454 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIII. No. 1376 



their copper only from their plant food. In 

 view of this fact about a dozen species of 

 plants were incinerated. In all cases, whether 

 the portion incinerated was taken from the 

 stem, or the leaves, or fruit, the ash reacted 

 positively. 



In general, copper was present only in 

 traces in plants, not at all in amounts com- 

 parable to that present in insects. It is prob- 

 able that the copper ion is inactive in plants, 

 that its presence is due to mechanical storage, 

 and that it plays no active role in the phys- 

 iology of the plant. 



It is evident, however, from the experi- 

 ments performed, that copper is widely dis- 

 tributed in both the plant and animal world. 

 In the former it is present only in traces, and 

 probably inactive, while in the latter it is 

 present in measurable quantities and its role 

 appears to be active. 



A more detailed account of these investiga- 

 tions will be published in the near future. 

 elchard a. muttkowski 



■University of Idaho, 

 Moscow, Idaho 



SCIENTIFIC EVENTS 



DIRECTORS OF RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC 

 QUALIFICATIONS 



The Eight Hon. F. D. Acland recently 

 asked in the House of Commons, as we learn 

 from Nature, whether the lord president of 

 the council "is aware that dissatisfaction is 

 being expressed by scientific workers with the 

 appointment of a man without scientific quali- 

 fications as director of research to the Glass 

 Research Association; whether, as the De- 

 partment of Scientific and Industrial Research 

 provides four fifths of the funds of the asso- 

 ciation, the department was consulted before 

 the appointment was made; and does he ap- 

 prove of the appointment as giving a ^guarantee 

 that state funds devoted to scientific research 

 will be wisely exjtended? " Mr. Pisher replied 

 to the question, and his answer included the 

 following statements, which concerned a di- 

 rector for the work called from the United 

 States: (1) The successful candidate has a 

 wide and successful exiperience of scientific 



research into the prtyblems of the glass indus- 

 try, and is considered by the association to he 

 the man 'best suited for organizing and direct- 

 ing the research needed by it. (2) The re- 

 sponsibility for the selection of a director of 

 research rests in each case with the research 

 association concerned, and not with the De- 

 partment of Scientific and Indusitrial Re- 

 search, which has no power to approve or dis- 

 approve the appointment of any individual. 

 (3) The department guarantees three quarters 

 of the expenditure of the research association 

 up to a certain limit, but payment of the grant 

 is conditional, among other things, 'on the ap- 

 proval by the department of the program of 

 research and of the estimate of expenditure 

 thereon. (4) The advisory council of the de- 

 partment, after considering all the relevant 

 circumstances with great care, recommended 

 the approval of the expenditure involved in 

 this director's appointment. 



ELECTIONS BY THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF 

 SCIENCES 



The scientific program of the meeting of 

 the National Academy of Sciences, held in 

 "Washington on April 25, 26 and 27, has been 

 printed in Science, and other information 

 concerning the meeting will be published later. 



At the business session of April 27, the 

 president of the academy. Dr. Charles D. Wal- 

 cott, presented his resignation, but at the 

 earnest request of the academy, he consented 

 to serve the remaining two years of his term. 

 The resignation of the foreign secretary. Dr. 

 George E. Hale, was accepted with regret, and 

 with the expression of high appreciation of his 

 able work in that oface. Dr. R. A. Millikan 

 was elected foreign secretary, to complete the 

 unexpired term of Dr. Hale. Dr. Hale was 

 elected a member of the council, and Dr. Ray- 

 mond Pearl was reelected. 



The following were elecited to membership: 



Frank Michler Chapman, Amerioam Musettm of 



Natural History. 

 "William LeEoy Emmet, General Electric C!ompany, 



Schenectady, N. Y. 

 William Draper Harkins, University of Chicago. 

 Ales Hrdlicka, United States National Museum. 



