October 17, 1901] 



NA TURE 



6ig 



that in cuttings of Aiiipe/opsii ijiiiiiijue/o/ia, as in those of certain 

 species of SaU,x, the continual removal of the young shoots was 

 soon followed by a less vigorous development of roots, and 

 viie vers/i. In Sa/ix the retarding influence is first apparent in 

 the roots, while in Anipelopsis the shoots were found to be the 

 more sensitive. 



Dr. Y. F. iflackmanand Miss Matthaei contributed a paper on 

 natural surgery in leaves {Annals Bot., 1901). If patches of 

 leaf-tissue be killed in any way, the leaf reacts by forming an 

 " absciss "-line round the injured spots at. a little distance off in 

 the healthy tissue. Separation soon takes place at this " absciss " 

 line, so that the dead tissue which might be a source of danger 

 is cut right round and drops out of the leaf. The same authors 

 gave a paper on the relation between CO.^ production and vitality. 

 This communication chiefly dealt with the effect of loss of water 

 upon the CO.^ production in leaves. Even a small loss of water 

 causes a very maiked increase of the CO.,, and this effect continues 

 until the water is restored 



On the absorption of ammonia from polluted sea-water by 

 Viva latissima^ by Prof. Letts and John Hawthorne. In a 

 previous research (Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin. I90i)itwas shown ihat 

 the occurrence of this sea-weed in quantity in a given locality is 

 associated with the pollution of the sea-water by sewage, the 

 evidence being of three kinds: (i) The high proportion of 

 nitrogen contained in the tissues of the Uha ; (2) an examina- 

 tion of certain localities in which the seaweed occurs in 

 abundance, and of others from which it is virtually absent ; and 

 (3) experiments on the assimilation of nitrogenous compounds 

 by the growing Ulva from sea-water artificially polluted. 



The following conclusions were drawn from recent experi- 

 ments : — (l) The absorption of ammonia by the sea-weed is 

 very rapid, and with the mixtures used practically all the 

 ammonia was absorbed in five hours (with one exception, when 

 75 per cent, was lost). (2) The amount absorbed is greatest 

 during the first hour of contact, and then rapidly falls off. (3) 

 Although the concentration of the ammonia exercises some 

 effect on the proportion absorbed, it is by no means so con- 

 siderable as might have been expected. (4) The sea-weed 

 absorbs ammonia both in daylight and in darkness, but the 

 proportion in the latter case is rather less than in the former. 

 (5) The effects of an increased area of the sea-weed on the pro- 

 portion of ammonia absorbed are not so great as might have 

 been expected. These results maybe of practical importance in 

 those districts where a serious nuisance results from the decay 

 of large quantities of the Ulvi, which have been washed ashore, 

 or have accumulated in shallow water. 



The diameter increment of trees, by A. W. Borthwick. 

 There are two methods by which the rate of growth in thickness 

 or diameter increment of trees can be ascertained. One of these 

 methods is to measure annually or at certain intervals the 

 diameter or circumference by means of tree callipers or a tape. 

 The only other method of investigating the diameter increment 

 on standing trees is by means of a very useful instrument known as 

 Pressler's increment-borer. Mr. Borthwick stated that through 

 the kindness of Prof. Bayley Balfour he had recently had the 

 opportunity of testing whether the increment-borer would yield 

 the same results as those furnished by the tape. A comparison of 

 results showed a close agreement between the two methods. 



Dr. R. J. Anderson described an apparatus for studying the 

 rate of flow of solutions in plant stems, and gave a preliminary 

 account of experiments on which he is at present engaged. 



On the strength and resistance to pressure of certain seeds 

 and fruits, by Prof. G. F. Scott Elliot. The author described 

 experiments which he had made in order to determine the 

 amount of weight which seeds can endure without breaking. 

 The experiments were generally conducted by means of a spring 

 balance weighing up to 50 lbs. ; seeds and fruits which withstood a 

 pressure of 50 lbs. were tested with a Wicksteed's single-lever 

 vertical testing machine. The paper dealt also with the relation 

 between the resisting power and the shape and structure of 

 seeds. Attention was called to various peculiarities of fruits and 

 seeds which serve as important aids to their resisting power. 



Forestry. — Mr. Samuel Margerison communicated a paper 

 on the transport of British timber. He drew attention to the 

 fact that imported fir sold at a lesi price than that at which 

 British fir can be delivered, and urged the desirability of bearing 

 in mind the question of transport in the scientific development 

 of our forests. 



