SCIENCE 



Friday, March 21, 1919 



CONTENTS 

 Botanical Participation in War Work: Pro- 

 fessor George T. Moore 269 



Samuel Wendell Williston: Dr. Henry Fak- 

 nELD Osborn 274 



Scientific Events: — 



The British Ministry of Health Bill; The 

 College of Fuyheries at the University of 

 Washington; The American Chemical So- 

 ciety 278 



Scientific Notes and News 281 



University and Educational News 283 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Desmognathus Fuscus (Sic) : Dk. P. Chal- 

 mers Mitchell, Wm. Evans Hotle. Bay 

 Fever and the National Flower: Dr. W. 



SCHEPPEORELL 283 



Scientific Books: — 

 Shaw 's Manual of Meteorology : A. M 285 



The National Academy of Sciences: Professor 

 Edwin Bidwell Wilson 286 



Special Articles: — 



Opportunities for Contact Infection: Cap- 

 tain George T. Palmer. A Preliminary 

 Note on a Bacterial Disease of Foxtail: H. 

 H. BosEN 238 



The American Metric Associati<m 291 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended for 

 review should be sent to The Editor of Science, Gairison-on- 

 Hudson, N. Y. 



BOTANICAL PARTICIPATION IN WAR 

 WORKi 



From the subject assi^ed me in this sympo- 

 sium, which, by the way, was before the armis- 

 tice was signed, one naturally would suppose 

 that what was expected was a catalogue of the 

 achievements of botany during the war. From 

 the amount of time allotted for this effort it 

 becomes equally obvious that no such thing 

 is possible. I therefore find myself in the 

 delightful position of being free to disregard 

 the subject (for no one can disregard th( time 

 limit) and shall discuss some .ispects ' f the 

 way in which botany may be regarded as hav- 

 ing accomplished its full share in the world 

 struggle, as well as attempt to point out the 

 overwhelming importance of a recognition of 

 the place the subject should occupy in any 

 peace plan. This I shall hope to do without 

 encroaching unduly upon the subjects assigned 

 to those in this or other symposiums which 

 have been announced, although I am inclined 

 to think that at this time there cannot be too 

 great a reiteration of the fundamental facts 

 calculated to impress the public at large with 

 some of the reasons which justify the existence 

 of the science of botany. 



Of course, one might attempt to point out 

 the achievements of botanists, who, because of 

 their special interests or training, have been 

 of invaluable assistance in suggesting various 

 botanical raw materials for which the com- 

 mercial man was seeking, or in obtaining the 

 right kind of sphagnum for surgical dressings, 

 or their part in the work of the Bureau of Air 

 Craft Production or the Sanitary Corps or in 

 the perfection of the gas mask and sdmilar 

 strictly war work. Then if one were permitted 

 to dwell upon the far-reaching effect of the 

 agricultural application of botanical investi- 



1 Read at the Symposium of Section G, Ameri- 

 can Association for the Advancement of Science, 

 Baltimore, December 26, 1918. 



