vD 1 li IN O -Cf 



A Weekly Journal devoted to the Advancement 

 of Science, publishing the official notices and 

 proceedings of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, edited by J. McKeen 

 Cattell and published every Friday by 



THE SCIENCE PRESS 



I 1 Liberty St., Utica, N. Y. Garrison, N. Y, 



New York City: Grand Central Terminal 



Single Copies, 15 Cts. Annual Subscription, 86.00 



Entered na second-class matter January 21. 1922, at the Post 

 OlBce at Utica. N. Y.. under the Act of March 3. 1879. 



Vol. LV March 24, 1922 No. 1421 



A National Policy for Agricultural Eescarcli : 

 President E.4.tmond A. Pearson 229 



The 1921 Expedition of the California Acad- 

 emy of Sciences to the Gulf of California: 

 Dr. G. Dallas Hanna 305 



Appeal of the American Chemical Society 307 



Scientific Events: 



An Institute of Hygiene in London; Co- 

 operation ietween the Government and 

 Industry in Standardization; Competitive 

 Exhibition of Photographs of Mammals; 

 Annual Meetings of the American Geo- 

 physical Union and its Sections; Lectures 

 on lAglit and the Constitution of Matter.... 310 



Scientific Notes and Neivs 312 



University and Educational Notes 316 



Discussion and Correspondence : 



The Vote on the Evolution Bill in the Ken- 

 tucTcy Legislature : Professor Arthur N. 

 Miller. Boteria; Db. Frederick Palmer, 

 Jr. The Value of Tilth in Agriculture: 

 L. S. Frierson 316 



Quotations : 



Proposed Legislation against the Teaching 



of Evolution 318 



Scientifia BooTcs ; 



Stefansson's The Friendly Arctic: Pro- 

 fessor Raymond Pearl 320 



Special Articles; 



Acoustic Topography in a Boom: Pro- 

 fessor Carl Barus 321 



Meetings of the Genetics Sections: Pro- 

 fessor L. J. Cole 326 



A NATIONAL POLICY FOR AGRI- 

 CULTURAL RESEARCH^ 



There should be a Tvell-defined national 

 policy in reference to agiieultural research be- 

 cause such research relates to questions of fun- 

 damental national importance and the value of 

 such research to the whole nation has been 

 proved; furthermore, agricultural problems af- 

 fecting the national welfare are becoming more 

 and more numerous and complex and research 

 must be enlarged to enable us to cope with 

 them. 



The policy should be to provide ample sup- 

 port for the investigation of problems relating 

 to the decrease of cost of producing farm pro- 

 ducts and their more efficient distribution and 

 marketing, the improvement of their quality, 

 the conservation of soil fertility and the better- 

 ment of rural life. 



The policy also should be to encourage co- 

 operation of all public agencies engaged in 

 agricultural research, and to provide for prop- 

 er supervision, — enough of each to produce the 

 highest possible efficiency and not so much as 

 to hamper efficiency. 



Sound arguments in plenty can be given to 

 support these statements. 



THE IMPORTANCE OP AGRICULTURE AS A FUND.i- 

 MENTAL INDUSTRY 



About forty per cent, of the population of 

 our country is engaged in agriculture. There 

 are nearly six and one-half million (6,448,366) 

 farms, including nearly one billion (955,676,545) 

 acres. Each farm is an independent unit, and 

 the character of the homes on these farms 

 has a profound influence on the character of 

 our nation. 



The value of farm lands is estimated to be 

 over sixty-six billion dollars ($66,334,309,556). 



1 Eead at the President 's Conference on the 

 Agricultural Situation, Washington, D. C, Jan- 

 uary 26, 1922. 



