264 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL VI. No. 1185 



with their class numbers. With this arrange- 

 ment it is possible to locate immediately any 

 publication, even if only its origin is known. 

 The chief advantage of the scheme lies in the 

 fact that all material with cross references 

 on any given subject are immediately avail- 

 able. 



For agricultural workers in special lines 

 the classification may not be complete enough 

 but this may be easily remedied by preparing 

 an outline for more minute classification. 

 For the purposes of the writer the heading 

 insecticides and fungicides was further sub- 

 divided and this has been very satisfactory so 

 far. As the worker in insecticides and fungi- 

 cides is often called upon for chemical in- 

 formation in other closely related lines such 

 as parasiticides, germicides, weed kiUers, 

 poisons for vertebrate pests and the like, it 

 has often been debated whether the classi- 

 fication should belong under economic entomol- 

 ogy, where it now is, or agricultural chem- 

 istry, or whether there should not be a special 

 heading under agriculture for the entire sub- 

 ject or group of subjects. In such a case, the 

 entire branch might be included under the 

 heading " economic toxicology." This name 

 the writer believes to be original and it ap- 

 pears to fill the need for a name for such a 

 diversified and yet closely related group of 

 subjects. 



As to the actual storage of pamphlets, any 

 of the suggestions found in the various com- 

 munications are of value, provided the imit 

 holder be not too large to facilitate the loca- 

 tion of any particular publication. 



M. R. Miller 



iNSECTICmE AND FUNGICIDE LaBORATOKT, 



University op CALiroRNiA 



QUOTATIONS 



FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE NATIONAL 

 RESEARCH COUNCIL 



At the request of the President of the United 

 States, the National Research Council has been 

 engaged during the past year in mobilizing the 

 research forces of the nation. It has been an 

 enormous task, to which many of the most 

 brilliant workers of the country have given 

 their undivided time. The work has gradually 



and logically centered at Washington, and the 

 research forces of the country are now quickly 

 available to any department of the government. 

 Development has proceeded to the point where 

 this organization can be truly considered a 

 going machine, forming a connection between 

 the research workers of the country-at-large 

 and the government, and serving as a valuable 

 coordinating influence. With the preliminary 

 work now accomplished, its full value will be 

 more and more nearly attained with each suc- 

 ceeding day. 



For the continuance of the work, however, 

 funds will be necessary. Up to the present its 

 operations have cost the government absolutely 

 nothing : office rent, stationery, postage, clerical 

 assistance, etc., have been provided by private 

 contributions, and the time of members of uni- 

 versity stails has been contributed by the re- 

 spective institutions. For so important a body 

 such an existence is too precarious. If the 

 government needs war material it pays for it 

 and a willing citizenry furnishes the funds 

 through taxation. Are the brains of our scien- 

 tific men less valuable in this crisis than coal 

 or cotton? As an American citizen we hope 

 that Congress before adjournment will supply 

 adequate funds for the carrying on of the 

 work of the ^National Research Council on the 

 most intensive and extensive scale possible. 

 We are unwilling to believe that the govern- 

 ment of the United States is so pauperized that 

 it must depend on " the passing of the hat " or 

 that it is willing to continue to draw further 

 upon the seriously impaired incomes of our 

 universities in order that the salaries of the 

 men engaged in this work may be met. — Jour- 

 nal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 



The Principles of Aerography. By Alexander 

 McAdie. Rand McNally & Co., Chicago, 

 1917. 318 pp., 8vo, 51 ills., 59 charts and 

 diagrams. 

 " The Principles of Aerography " deals with 



the most recent advances in meteorology. As 



to its title, turning to Murray's Dictionary^ 

 i"A New English Dictionary," 1888, Vol. 1, 



p. 146. 



