OOTOBEK 31, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



407 



along the Msquoketa River, embracing one of 

 the few trout streams left in Iowa, contain- 

 ing also some magnificent old white pine. 

 This park was to have been dedicated on 

 October 1, but owing to imprecedented rains 

 the matter of dedication was postponed. The 

 park was to have been presented by L. H. 

 Pammel on part of the State Board of Conser- 

 vation and accepted by Governor W. L. Hard- 

 ing. Five-minute talks were also to be given 

 by other members of the board. 



A second state park has recently been estab- 

 lished in what is known as the horseshoe bend 

 of the Des Moines Eiver near Keosauqua. 

 The board and executive council also author- 

 ized the purchase of the largest boulder of 

 the lowan drift in the Mississippi valley, and 

 three acres of land surrounding the boulder. 



The Keosauqua area of 1,123 acres contains 

 a large number of interesting native trees 

 especially oaks and shrubs. Among the birds, 

 some of the rarer species in Iowa are found 

 here, like the drumming pheasant. Bob white 

 is abundant. The board went so far as to 

 get the signatures of all farmers within a 

 mile from the park to preserve this area out- 

 side of the park as a wild-life reserve. 



The policy of the board will be tq keep 

 the lakes and purchase land on the shores for 

 state parks, to establish one or more highways 

 or county parks in many of the counties in 

 the state. The larger parks are to be for the 

 " preservation of places of historic, natural or 

 recreational interest authorizing donations in 

 aid of such purposes and to make an appro- 

 priation therefore, provided for aid by muni- 

 cipal corporations and authorizing boards of 

 supervisors to estend county road systems." 

 Many generous gifts have been made. The 

 Brandt sisters of Davenport donated 57 acres 

 in what is known as " Wild Cat Den," con- 

 taining some rare ferns and interesting from 

 an ecological standpoint. The citizens of 

 Farmington and Van Buren county pur- 

 chased outright 100 acres containing a lotus 

 (Nelumio lutea) pond of 40 acres. 



There have been more than 100 petitions 

 for state parks. Where it is not possible 

 to buy at this time leases are made so that 

 the wild life may be preserved along the 



Yellow Eiver in Allamakee county and the 

 Ice Cave near Decorah. The thirty-eighth 

 General Assembly appropriated $100,000 an- 

 nually for the creation of these parks, elimi- 

 nating the fish and game warden so that the 

 recommendations now are direct to the ex- 

 ecutive council from the State Board of Con- 

 servation. 



MATTERS OF SCIENTIFIC INTEREST IN 

 CONGRESSi 



Mr. Fess has reintroduced his bill for a 

 national university, which failed of final 

 action in the Sixty-fifth Congress. The pres- 

 ent bill is IT. E. 9353 : " To create a national 

 university at the seat of the Federal Govern- 

 ment." The institution, to be known as the 

 " National University of the United States," 

 is to be governed by a board of trustees, con- 

 sisting of the U. S. Commissioner of Educa- 

 tion and twelve appointed members; the acts 

 of the board are subject to approval by an 

 advisory council, consisting of one represent- 

 ative (usually the president of the State Uni- 

 versity) from each state. No student is to be 

 admitted unless he shall have obtained the 

 degree of master of science or master of arts 

 from an institution of recognized standing. 

 No academic degrees are to be conferred. An 

 initial appropriation of $500,000 is provided. 

 The bill was referred to the Committee on 

 Education. 



A fact of interest to the scientific public 

 is that the "Army reorganization bill" (S. 

 2715, Mr. Wadsworth; and H. R. 8287, Mr. 

 Kahn) makes no mention of the Chemical 

 Warfare Service. In his letter accompany- 

 ing the bill. Secretary of War Baker suggests 

 that the Chemical Warfare Service be made a 

 part of the Engineer Corps. The proposal to 

 abolish the Service as a distinct unit, com- 

 parable with the Tank Corps, is being vigor- 

 ously opposed by the Council of the American 

 Chemical Society. 



Warnings issued by the Public Health 

 Service in September that a recurrence of the 

 1918 pandemic of influenza was probable in 



' 1 From the Journal of the Washington Academy 

 of Sciences. 



