January 7, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



21 



investigations not yet published. He has 

 separated and begun the study of three 

 organisms that rapidly destroy nitrates with 

 the formation of free nitrogen. One was 

 obtained from a sample of soil, another one 

 from pig manure and the third one from 

 hen manure. The first two belong to the 

 class of organisms which liquefy gelatine 

 and produce a green or yellowish green 

 fluorescent pigment. They belong to the 

 same or closely related species. For com- 

 parison of these organisms, cultures of all 

 similar organisms obtainable have been 

 procured from the bacteriological labora- 

 tories of the United States Marine Hospital 

 Service and of the Surgeon- General of the 

 Army. The organisms thus far examined 

 in regard to this property are the following : 

 Two cultures from different sources of B. 

 pyoeyaneus, two of B. fluorescens liquefaciens 

 and one each of B. pyoeyaneus, B. pyoeya- 

 neus D. and J5. pyoeyaneus periearditidis. 



From the description given by Schiro- 

 kikh of the organism found by him in 

 horse manure it would appear that it is 

 also of this class. 



The study of the organisms isolated by 

 Ewell will be continued and reported at the 

 proper time ; the investigation is to be ex- 

 tended to include soils of the various types, 

 the feces of all the domestic animals, and 

 various fodders, etc., in order that we may 

 develop as fully as possible our knowledge 

 of the nature and habitat of all organisms 

 possessing the power to reduce nitrates with 

 the liberation of free nitrogen. 



Numerous bottles of nitragin have been 

 received in this country, and I believe ex- 

 periments are now in progress in many of 

 our experiment stations in its use. The 

 practical demonstrations which have been 

 made, however, of its utility have been 

 made at European stations, and many of 

 the results which have been obtained in 

 this country have not yet been published. 

 Many interesting contributions to the liter- 



ature of the subject will doubtless come 

 from our own stations in the near future. 

 Important work has already been done in 

 studying the nodules of leguminous plants 

 in many of our stations, especially in those 

 of Massachusetts, Louisiana and Illinois. 



(To be concluded.) 



H. W. Wiley. 

 Department op Agriculture, 

 Washington, D. C. 



THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS, 



The annual meeting of the ' Naturalists ' 

 and ' Affiliated Scientific Societies ' was held 

 at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 

 December 28, 29, .30, 1897. The mild 

 weather and attractive surroundings, to- 

 gether with the unbounded hospitality of 

 the people of Ithaca and an excellent pro- 

 gram and large attendance, combined to 

 make the meeting more than usually suc- 

 cessful. 



In the absence of the President, Professor 

 Whitman, of the University of Chicago, the 

 chair was occupied by Professor S. F. 

 Clarke, of Williams College, one of the 

 founders of the Society. After listening to 

 the Report of the Treasurer, action was 

 taken on certain items of business. 



Communications from the President of 

 Columbia University, the President of the 

 American Museum of Natural History, and 

 the Secretary of the New York Academy of 

 Sciences, inviting the Society to hold its next 

 meeting in New York City, were read and 

 referred to the Executive Committee. The 

 Society subsequently decided to accept the 

 invitations from New York. 



It was reported that President McKinley 

 was about to appoint a commissioner to serve 

 in the place of Mr. John J. Price and, in 

 view of the present deplorable condition of 

 the scientific work of the Commission, the 

 following resolutions were unanimously 

 adopted : 



