Mat 6, 1921] 



SCIENCE 



433 



taining rain water that is used for domestic 

 purposes and is the only supply of fresh water 

 that the natives jiossess. 



At the outset the oil interests organized 

 an antimosquito campaign, conducted through 

 a committee headed by Dr. Stubbs. About 

 600 men were constantly employed in oiling 

 the ponds' and otlier open waters, and also 

 the receptacles in which the natives keep their 

 water for domestic purposes. The use of 

 crude oil on the water required by the natives 

 for drinking and cooking naturally caused 

 much dissatisfaction. 



After some months, when an official of the 

 U. S. Public Health Service visited Tampico, 

 he mentioned the value of Oamhusia in the 

 antimosquito work of the Public Health Serv- 

 ice and Bureau of Fisheries, and suggested 

 that this fish might be available for the 

 yellow-fever campaign at Tampico. A search 

 was forthwith made and Gamhusia was found 

 in abundance in the vicinity. Since December 

 1 the top minnow has entirely replaced crude 

 oil as an eradicator of mosquito larvae, the 

 natives are much pleased at the change, and 

 the reduction in the exisense has amounted to 

 $3,000 weekly. 



THE NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENi 



FrvE years ago the commission of fine arts 

 was requested to investigate and report as to 

 the possibilities of relocating the existing 

 Botanic Garden, at the foot of the Capitol, 

 from its present restricted area to a more 

 suitable site, and after surveying carefully 

 several suggested sites in the District of 

 Columbia decided ujwn Mount Hamilton and 

 the land adjacent as the most suitable location 

 for a ISTational Botanic Garden. A year ago 

 at a hearing before the joint congressional 

 committee on the Library the plan was again 

 thoroughly discussed. The highest scientific 

 and botanical authorities ' in the country at- 

 tended the hearings, and not only indorsed 

 the site as being in location, area, variety of 

 soil, elevation and accessibilty most adaptable 

 for a National Botanic Garden, but asserted 

 also the great need for such a garden as would 



1 From The WasUmgton Post. 



be comparable with those of other great coun- 

 tries of the world. 



Once the National Botanic Garden has been 

 established and developed, it would be one of 

 the great sightseeing places of Washington, 

 which would be visited by thousands of per- 

 sons annually. The Zoological park is 3.50 

 miles and Arlington National Cemetery 4.50 

 miles from the Capitol, yet each is visited by 

 thousands of persons each week. The daily 

 average attendance at the Zoological Park is 

 6,108, from 20,000 to 40,000 on Sundays and 

 more than 2,000,000 for the year. The Mount 

 Hamilton site is only two miles northeast of 

 the Capitol, and is accessible by lines of street 

 cars. In addition the National Botanic 

 Garden would be a place where thousands of 

 school children of the city could make a study 

 of plant life and the garden would continually 

 be a place of enjoyment for residents of the 

 city. The Mount Hamilton site is on the 

 main highway between Baltimore and Wash- 

 ington, one of the main approaches of the 

 city. A boulevard would lead through the 

 grounds along which a countless nximber of 

 persons would travel each year in order to 

 see the garden. 



MEDICAL PRIZES 



The Journal of the American Medical As- 

 sociation announces the following prizes; 



The Morsel Foundation offers a prize of 

 10,000 marks for the best work on the etiology, 

 diagnosis or treatment of cancer, representing 

 important progress. A second prize of half 

 the amount will be given for the second best 

 work. Competition is open till October 1, 

 1922. Competing articles are to be sent to 

 the director of the Institute for Experimental 

 Cancer Research at Heidelberg. The com- 

 peting works must be in German and must 

 have been published between January 1, 1921, 

 and October 1, 1922, or be ready for publica- 

 tion when presented. 



The Eoyal College of Physicians of Edin- 

 burgh announces the Parkin Prize of £100, 

 open to competitors of all nations, for the best 

 essay " On the Effect of Volcanic Action in 

 the Production of Epidemic Diseases in the 



