Febbuaey 12, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



211 



Teachers of Mathematics in the Middle States 

 and Maryland was held at Franklin and Marshall 

 College, Lancaster, Pa., on November 28. After 

 the address of welcome by President Stahr, the 

 following papers were read: 



" Training versus Facts," by William Henry 

 Metzler, Syracuse University. 



" Elementary Logic as a Basis for Plane Geom- 

 etry," by Eugene Randolph Smith, Polytechnic 

 Preparatory School, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



" The International Commission on the Teaching 

 of Mathematics," by David Eugene Smith, Teach- 

 ers College, New York City. 



" Checks, Their Use and Abuse," by William 

 E. Breckenridge, Stuyvesant High School, New 

 York City. 



" Historical Mathematical Material from the 

 East," by Miss Bertha L. Broomell, Teachers Col- 

 lege, New York City. 



The annual election of officers was held; the 

 officers elected follow: 



President — William Henry Maltbie, Woman's 

 College, Baltimore, Md. 



Vice-president — William E. Breckenridge, Stuy- 

 vesant High School, New York City. 



Secretary — Eugene Randolph Smith, Polytechnic 

 Preparatory School, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



Treasurer — Emma Hazleton Carroll, High 

 School for Girls, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Members of the Council — William H. Metzler, 

 Syracuse University; Susan C. Lodge, Philadel- 

 phia Collegiate Institute for Girls. 



The council appointed ten delegates to the 

 American Federation, a committee on publication, 

 composed of William H. Metzler, chairman, Eu- 

 gene K. Smith, Jonathan T. Rorer, and a com- 

 mittee on mathematical work in continuation 

 schools, having as chairman William E. Brecken- 

 ridge. 



The following amendment to the constitution 

 was recommended by the council: 

 Paragraph I. of Section II., to read: 

 " The annual meeting shall be held at a time 

 and place to be selected by the council." 



The spring meeting of the association will be 

 held at Syracuse University on Easter Saturday. 



Eugene R. Smith, 



Secretary. 



THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY GE WASHINGTON 



The 452d meeting was held January 9, 1909, 

 with President Palmer in the chair. The follow- 

 ing papers were presented: 



The Type of the Genus Cactus: J. N. Rose. 

 Present Status of the Cotton Boll Weevil: W. D. 



HUNTEE. 



The speaker discussed especially two of the 

 most important biological questions that have 

 arisen on account of the invasion of the cotton 

 belt by the boll weevil. These questions are, first, 

 the extent to which the insect is capable of adapt- 

 ing itself to the conditions of this country which 

 are radically different from those of the original 

 home, and, second, the effect on the indigenous 

 fauna in this country. 



The wide variation in rainfall, geological forma- 

 tion and other respects in areas that have been 

 invaded was described. The rainfall varies from 

 12 to 50 inches; the elevation from sea level to 

 2,500 feet, the absolute minimum temperature 

 from — 20° F. to + 20° F. These variations have 

 caused distinct agricultural provinces to arise, 

 and, indeed, have been so important that they 

 have had an effect towards establishing races of 

 men. The weevil has maintained itself in all this 

 region, but has been most affected by dryness. 

 The cotton plant has an advantage over the weevil 

 in this respect, which indicates that cotton pro- 

 duction in western Texas is certain to increase 

 enormously. It is not too much to suppose that 

 the increase in that quarter will offset the falling 

 off in other parts of the belt. 



The boll weevil has had very important effects 

 upon the local insect fauna. A number of para- 

 sitic and predaceous insects have changed from 

 the original indigenous hosts to the immigrant. 

 Eight predaceous forms attack the adult, 15 sim- 

 ilar forms attack the larva, 24 hymenopterous 

 parasites also attack the larva. These parasites 

 also attack 48 species of weevils. The boll weevil 

 complex, therefore, comprises 49 weevils which 

 feed upon 95 plants and 97 insect enemies of these 

 weevils. The interrelationship is so intimate that 

 a factor that will affect any one of the 95 plants 

 in the complex may react upon the boll weevil. 



It was pointed out that the boll weevil problem 

 has recently taken on entirely new aspects in the 

 Mississippi Valley. The heavy precipitation, 

 abundance of timber and poor drainage have 

 caused the problem to be much more serious than 

 it was in Texas. This has been shown during the 

 season of 1908 by a great falling off in the pro- 

 duction of cotton in Louisiana and the infested 

 portion of Mississippi. 



The best hope for the future is in the insect 

 enemies of the weevil. The climatic conditions in 

 Texas that have checked the weevil have also 

 cheeked the parasites. With the removal of these 



