March 4, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



323 



Dr. Rusby, in behalf of the Committee on 

 Program, announced arrangements in progress 

 relative to presentation of several interesting 

 topics before the Club by botanists from other 

 cities. 



The fourth order of business was the annual 

 election, resulting in the main in the re-election 

 of the previous ofllcers. The Treasurer, Mr. 

 Ogden, and the Editor, Dr. Britton, on account 

 of pressing present obligations, declined re- 

 election. Their services, rendered for a long 

 series of years, elicited remarks of hearty ap- 

 preciation. 



The officers for 1898 include the following : 

 President, Addison Brown ; Vice-Presidents, T. 

 H. Allen, H. H. Eusby ; Treasurer, Maturin L. 

 Delafield, Jr.; Recording Secretary, Edward S. 

 Burgess ; Corresponding Secretary, John K. 

 Small ; Editor, Lucien M. Underwood. 



Discussion on the development of the tomato 

 and strawberry followed. 



Professor Lloyd spoke of the work of Pro- 

 fessor L. H. Bailey upon the origin of the 

 tomato, and exhibited illustrative specimens 

 loaned by Professor Bailey, with others to 

 indicate that Fragaria Chilensis is the source of 

 the cultivated strawberry. He also exhibited 

 the original specimen of the strawberry known 

 as Hovey's Seedling. 



Dr. Rusby spoke of his experience with the 

 Fragaria Chilensis as cultivated in the Bolivian 

 Andes, where, at 10,000 feet altitude, its growth 

 is luxuriant, standing up nearly to the knees. 

 Its fruit is large and juicy, does not keep well, 

 and is without flavor or fragrance. It bears 

 continuously, and he ate from it every month 

 of the year but two. Its identity with the 

 coast form was questioned by Dr. Britton. 



Dr. Eusby also exhibited a sample of Fragaria 

 Mexicana, by some identified with F. Chilensis, 

 and by others with F. vesca, but which keeps 

 well and is high flavored. 



Edward S. Buegess, 

 Secretary. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. 

 The Journal of Geology for January-Febru- 

 ary, 1898, contains papers on the following 

 subjects : ' An Hypothesis to Account for the 

 Movement in the Crust of the Earth,' J. "W. 



Powell. After a preliminary introductory state- 

 ment, the general disturbances of an organic 

 and epeirogenic character are explained by the 

 principle that under sufficient loading, rocks 

 flow; but that the modulus of compression 

 varies for difierent rocks, and for the same 

 rock as its critical point is approximated. As 

 this point is reached freedom of molecular 

 movement may even become so marked as to 

 cause recrystallization. All these changes tend 

 to produce upheaval and subsidence. 'Esti- 

 mates and Causes of Crustal Shortening,' C. R. 

 Van Hise. The author considers the crustal 

 shortening to have probably been much less 

 than is generally assumed and, after a discus- 

 sion of its various effects and concomitant phe- 

 nomena in rocks, takes up the following con- 

 ceivable causes: secular cooling, vulcanism, 

 cementation, change of pressure, change in 

 physical conditions, loss of water and gas. 

 'Note on the pressure within the earth,' by 

 Charles S. Slighter. The paper discusses " the 

 magnitude of the pressures within the earth- 

 spheroid, especially as influenced by the changes 

 that have been brought about in the ellipticity 

 of the earth's figure by its changing rotation 

 period." 'The geological versus the petro- 

 graphical classification of igneous rocks,' by 

 Whitman Cross. The paper distinguishes the 

 petrological from the petrographical point of 

 view in rook classification and in a very temper- 

 ate and excellent manner advocates the latter 

 for systematic classification, the former for 

 theoretical discussion. No actual scheme is, ' 

 however, advanced. The paper was read at the 

 Montreal meeting of the Geological Society of 

 America and has been previously abstracted in 

 these columns (p. 83). ' On Rock Classification,' 

 by J. P. Iddings. "With several very suggestive 

 and comprehensive diagrams the author dis- 

 cusses the chemical relations of the igneous 

 rocks. The paper was read at the Montreal 

 meeting of the Geological Society of America 

 and has been previously reviewed in these col- 

 umns (p. 83). 



American Chemical Journal, February. — ' On 

 the Action of Acetic Anhydride on Phenyl- 

 propiolic Acid' : By Arthur Michael and 

 J. E. BucHBR. The authors find that in 



