792 
indicator species in water cultures. Species normally 
growing on acid soils are found to show best growth 
in nutrient solutions with a reaction of about Py 4:0. 
On the other hand, plants normally growing on neutral 
or alkaline soils show most vigorous growth in culture 
media of about P,, 6 to 7. In these media the plants 
of acid soils do not thrive and become chlorotic. 
Olsen further examines the theory of Hartwell and 
Pember that soil acidity may be associated with the 
toxicity of aluminium ions. Though aluminium was 
found to be toxic to barley, the theory appeared not 
to be valid for plants of alkaline soils in general. 
Further, while his observations confirm the idea that 
acid soils as a whole produce ammonia rather than 
nitrates, Olsen’s experiments show no evidence for 
the supposition that the plants normally growing on 
acid soils utilise ammonia and not nitrates, or that 
the plants of alkaline soils can only utilise nitrates. 
Both nitrates and ammonia appear to have the same 
vaiue as sources of nitrogen in the cases examined, 
and, moreover, nitrification may be much more active 
in acid soils than is commonly supposed, as rapid 
nitrification existed in soils as acid as Py 4°4. 
This valuable paper should be in the hands of all 
those interested in soil acidity and plant growth. 


University and Educational Intelligence. 
BiRMINGHAM.—The late Elizabeth Kenway of 
Moseley has left to the University a legacy of rooo/., 
free of duty, to be applied as the Council shall think 
fit. 
We learn from the Times that the late Joseph 
Samuel Taylor, of the firm of Taylor and Challen, 
engineers, has left the residue of his estate, after 
numerous bequests to local charities, to the Uni- 
versity for research work in mechanical engineering, 
metallurgy, and chemistry. 
CAMBRIDGE.—In connexion with the coming meet- 
ing of the International Union of Pure and Applied 
Chemistry, it is proposed to confer honorary degrees 
of Doctor of Science on M. A. Haller, president of 
the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of France, 
Prof. W. D. Bancroft, Cornell University, Prof. E. J. 
Cohen, University of Utrecht, Prof. C. Moureu, 
Collége de France, Prof. R. Nasini, University of 
Pisa, Prof. A. Pictet, University of Geneva, and 
Prof. F. Swarts, University of Ghent. 
Mr. J. E. Littlewood, Trinity College, has been 
reappointed Cayley lecturer in mathematics; Mr. 
R. A. Herman, Trinity College, has been reappointed 
University lecturer in mathematics, and Mr. J. Gray, 
King’s College, has been re-elected Balfour student. 
It is recommended that a special grant of 25]. 
be made to the Marine Biological Station at Plymouth. 
MANCHESTER.—The Sheridan Delépine research 
fellowship in preventive medicine, value 300/. for one 
year, will be awarded shortly. The elected candidate 
will be required to register as a research student of 
the University, and to devote the whole of his time 
to research in the department of bacteriology and 
preventive medicine. Applications, together with 
particulars of the qualifications of the candidates and 
of the proposed subject of research, should reach the 
Internal Registrar on or before June 15. 
St. ANDREWS.—The Court has agreed to hold in 
trust a sum raised in recognition of Dr. David 
McEwan’s services as professor of surgery in Dundee. 
The income from the fund is to be employed in pro- 
viding an annual prize in surgery to be awarded to 
the best student in that subject in the Final M.B., 
Ch.B. Examination in the University, 
NO. 2797, VOL. 111] 

NATURE 
It is expected that Mr. Rudyard Kipling, Rector 

[JUNE 9, 1923 
of the University, will be installed and will deliver 
his rectorial address on Tuesday, October 9. 

THE summer meeting of the Association of Women 
Science Teachers will be held at Reading, on 
Saturday, July 7. 
Norice is given that applications for the Ramsay 
Memorial fellowships in chemical science, of the 
value of 300/. a year each, must be made not later 
than June 15 to Dr. Walter Seton, secretary of the 
Ramsay Memorial Fellowships Trust, at University 
College, London, W.C.1, from whom full particulars 
of the conditions governing the award can be obtained. 
APPLICATIONS are invited from Edinburgh Uni- 
versity medical women for the Dr. Jessie Macgregor 
prize of 50/. for the best piece of original work, 
published or unpublished, in the science of medicine. 
Competitors must lodge the record of their work, 
accompanied by a letter vouching that the work was 
done by the sender, and mentioning the place or 
places in which it was carried out, not later than 
June 30, with the Convener of the Trustees, Royal 
College of Physicians, Edinburgh. 
THE University of Geneva is organising a summer 
school in which are included two attractive courses 
of botanical and geological field-work. The botanical 
course, opening on July ro and closing on September 
10, will be conducted by Prof. R. Chodat, director of 
the Alpine station at Bourg-St. Pierre in the Grand 
St. Bernard region, where the course is to be held, and 
studies will be made of Alpine flora, plant distribu- 
tion, etc. The geological course will be in the charge 
of Prof. L. W. Collet, professor of geology in the 
University of Geneva, and the first portion, July 10-15, 
will be spent at the University. The remainder of 
the course, July 16-August 10, will be devoted to 
field-work on tectonics and glacial geology. Both 
courses provide opportunities for numerous expe- 
ditions. Further information about the courses 
can be obtained from the Secretary of the University 
of Geneva, or in Great Britain, from the Economic 
Division, Swiss Legation, 32 Queen Anne Street, 
London, W.1. , 
A stupy of Dental Education was undertaken 
early in 1921 on behalf of the Carnegie Foundation for 
the Advancement of Teaching by Dr. William J. Gies, 
of Columbia University. Each of the Dental Schools — 
of the United States (47) and Canada (5) has been 
visited, its equipment thoroughly inspected, and its 
relationships with other educational institutions 
ascertained. The investigation has been carried on 
with the active co-operation of the Dental Educational 
Council of America and the Canadian Association of 
Dental Faculties and of the local faculties. The 
recently published annual report of the Carnegie 
Foundation announces that Dr. Gies’s report will 
shortly be ready for issue. There being no national 
board of dental examiners, the examinations for 
licence to practise in the several States are dissimilar, 
and the dental laws differ in many of their require- 
ments where uniformity would have obvious advan- 
tages. A compilation of these laws, which have not 
hitherto been easily accessible for comparative study, 
has been prepared and will shortly be issued with 
comments on their main educational features. Cus- 
tom blinds us to the anomaly of the isolation of 
dentistry as compared with ophthalmology, aural 
surgery, laryngology, and other specialties of medicine 
—of putting teeth and jaws in an elaborately insulated 
compartment by themselves—and a reconsideration of 
fundamentals such as is likely to be involved in and 
entailed by Dr. Gies’s study may have beneficial results. 

