lyo 



N'A 1 URE 



April 8, ii 09 



Thb United States Naval Observatory. — The report 

 of the U.S.A. Naval Observatory, Washington, for the 

 fiscal year ending June 30, 1908, contains several important 

 announcements, and gives the record of the vifork done 

 during the year. 



Rear-Admiral Walker having retired from the super- 

 intendentship on November 13, 1907, Captain W. J. 

 Barnette was appointed to the position, and submits this 

 report. 



Having asked a board of astronomers to report on the 

 state of the observatory and the most proper work for it 

 to perform, he received a report in which it was laid 

 down that astronomy of position, rather than astrophysics, 

 should be the principal work of the observatory. In order 

 to secure the continuity and coordination of the work, an 

 astronomical council, consisting of the officers of the 

 observatory, was appointed, and will in future act as an 

 advisory council in connection with all the work, astro- 

 nomical and administrative, of the observatory. 



The climatic and terrestrial conditions at Tutuila, 

 Samoa, having been found too unfavourable, the branch 

 observatory established there in 1904 has been discon- 

 tinued. 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURES 



T~"HE bulk of this work is taken up by the reports on 

 economic zoology and mycology ; the remainder com- 

 prises reports from the veterinary, chemical, and botanical 

 departments, and the farm report. 



F. v. 'I'heobald's work is well known, and in his con- 

 tribution to the journal the notes on the damage to hops 

 by Eniomohrya nivalis, Linn., and on the occurrence of 

 Rhagolctis cerasi in imported cherries, are worthy of 



Fig. I. — Photograph of a growing potato plant attacked by the "Black 

 .Scab." At X is a diseased shoot above ground ; several young disease d 

 potatoes can be seen below. 



The determination of the digestibilitv of feeding stuffs, 

 giving, as it does, an insight into Continental methods, is 

 of exceeding interest to all scientific agriculturists. Prof. 



'1 The Journal of the South-Eastern Agricultural College, Wye, Kent. 

 No. 17. pp. 47S. (London and Ashford : Headley Bros., 1908.) Price 

 6t. ; Residents ni Kent and Surrey, 3s. 



NO. 2058, VOL. 80] 



Golding Hops. 



special mention. Most of the illustrations in this section 

 are excellent. 



The report on economic mycology contains articles on 

 .\merican gooseberry mildew and on black scab, among 

 others, illustrated by a series of twenty-six splendid plates, 

 one of wliich is reproduced here. This shows very plainly 

 the peculiar warty outgrowths to be found, not only on 

 the tubers, but on the shoots and leaves of potatoes 

 attacked by Ciirysophlyctis endohiotica. Hops, as is 

 fitting in a hop-growing district, receive attention, and 

 the article on the value of the male hop, illustrated by 

 most lucid plates, is by no means the least important 

 item in the journal. The plates illustrating " seeded 

 and " seedless " Golding hops, taken from the same bine, 

 show one of the effects of fertilisation, viz. that " growing 

 out " takes place along with seed production ; in fact, the 

 investigations carried out at Wye prove beyond question 

 that only " seeded " hops will grow out properly. The 

 " growing out^" takes place iinmediately after fertilisa- 

 tion, thus obviating a long " burr " period, a period 

 in which there is the greatest danger of attack by 

 " mould. " 



The amount of rosins, too, is increased by more than 

 one-half ris a result of fertilisation ; in fact, the quantity 

 and quality of hops is improved by the presence of the 

 male hop. This was shown in a practical manner by the 

 fact that samples of " seeded " and " seedless " hops, 

 grown in the college hop-garden, were submitted to the 

 hop-factors for valuation, and it was found that the 

 " male plant had increased the value of the crop (at the 

 price of hops then current) by the sum of 24J. los. per 

 acre." Such investigations are not only of absorbing 

 interest, but of the greatest possible utility. 



One always looks for good work in the veterinary 

 department, and the present report is no exception, but 

 mention Can only be made of the discovery of Strongylus 



