ApSil 7, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



367 



committee), Mr. J. L. Luddington (ehainnan 

 of the chemical committee) and Mr. C. Colt- 

 man-Rogers (chairman of the botanical com- 

 mittee) as ex officio members. 



The chemical committee recommended that 

 the society should fonn a fund definitely re- 

 served for research, into which pajnnents 

 should be made as funds allow. The following 

 paragraphs summarize their proposals : 



(o) That the lesults of the past experimental 

 work of the society should be collated, abstracted 

 and published. 



(6) That the society should continue to devote 

 part of its scientific energies to agricultural re- 

 search, and should at once establish a separate 

 fund for its support. 



(c) That members of the society be invited to 

 make suggestions as regards practical problems 

 which they consider require experimental investi- 

 gation. 



(d) That members of the society be invited to 

 cooperate, by the provision of land, stock, etc., in 

 carrying out such work. 



(e) That scientific institutions as occasion 

 arises be asked to aid the society in the elucida- 

 tion of problems that can not be dealt with on 

 an ordinary farm. 



(/) That a research committee of eight mem- 

 bers be set up, to review proposals and to ini- 

 tiate and supervise experiments. 



{g) That the research committee should submit 

 to the council in November estimates for the 

 forthcoming year's work, and in March a report 

 on, and the audited accounts for, the work of 

 the last year. 



(h) That arrangement be made at once for the 

 publication of past experimental results, and that 

 experiments be initiated as soon as possible. 



The committee points out that the society 

 has successfully undertaken a large amount 

 of valuable and varied expeiimental work, 

 not only at Wobui-n, but elsewhere, and 

 results of much service to agriculture have 

 thereby been secured. The work has included 

 the manuring of crops and grass, green manur- 

 ing, sowing down land to grass, the quality of 

 seeds, finger and toe in turnips, the treatment 

 of farmyard manure, cheese making, the fat- 

 tening of cattle, sheep and pigs, and the rear- 

 ing of calves. The results are reported in the 

 Journal, but, although available, are not con- 

 venient of access. The committee believes that 



f ai-mers and students would benefit greatly if 

 the society would issue, in at least two volumes, 

 one dealing with crops and the other with 

 stock, the experimental results it has achieved. 

 A substantial fee would have to be paid for the 

 work, but there should be no difficulty in find- 

 ing a firm who would relieve the society of any 

 financial responsibility in respect of publica- 

 tion. 



The committee holds that further experi- 

 mental work is vital to the interests of the 

 society. For "research without reference to 

 utilitarian ends" the society is not fitted, either 

 in respect to technical equipment or of per- 

 sonnel ; but it is eminently quality to undertake 

 research which deals du-ectly with problems 

 that arise in practice. Its members consist 

 largely of practical farmers with long experi- 

 ence of the land and of the difficulties and 

 problems of its cultivation. 



At the moment the committee suggests that 

 the following questions might well engage the 

 society's attention : 



(a) The value of ground mineral phosphates, 

 more particularly in the improvement of pasture. 



(&) The use of various forms of lime on grass 

 and tillage crops. 



(c) The use of wild white clover, wild red 

 clover, bird's foot trefoil, etc., in laying land 

 down to grass. 



(d) The profitable utilization of whey. 



MOLDING SANDS 



The Committee on Molding Sand Research 

 under the guidance of Division of Engineering, 

 National Research Council, and the American 

 roundrynien's Association, has made progress 

 in its program of research. The United States 

 Greological Survey and the various state geolog- 

 ical surveys have promised to cooperate with 

 the sub-committee dealing with thLs phase of 

 the work under the chairmanship of Professor 

 H. Ries, of Cornell University. This sub- 

 committee has prepared a letter of instructions 

 to the state geological surveys, which will 

 standardize methods of making the surveys of 

 molding sand resources. 



Work on standardization of tests is well 

 under way. Questionnaires have been sent out 

 to gather information on the present methods 

 of testing physical properties of sand. A 



