958 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 964 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 

 SECTION OF GEOLOGY AND MINEKALOGT 



On December 2, 1912, Professor J. Edmund 

 "Woodman, chairman of the section, called the 

 meeting to order at 8:25 p.m., in the west hall 

 of the American Museum of Natural Historj. 



No regular business was transacted, but the whole 

 time given over to a lecture on ' ' The Seismograph 

 and What it Teaches, ' ' by Professor Harry Field- 

 ing Eeid. Professor Eeid explained the principles 

 of construction and some of the diiferences in seis- 

 mographs, using an extensive assortment of lan- 

 tern views. The lecture was very instructive, and 

 aroused especial interest because of the recent 

 installation by the New York Academy of Sciences 

 of a new seismograph in the American Museum of 

 Natural History, where the section holds its meet- 

 ings. At the close of the lecture opportunity was 

 given to inspect the new instrument. About 150 

 members and visitors were present. 



Charles P. Berkey, 

 Secretary of Section 



On January 6, 1913, immediately following the 

 adjournment of the regular business meeting of 

 the New York Academy of Sciences, Professor J. 

 Edmund Woodman, chairman of the section, called 

 the meeting to order in the usual meeting place 

 in the American Museum of Natural History, at 

 8:25 P.M. 



Professor D. W. Johnson delivered a paper on 

 "The Shoreline of Cascumpeque Harbor, Prince 

 Edward Island." After explaining with the aid 

 of blackboard maps and sketches the criteria for 

 distinguishing between real and apparent oscilla- 

 tions of shorelines. Professor Johnson further 

 illustrated the discussion with lantern views, am- 

 plified where necessary by means of diagrams 

 thrown on the screen. He concluded that the area 

 under discussion is probably the best example of 

 features normally produced by subsidence of a 

 maturely dissected plain to be found on our 

 Atlantic seaboard. He finds no evidence, how- 

 ever, that indicates subsidence in geologically 

 recent times — that is, within the last 2,000 years. 

 In the questionnaire following, the speaker pre- 

 sented still other evidences strengthening his eon- 

 elusions as to the duration of stable conditions, 

 and made brief references to other localities along 

 the Atlantic coastline of North America. 



The program was concluded by brief notices of 

 important papers given at the meeting of the 

 Geological Society of America, at New Haren, 



Conn., December 28-31, 1912. Ten minutes were 

 devoted to each of the groups, paleontology, eco- 

 nomic geology and petrology, by Professor A. W. 

 Grabau, Professor James F. Kemp and Charles T. 

 Kirk, respectively. The meeting, though technical, 

 was attended by some fifty persons. 



Charles T. Kirk, 

 Secretary of Section 



On February 3, 1913, the chairman of the sec- 

 tion. Professor J. Edmund Woodman, called the 

 meeting to order in the west lecture room of 

 the American Museum of Natural History, at 

 8:30 P.M., and introduced Mr. F. H. Newell, 

 director of the U. S. Eeelamation Service. Under 

 the title of ' ' Home-making in the Arid West ' ' 

 the speaker delivered an extremely interesting and 

 instructive lecture on the problems of irrigation in 

 our arid and semi-arid regions. He showed how 

 the United States irrigation engineers must be 

 able to handle a manifold situation. In many 

 instances the determination of flood water possi- 

 bilities, the areal survey of the project, and the 

 installation of the dam are coupled with such other 

 considerations as soil surveys, building and run- 

 ning a cement plant, constructing and managing 

 a railroad for passenger- as well as freight- 

 traffic, generating and subletting electric power 

 from the flood water spilling over the dams, pro- 

 viding for workmen in isolated settlements — even 

 to furnishing them amusements in the way of mo- 

 tion picture shows — dealing with Indian tribes to 

 the extent of inducing the men to work; all these 

 and other institutions and functions being owned 

 and controlled by the Eeelamation Service of the 

 United States government. 



To carry out the various projects requires the 

 expenditure of some twelve million dollars annu- 

 ally, or about a million a month. When the score 

 or more of projects are all completed, homes on 

 the farms and in the villages of the arid west will 

 be provided for more than two million families. 



The fallacy of dry farming was clearly shown 

 by the loss of about one crop in three through such 

 practise. 



The lecture was splendidly illustrated with poly- 

 chrome slides of very characteristic western views. 

 Owing to unpleasant weather, but 75 persons 

 attended. The audience was further entertained 

 by Director Newell 's informal replies to questions 

 from members and visitors after the formal 

 presentation of the subject. 



Charles T. Kirk 



