Febeuaet 3, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



119 



other mammals. In that state it could per- 

 haps maintain itself for a long period of 

 time, even though relegated to the less favor- 

 able parts of the world. 



Without transcending the path already laid 

 out in previous geologic periods, we may logi- 

 cally imagine also, that in due course of time 

 — probably to be measured in millions of years, 

 an entirely new and more highly organized 

 animal may spring from some ancestral stock 

 now relatively obscure, and rise, at first slow- 

 ly and then more rapidly, to even greater 

 heights of achievement than anything which 

 lies within the capacity of the human species. 



We have briefly examined the sequence of 

 physical events in the earth's history and have 

 found but scant indication of a definite trend 

 toward an objective point. In the history of 

 man and other organisms we seem to see, on 

 the other hand, an evolution from the lower 

 to the higher — from the simpler to the more 

 complex. To that extent there has been quite 

 evidently a general upward cui've. It seems 

 probable, however, that the quantity of organ- 

 ic life has remained more or less the same 

 since very early times. There has been the 

 age-long tendency for each species to multi- 

 ply imtil its possible habitat was fully stocked 

 with individuals. As periods came and went 

 new types appeared and extended their realms, 

 like wave-circles on the still surface of a pond, 

 but compensating extiuctions of older tj^pes 

 left room for them. One may picture even the 

 organic world as a stream, unchanging in 

 volimie, though ever changing in composition; 

 and its end is to us still as invisible as its be- 

 ginning. 



Eliot Blackweldeb 

 Harvard University 



THE AGRICULTURAL MUSEUM OF 



THE ARGENTINE RURAL 



SOCIETY 



Museums devoted strictly to agriculture are 

 rare. The only one in the Western Hemis- 



1 Museo Agricola de la Soeiedad Rural Argen- 

 tina "Fundacion Organizacion Muestrarios, " Ing. 

 Agr., Carlos D. Girola 1910-Director Honorario- 

 1921. Publieacion Museo Agricola S. B. A. No. 

 25. 



phere, founded and organized as such, is lo- 

 cated in the metropolis of the Argentine Re- 

 public. An illustrated pamphlet of fifty pages 

 describing the museum and briefly outlining 

 its collections has been published i. It is in a 

 series of publications issued by the museum, 

 and forms the basis of this communication. 



Argentina is preeminently an agricultural 

 country. More than half its cultivated area, 

 64,225,000 acres, is devoted to the growth of 

 wheat, Indian corn, oats and flax (for seed). 

 Its vineyards occupy 345,800 acres while 

 24,700,000 acres are in alfalfa. Cattle and 

 other domestic animals number about 92,300,000 

 and in 1918 Argentina exported 1,479,618,000 

 pounds of meat. 



The collections made to illustrate the agri- 

 cultural resources of the country at the centen- 

 nial exposition, held in Buenos Aires in 1910, 

 were so extensive and valuable that a perma- 

 nent museum was established in which to 

 preserve them. The success which has 

 attended the foundation and organization of 

 the museum is due chiefly to the foresight 

 and untiring energy of Sr. Carlos D. 

 Girola, agricultural engineer, who has been 

 its honorary director from its origin. He has 

 built up, without guide or precedent, an in- 

 stitution of the greatest value in promoting the 

 agricultural interests of his country. The 

 museum now contains more than 30,000 speci- 

 mens, covering the entire field of agriculture 

 and is one of the most comprehensive of its 

 type in the world. 



The collections are classified in seven groups 

 or divisions as follows: 



1. Natural Products, such as woods, native 

 medicinal and forage plants, minerals, soils, 

 mineral waters, etc. 



2. Agricultural Products, including everything 

 produced on the farm such as wheat and other 

 cereals, vegetables, narcotic and aromatic plants, 

 fiber plants, etc. In this group the museum con- 

 tains 6,000 specimens. 



3. Products of Animal Origin, wool, hides, 

 leather, etc. 



4. Products of Agricultural Industry, flour, 

 sugar, tannin, dried and canned fruits and vege- 

 tables, etc. 



5. Products of Animal Industry, milk, but- 

 ter, cheese, bees and bee products, poultry and 



