50 
Pi 23h 164 F3" = 59 
It will be noticed that the two stars with the largest 
proper velocities are of types F3 and F7, and the two 
succeeding stars are of the A type. 
THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF 
TROPICAL AGRICULTURE. 
TES congress will be held at the Imperial Institute 
on June 23-30. Meetings will commence each 
week-day at 10.30 a.m., except on Saturday, which will 
be devoted to special visits. The mornings, as a rule, 
will be devoted to discussions, and the afternoons to 
papers on special subjects. Only a few of the more 
NO. 2320, VOL." 93) 
spectrograph | 3+ which Mr. Shuman will describe the “Utilisation of 
important matters to be dealt with can be mentioned 
here, and those interested should consult the general 
programme, which can be obtained on application to 
the general secretaries at the Imperial Institute, South 
Kensington, S.W. 
At the inaugural meeting on June 23, the president, 
Prof. Wyndham R. Dunstan, will receive the delegates 
of the foreign and colonial Governments, and will 
deliver the presidential address. In the afternoon he 
will preside at a discussion on ‘Technical Education 
in Tropical Agriculture,” to which Mr. Dudgeon 
(Egypt), Dr. Francis Watts (West Indies), Mr. Lyne 
(Ceylon), Mr. McCall (Nyasaland), and others will 
contribute. 
An interesting feature of the congress will be a 
series of four special papers to be given on certain 
afternoons. On Tuesday, June 23, Mr. J. A. Hutton, 
chairman of the British Cotton Growing Association, 
will describe the work of that association. The Earl 
of Derby, president of the association, will tale the 
chair, and Lord Emmott, Under-Secretary of State for 
the Colonies, will speak. In the same series Sir Louis 
Dane will preside at a meeting on Thursday afternoon, 
Sun-power for Irrigation and Other Purposes’’; on 
Friday afternoon Prof. Wallace will lecture on ‘‘ The 
Caracul Sheep’”’; and on Monday afternoon, June 29, 
Mr. Wigglesworth will describe ‘‘The Fibre Industry 
of British East Africa.’’ 
On Wednesday morning, June 24, two discussions 
will be held; the first, presided over by Sir Ronald 
Ross, will deal with ‘‘Hygiene and Sanitation on 
Tropical Estates,’’ and the second, at which Sir Sydney 
Olivier will take the chair, will be concerned with 
“Legislation against Plant Diseases,’’ to be introduced 
by a paper from Mr. A. G. L. Rogers, of the Board 
of Agriculture. 
On Thursday morning the president will introduce 
a discussion on ‘‘ The Factors which Determine Varia- 
tion in the properties of Plantation Rubber, with 
Special Reference to its Uses for Manufacturing Pur- 
poses,’’? to which planters, manufacturers, and others 
will contribute. In the afternoon Sir E. Rosling will 
preside, and papers on rubber will be read. 
On Friday morning the first discussion will be 
on ‘Agricultural Credit Banks and Cooperative 
Societies,’ at which Sir Horace Plunkett will preside. 
The second will be on ‘‘The Organisation of Agri- 
cultural Departments in Relation to Research,’’ and 
at this the President will take the chair. 
On Monday, June 29, Viscount Kitchener will take 
the chair at a discussion on ‘‘The Improvement of 
Cotton Cultivation,” at which papers will be read by 
Mr. Dudgeon (Egypt), Prof. Todd (Nottingham Uni- 
versity), Mr. Arno Schmidt (International Federation 
of Cotton Spinners), and Mr. McCall (Nyasaland). 
The afternoon will be devoted to sectional meetings 
for papers on ‘‘Cotton’’? and on ‘“‘Jute and Hemp 
Fibres.’’ 
Tuesday, June 30, will be the last day of the con- 
gress. Two sectional meetings for ‘‘Cotton’’ and 
‘Miscellaneous’ papers will be held in the morning, 
and the final meeting of the congress will be held at 
3.30 p.m. in the afternoon. 
His Majesty the King has graciously consented to 
become patron of the congress, and His Majesty’s 
Government will give a reception for the delegates 
and members of the congress at the Imperial Institute 
on Tuesday, June 23, at 9.30 p.m. Receptions will 
also be given by the Royal Colonial Institute (June 
24) and by the Rubber Growers’ Association (June 30). 
The subscription for membership, including all 
publications of the congress, is 11. 
