114 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 212. 



ONONDAGA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



At the November meeting of the Academy 

 Professor P. F. Schneider read a paper on 

 ' Onondaga Whetstones,' giving a short history 

 of the use of whetstones and comparing the 

 various commercial stones. The Labrador stone 

 is found at the southern border of the county 

 and is manufactured in a nearby town. It 

 makes an excellent ' table stone.' The Arkan- 

 sas stone is also manufactured by the same com- 

 pany, the 60,000 pounds annually shipped here 

 yielding about 20,000 pounds of the finished 

 product. 



At the December meeting of the Academy 

 Professor Schneider spoke on ' Palseobotany of 

 Onondaga County,' illustrating his remarks by 

 about a dozen plant remains from the local Si- 

 lurian and Devonian rocks. 



Mrs. L. L. Goodrich spoke on'/ Variations in 

 TrilUums,^ and exhibited specimens ranging 

 from the typical Trillium grandiflorum through 

 gradations of petioled leaved forms to extreme 

 forms with purely radical leaves. In nearlj' all 

 cases the petals were more or less marked with 

 green, and various degrees of reduplication 

 and suppression, of floral parts were noted as 

 common occurrences. 



Dr. A. A. Tyler spoke on 'The Origin of 

 Species Through , Variations,' after which the 

 topics of the evening were discussed by Dr. W. 

 M. Beauchamp and Dr. Hargitt. 



H. W. Beitchee, 

 Corresponding Secretary. 



THE academy of SCIENCE OF ST. LOUIS. 



At the meeting of the Academy of Science 

 of St. Louis, of January 9, 1899, the following 

 officers were declared elected for the current 

 year : President, Edmund A. Engler ; Vice- 

 Presidents, Robert Moore, D. S. H. Smith ; Ee- 

 cording Secretary, William Trelease ; Corre- 

 sponding Secretary, Joseph Grindon ; Treasurer, 

 Enno Sander; Librarian, G. Hambach ; Cura- 

 tors, G. Hambach, Julius Hurter, Hermann von 

 Schrenk ; Directors, M. H. Post, AmandRavold. 



Ml-. Hermann von Schrenk presented infor- 

 mally the results of a study of a sclerotium di- 

 sease of beech roots which he had observed in 

 southeastern New York during the past summer. 



The sclerotia, which were formed by the web- 

 bing together of rootlets by sterile mycelial 

 threads, were stated by the speaker to have ap- 

 parently no connection with the mycorrhiza of 

 the beech. Mr. von Schrenck's remarks were 

 illustrated by drawings and alcoholic and sec- 

 tioned specimens. 



William Trelease, 

 Recording Secretary. 



DISCUSSION AND COBBESPONDENCE. 

 SCIENCE AND POLITICS. 



At the last biennial session of the Legislature 

 of Kansas there was passed what is known as 

 the State uniform text-book law. A commis- 

 sion was appointed whose duty it was to select 

 the text-books of all grades used in the public 

 schools of the State, which were to be furnished 

 at a stipulated price to all pupils. No other 

 texts than the one selected may be used by any 

 school under pain of severe penalties. The law 

 has now been in force for two years and these 

 books are being used by several hundred thous- 

 and pupils. So far as I can learn, specialists 

 or experts were not consulted in the choice of 

 the texts. Wide latitude was given to the 

 commission, the one important stipulation be- 

 ing that the books should be cheap ! Protests 

 have been made, but in vain — the books must 

 be used in every case where prior contracts are 

 not in force. Let us examine the wisdom of 

 the Kansas Solons in one case ; I am told that 

 others are like it. 



The text in Physiology used in all grammar 

 grades is one by a C. L. Hoxie, whoever he 

 may be. As he is the author of text-books in 

 Physics, doubtless his name will be familiar to 

 the physicists of the country ! The work had 

 the benefit of revision by two high-school teach- 

 ers of St. Louis. The part they took in the re- 

 vision ought certainly to elevate them from 

 obscurity. 



We can sympathize strongly in the introduc- 

 tory statement by the author that the " value 

 of a thorough knowledge of physiology in all of 

 its departments can scarcely be estimated. If 

 one be well a knowledge of physiology will 

 keep him so. If one be sick the same knowl- 

 edge will enable him to regain that priceless 

 treasure — good health." One must suspect 



