December 2, 1921] 



SCIENCE 



541 



It is therefore probable that the concentra- 

 tion of hydrogen ions of the soils has a di- 

 rect rather than an indirect influence on the 

 constitution of the vegetation. 



Carsten Olsen 

 The Carlsberg Laboratory, 

 Copenhagen 



THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE CON- 

 CILIUM BIBLIOGRAPHICUM 



Professor Henry Ward's appreciative ac- 

 count of Dr. H. H. Field and his self-sacrific- 

 ing work in connection with the founding 

 and maintenance of the Concilium Biblio- 

 graphicum suggests to me to make a brief 

 statement concerning the present status of 

 the Concilium. 



I spent several weeks in July and August 

 of this summer in a personal examination, 

 in Zurich, of Concilium affairs, represent- 

 ing the National Research Council and the 

 Eockefeller Foundation. The Council has 

 had for some time, during the latter months 

 of Dr. Field's life-time and since his death, 

 in consideration the possibility of extending 

 some aid for the maintenance and further 

 development of the Concilium. The Found- 

 ation has manifested a similar interest with 

 a tangible expression of it by two appropria- 

 tions to assist in meeting the current ex- 

 penses of the Concilium in 1920 and 1921. 



On arrival in Zurich I found Concilium 

 matters in a critical situation. Dr. Field's 

 patriotic activities during the war had left 

 him but little time to devote to the Concil- 

 ium, and the disastrous results of war-time 

 and after-war conditions on such interna- 

 tional organizations as the Concilium had 

 left things in very bad shape. Dr. Field's 

 sudden death prevented him from even be- 

 ginning a serious rehabilitation of Concilium 

 work and finances. 



After many conferences with Mrs. Field and 

 her business friends, with Fraiilein Riihl who 

 for twenty years has been Dr. Field's chief 

 technical assistant and was practically the 

 only member of the Concilium staff still 

 giving full time to its affairs, and with an 

 official representative of the Swiss Natural 

 Science Association, which under the terms 



of Dr. Field's will becomes, under certain 

 conditions, the legatee of Dr. Field's finan- 

 cial interest in the Concilium, and after 

 long and dilB.cult examination of the business 

 books and memoranda of the Concilium, I 

 arranged to set up a provisional reorganiza- 

 tion of the Concilium under the acting di- 

 rectorship, until January 1, 1922, without 

 salary, of Professor J. Strohl, of the Zoologi- 

 cal Institute of the University of Zurich. 



This temporary reorganization will allow 

 some of the most needed work of the Con- 

 cilium to go forward, supported financially 

 by the subsidies of the Swiss Government, 

 the city of Zurich and the Rockefeller Founda- 

 tion. 



The Concilium, which from the business 

 point of view, is a non-profit taking company, 

 most of whose shares belong to the Field 

 estate, owns an equity of some value in the 

 building at 79 Hofstrasse which for several 

 years has been the Concilium offices and 

 printing rooms. It also has some assets in 

 the way of many already printed cards, some 

 little stock of paper, some office furniture, 

 type and printing presses, etc. But most 

 importantly its assets are its " good will " 

 and subscription list. This list must have 

 immediate attention and revision and that 

 is part of the work now being done under 

 the provisional arrangement. 



Professor Ward and other American biolo- 

 gists may be assured that the Concilium is 

 not being allowed to go to pieces without 

 some positive efforts being exerted to save it. 

 It is not yet time, but soon will be, for a 

 definite statement to be issued to the Ameri- 

 can subscribers to the Concilium cards, which, 

 I hope, will not have to include a direct ap- 

 peal for money for the support of the Con- 

 cilium but will appeal for a renewed interest 

 in, and support of the organization, to be 

 manifested by a confirmation of old subscrip- 

 tions and an addition of new ones. I was 

 much interested to discover from examina- 

 tion of the subscription lists that one third 

 of all the Concilium subscribers are Ameri- 

 can. Vernon Kellogg 



National Eeseahch Council 



