August 16, 1918] 
ject is, however, measurably complete in our 
libraries, but scattered under many hundred 
titles, mostly by European authors. 
The investigation is primarily planned along 
the following lines: 
1. The study, naming and cataloguing of 
specimens already in the three institutions. 
This work will incidentally much increase the 
reference strength of our herbaria and mu- 
seums. 
2. The increase of the three collections by 
specimens obtained through field expeditions 
sent to parts of the area as yet little known 
botanically, or in search of species of other 
areas as yet incompletely understood. Dupli- 
cate specimens beyond the three sets required 
will be distributed to other institutions in ex- 
change. Friends of the institutions may fur- 
nish important aid by sending funds to any 
of them for the expenses of field expeditions. 
3. The publication of advanced papers from 
time to time, dealing with portions of the in- 
vestigation on which results have been reached, 
without awaiting the completion of the an- 
notated catalogue. 
The cooperative effort includes the following 
methods: 
1. The subdivision of the work among staff 
members of the three institutions and among 
specialists of other institutions. 
2. The loan of specimens from the collec- 
tions of the three institutions to each other. 
8. Visits of staff members of the three in- 
stitutions to each other for the study of col- 
lections and for consultation. 
4. Collections made by any of the institu- 
tions to be shared with the others. 
5. Joint support of some of the field expe- 
ditions and division of the collections made. 
Recent collections, the study of which has 
led up to the cooperative arrangement, include 
principally those made for the United States 
National Museum by H. Pittier in Venezuela 
in 1913; for the Gray Herbarium by J. A. 
Samuels in Dutch Guiana in 1916, and by H. 
A. Curran and M. Haman in Curacao, Aruba, 
and northern Venezuela in 1917; and for the 
New York Botanical Garden by H. H. Rusby 
and F. W. Pennell in 1917 and 1918. The ar- 
SCIENCE 
157 
rangement was consummated through corre- 
spondence between Dr. B. L. Robinson, of the 
Gray Herbarium, and Mr. Frederick V. Coville 
and Dr. J. N. Rose, of the National Museum, 
with Dr. N. L. Britton, of the New York Bo- 
tanical Garden, in the latter part of 1917 and 
early in 1918, and it has been approved by the 
governing bodies and officials of the three in- 
stitutions. 
Professor Oakes Ames, of the Bussey Insti- 
tution of Harvard University, has offered co- 
operation which has been gratefully accepted. 
The first field expedition organized is one to 
Ecuador, led by Dr. J. N. Rose, of the United 
States National Museum; in this, the co- 
operating institutions are very materially aided 
by the Bureau of Plant Industry of the United 
States Department of Agriculture, the bureau 
desiring first-hand information about impor- 
tant economic plants which can be obtained 
only by field observations of a trained botanist. 
Dr. Rose left Washington on July 22, for an 
absence of about four months, and it is antici- 
pated that the results of this work will add 
greatly to our knowledge of the flora and plant 
products of Ecuador. 
The very large collections made by Drs. 
Rusby and Pennell in Colombia for the New 
York Botanical Garden are being organized 
for critical study, and will be divided among 
the three institutions as soon as possible. 
SCIENTIFIC EVENTS 
THE INTER-ALLIED FOOD COMMISSION 
Tue arrival of experts representing the allies 
to consider the food problem was announced in 
a previous issue. According to the Journal of 
the American Medical Association the Inter- 
Allied Food Commission meeting in London 
has decided that the minimal food require- 
ments of “the average man” (weighing 
154 pounds) doing average work during eight 
hours a day represent an energy value of 3,300 
calories daily. In ease it should become im- 
possible to supply this requisite amount of 
food, a reduction of 10 per cent. on the fore- 
going figure can be supported for some time 
without injury to health. The commission 
agreed to accept Lusk’s figures as to the pro- 
