FEBRUARY I, I917| 
gether 932 of these plants were utilised, and, similarly, 
half were provided with the discs and the rest left 
unprotected. From among the protected cauliflowers 
twenty-four were lost, as compared with 294 plants 
out of a similar number of unprotected ones. One of 
the advantages of this method over the more familiar 
use of paraffin and’sand or soot is that a single appli- 
cation. is sufficient, whereas the other remedies have 
to be reviewed periodically. ; 
‘In addition to Mr. Wadsworth’s experiments, I sup- 
plied three growers with the American discs, giving 
full instructions as to their manipulation. One 
grower at Chorlton (near Manchester), who was sup- 
plied with 100 discs, reported that no single case of 
root-maggot attack was noted where they were used. 
Another grower, at Prestwich (Cheshire), wrote to say 
that he had fifty cabbages with the discs on, and only 
two of them were attacked. Out of the fifty control 
_ plants most of them were infested. The third observer 
(at Nottingham) used 100 discs, and reported that out 
of eighty-four protected cauliflowers only five were 
apparently attacked. and none were Jost. From 
among twenty unprotected plants only twelve survived. 
It is remarkable that a simple and effective measure 
should have attracted so little attention in this country 
or elsewhere in Europe. It appears to have been 
overlooked that its value has frequently been demon- 
strated in Canada and the United States. I may add 
that we hope to be able to have a supply of tarred felt 
paper discs available for use in this country during 
the forthcoming spring, when every effort will be 
needed to conserve the food supply of the nation. 
A. D. Ions. 
Department of Agricultural Entomology, 
Manchester University. 
The Decimal System and Summer Time in France. 
THE frequent references to the necessity of intro- 
ducing the decimal system which one reads in the 
public Press at present suggest some considerations 
which an experience of more than two years with 
the B.E.F. has confirmed. It is surprising with 
what facility the average soldier becomes accustomed 
to French money. Everything out here is bought 
and paid for on the decimal system. The men and 
officers receive their pay in French money. I have 
seen bills made out and paid by officers’ orderlies 
which show they are quite at home in the French 
system. It is, of course, perfectly evident that the 
time gained in schools and colleges, if we were to 
replace many confusing weights and measures now 
in use by the decimal system, would be of great 
importance. Here in France half a kilo is called a 
pound; a sou is called a halfpenny. There would 
be no need for us to change familiar names if we 
are lucky enough to adopt the decimal system. It 
may be said that everybody out here has become 
familiar with decimal money, weights, and lengths, 
and knows roughly the ratios between them and 
corresponding British measure. The present oppor- 
tunity is one which ought not to be missed. The stern 
teacher—war—has taught us to give up so many of 
our out-of-date ways that the imposition of the decimal 
system would soon be an accomplished fact if our 
rulers would only listen to those who really know. 
This naturally suggests some facts connected with 
the introduction of “‘summer time.’’ Whatever ad- 
vantages that measure may have had from the point 
of view of those living in large towns, and of those 
whose time is their own (and they are many), it 
must certainly be confessed that in the case of the 
farming class in France it has been a complete 
failure. In fact, it exists only in name. I have 
NO. 2466, VoL. 98] 
NATURE. 
429. 
spoken with the farmers on the subject, and they 
all assured me that it was no good to them. The 
hottest time of ‘the day is. about 2.0 p.m. Now, 
according to. the . summer-time programme, ‘the 
greatest heat corresponds to 3.0 p.m. If, then, the 
farmer dines at noon (which is universal), he must 
do his afternoon’s work during the hottest “hours of 
the day. As a matter of fact, the farmers make no 
change in their habits. Many of them do not change 
their clocks, and dine at 1.0 p.m. according to summer 
time. But see the result. The schools must. follow 
the legal time, the children get home for their dinners 
an hour before the family has begun to dine, with 
the result that there is the greatest confusion in a 
household, especially where the mother has to work 
in the fields. Again, there is the disadvantage that 
those occupied with cattle, as in Ireland, have an 
extra hour of darkness for their most important 
ipdustry. 
The case of Ireland is especially hard.» Since the 
abolition of ‘‘Irish time” there is already’ an extra 
half-hour of darkness in the mornings; if the clock 
in Ireland is put back another hour it will mean that 
in many places the extra darkness in the mornings 
will be more than an hour and a half. It seems. to 
the writer that the greatest care should be taken 
before the present system of summer time is made 
perpetual. It would be much better and much more 
scientific and more straightforward if the opening 
hour of all public offices, etc., was advanced an hour, 
and their time of closing treated in the same way. 
In conclusion, I may add, as a proof of the confusion 
which exists in some parts of France, the list of 
services in the parish church had to be written in 
two columns, the legal time being in ordinary figures, 
the summer time in Roman numerals. al 
France, January 22. 
Meldola Memorial. 
A MOVEMENT has recently been iniitiated to institute, 
at the Finsbury Technical College, a reference library 
of chemical books in memory of the late Prof. Raphael 
Meldola, F.R.S., who formerly presided over this 
school of applied chemistry. 
We beg to bring under your notice this appeal, 
which has met with generous support from many 
former students of Prof. Meldola, because we believe 
that his other friends outside the college circle would 
welcome the opportunity of helping to make this memo- 
rial a fitting tribute to a strenuous life spent ‘in the 
pursuit of science in many varied aspects. 
The proposed chemical library would be of the 
utmost utility to past and present students of this 
college, and, in all probability, suitable arrangements 
could be made to render it available to the scientific 
public for purposes of special references. It would be 
situated in a part of London where such facilities are 
at present non-existent. 
Donations towards the memorial fund would be 
greatly appreciated by the undersigned committee and 
by all who have at heart the development of applied 
chemistry, a branch of science which the war has 
shown to be of national importance. 
J. L. Baker (Hon. Treasurer). 
je HH, Goszx. 
M. O. Forster, 
H. F. Kyicur. 
G. T. Morean, 
F. W. StrEATFEILD. 
C. H. BurcHer ) (Hon. 
A. W. H. Upton f Secretaries). 
Finsbury Technical College, Leonard Street, 
City Road, London, E.C. 