Mr. G. P. Hughes gave an account of Government plantings 

 in the Isle of Man. 



NO. 1668, VOL. 64] 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 



INTELLIGENCE. 



0.\FORD. — Mr. David B. Monro, Provost of Oriel, succeeds 



the Rev. Dr. F'owler, President of Corpus Christi College, as 



Vice-Chancellor. 



Cambridge. — The moderators for the mathematical tripos, 

 1902, are Mr. W. Burnside, F. R.S. , Pembroke, and Mr. J. 

 Greaves, Christ's. The examiners are Mr. J. G. Leathern, St. 

 John's, and Mr. J. H. Grace, Peterhouse. 



The outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Chawner, Master of 

 Emmanuel College, in his valedictory address, stated that the 

 amount received for the Benefaction Fund was more than 66,000/. 

 This, though it falls short of what is required even for the press- 

 ing needs of the University, has made it possible to enter into 

 contracts for the Botany School, and a substantial portion of the 

 Medical School buildings. Dr. Lawrence Humphry has been 

 appointed assessor to the regius professor of physic, and Sir 

 R. S. Ball an elector to the Isaac Newton scholarships. Prof. 

 W. R. Sorley has been elected to a professorial fellowship at 

 King's College. Prof. Somerville has informed the Vice- 

 Chancellor that, having accepted a post in His Majesty's Board 

 of Agriculture, he will resign the chair of agriculture at the end 

 of the present term. Mr. K. Lucas, of Trinity College, has 

 been nominated to occupy the University table in the ilarine 

 Biological Laboratory at Plymouth. Mr. J. H. Jeans, second 

 wrangler i8g8, Smith's prizeman I90i,and Mr. H. A. Wilson, 

 research student in physics 1S99, have been elected to fellow- 

 ships at Trinity College. 



In delivering the opening address of the winter session of 

 St. Andrews University last week. Principal Donaldson spoke 

 on the subject of Mr. Carnegie's recent gift and the relation of 

 the universities to the trade and commerce of the country. With 

 reference to the first part of his subject Principal Donaldson 

 said that the gift of Mr. Carnegie rendered it possible for every 

 Scotsman to obtain a university education if he was capable of 

 it ; its second purpose was to increase the usefulness and in- 

 fluence of the Scottish universities by furnishing them with 

 lectureships, laboratories, scholarships of research, and every 

 form of equipment that could enable them to do their work 

 most effectively. It was impossible to estimate the value of this 

 part of the gift, of the possibilities which it created, and of the 

 good that it would do to the whole community. It would bring 

 all the various departments of study up to a high level, and 

 especially it would promote in the highest degree original in- 

 quiry and investigation. For want of means they had fallen 

 behind in this department, but the difficulties were now removed. 

 Every student who had the ability to conduct original research 

 would have his opportunity, and they might expect .Scotland to 

 take a foremost place in those scientific discoveries and inven- 

 tions which were the prominent feature of our age. 



Speaking on Saturday last to the Medical Faculty of Uni- 

 versityCoUege, Liverpool, Prof. Oliver Lodge, F. R.S., Principal 

 of Birmingham University, said a year ago he did not expect 

 to find the full University ideal so prominently to the front ; but 

 any hesitation that might have been felt at urging it too hastily 

 or inopportunely had been removed by the resolution of their 

 council — their college council and likewise their city council — 

 that a University for Liverpool was a necessity, and that any 

 step towards furthering of that object would be welcome. 

 The multiplication of municipalities, said Dr. Lodge, was 

 wholly good. Why should the multiplication of Univer- 

 sities be considered bad ? Let every city become a Univer- 

 sity when it was worthy, but it must make itself worthy first. 

 Proceeding, he said that one of the functions of a University 

 was the increase or improvement of knowledge, what 

 was called " research." The ancient formula of the Royal 

 Society stated that it existed " for the improvement of natural 

 knowledge.'' He commended to their notice this word 

 "improvement." Their primary aim should be improvement. 

 The guardians of knowledge must be improvers of it, else it 

 began to decay and to be lost. A University was the corporate 

 repository of learning, not of ancient learning only, but of 

 modern learning too ; the most recently discovered fact of 

 science there found its natural guardians, and there it was that 

 new facts should be born. He commended this notion of 

 " improvement of knowledge " to students, to every class 

 of student. An atmosphere of constant effort towards the 



