July 6, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



17 



by slight modifications thereof, I cite the fol- 

 lowing list: cosmos, centaurea, aster, alyssum, 

 ageratum, dahlia, canna, petunia, portulaea, 

 primula (primrose), salvia, verbena, zinnia, 

 impatiens, rosa (rose), gaillardia, heliotropium 

 (heliotrope), lobelia, lilium (lily), magnolia, 

 hyacinthus, chrysanthemum, anemone, oxalis, 

 wistaria, clematis, iris, spirea, pjeonia 

 (peony), forsythia, phlox, gladiolus, begonia, 

 asparagus, arbutus, coreopsis, smilax, trillium, 

 viola (violet), geraniimi, fuchsia, tiilipa 

 (tulip), catalpa. 



The suggestion that a species of ErecMites 

 be called white fireweed and one of Epilohium 

 be purple fireweed shows the absurdity of try- 

 ing to standardize local names, for there are 

 white species of Epilobium. I am sure that 

 it is easier for school children to learn this 

 scientific name qualified by white or purple. 



There are some interesting popular con- 

 fusions of scientific terms, e. g., syringa is a 

 popular name but unfortunately has become 

 attached to mock orange (Philadelphus) in- 

 stead of correctly to lilac, which as an Eng- 

 lish name has been applied to various kinds 

 of shrubs. 



M. A, BiGELOW 



QUOTATIONS 



TECHNICAL COLLEGE GRADUATES IN 

 WAR TIME 



One of the first effects of the entry of 

 America into the war has been the volunteer- 

 ing of the graduating classes, nearly en masse, 

 throughout the country, into national defense 

 service, with a considerable number of enlist- 

 ments also in junior classes. This dedication 

 of our trained youth for the maintenance of 

 justice against brute-strength aggression is an 

 admirable thing, and no one who believes in 

 the ideals of young men will oppose it. It is 

 important to remember, however, that in- 

 judicious dedication to the world's good may 

 actually do the world harm, and well-intended 

 action may by over-haste defeat its own 

 purpose. 



War is a vast country-wide engineering 

 (Bnterprise. Theoretically speaking, an all- 

 wise and powerful board of experts should de- 



termine where each man and woman should 

 be posted in the great war chain of fighters, 

 for it is obvious that all specially trained 

 men, and particularly all technically trained 

 men, should keep at the posts where their 

 training is needed. It was an inevitable mis- 

 take made by our allies at an earlier stage in 

 the war which led many young physicians, 

 engineers, mechanics and valuable specialists 

 to rush as volunteers for the front. It may 

 overtax human intelligence to decide whether 

 any particular man of military age is more 

 needed at the front or at the rear. Mistakes 

 must occur, and many of them; but the tech- 

 nically trained men should be kept at their 

 profession unless there happens to be a super- 

 fluity of them. So long as there are earnest- 

 ness and determination to serve, they also 

 serve who only stand and wait. The junior 

 men in colleges, and particularly in technical 

 or medical colleges, will probably serve their 

 country better by working hard at their educa- 

 tional preparation than by abandoning their 

 college work before their training is com- 

 pleted. In general, however, every day's work 

 done in any sort of productive employment 

 contributes to the war and therefore hastens 

 the end of the war. To do any useful thing 

 hard is to fight for the Allies. — The Electrical 

 World. 



DISCOVERIES AND INVENTIONS 



The fact can scarcely be reiterated too fre- 

 quently that the government should extend 

 patronage to scientific investigations and me- 

 chanical inventions. Such a step is neces- 

 sary to promote the arts and industries as 

 well as to safeguard the nation in war. The 

 United States can no longer proceed on a 

 policy of bungling and neglect. Even the 

 ITaval Consulting Board is inadequate to the 

 needs of the present emergency. The ability 

 of its individual members is high, but the 

 number of problems to which the board can 

 give its attention is limited by the restricted 

 membership. 



The problems taken up by these most com- 

 petent experts are undoubtedly the most 

 urgent, but even on these particular problems 



