SCIENCE 



Fhidat, Januaey 22, 1915 



CONTENTS 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 



The Oiject of Astronomical and Mathe- 

 matical Research: De. Frank Schlesingek. 109 



The Place of forestry among Natural Sci- 

 ences: Dr. Henry S. Graves 117 



The University of Cincinnati Bureau of City 

 Tests 126 



Mathematics, Astronomy and Physics at the 

 California Meeting 127 



Scientific Notes and News 127 



University and Educational News 131 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Occurrence of Silver Scurf of Potatoes in 

 Salt LaTce Valley: Dr. P. J. O'Gara. A 

 Simple Device for Counting Seeds: Orton 

 L. Clark. The Journal "Isis": Pro- 

 fessor David Eugene Smith 131 



Scientific Books: — 



Gwathmey and BasTcerville on Anesthesia: 

 Professor J. H. Long. Sherman on Food 

 Products: Professor Isabel Beviee. The 

 Naturalists' Directory: President J. C. 

 Beanner 133 



Fraternity Grades at Purdue University: Peo- 

 FESSOE G. H. Benjamin 135 



How can we Advance the Scientific Charac- 

 ter of the WorTc done in the Agricultural 

 Experiment Stations?: Samuel Beadfoed 

 DOTEN 188 



Special Articles: — 

 A Device for Projecting a Small Spot of 

 Light suitable for Exploring Photosensitive 

 Areas : Bradley M. Patten 141 



The American Physiological Society: Peo- 

 FESSOE A. J. Caelson 142 



The American Mathematical Society: Peo- 

 PESSOE F. N. Cole 144 



Societies and Academies: — 



The Biological Society of Washington: D. 

 E. Lantz. The Science Clui of the Univer- 

 sity of Wisconsin : Eeic R. Millee 145 



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

 review should be sent to Professor J. McEeen Cattell, Garrison- 

 On-Hudson, N. Y. 



TEE OBJECT OF ASTRONOMICAL AND 

 MATHEMATICAL BESEABCm 



During the first years in the life of the 

 American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science it was customary for the 

 members to meet in much broader groups 

 than they now do. As the membership grew 

 and as the number of papers increased, it 

 became necessary to divide the association 

 into smaller and smaller groups. Section 

 A as we now know it was organized in 1882. 

 It was a happy circumstance that the plan 

 adopted in that year did not separate the 

 astronomer from the mathematician. For 

 a time this section played a very impor- 

 tant part in the history of American sci- 

 ence; the meetings were well attended and 

 both the mathematician and the astronomer 

 contributed numerous and weighty papers. 

 In more recent years our section has lost 

 something of its former influence. The 

 establishment, about twenty-five years ago, 

 of what is now the American Mathematical 

 Society did much to draw away the inter- 

 est of mathematicians; and even of astron- 

 omers, for in the records of that society we 

 find a goodly number of purely astronomical 

 papers, and two of the earliest presidents 

 were astronomers. Fifteen years ago what 

 is now the American Astronomical Society 

 was formed, and this has still further in- 

 creased the separation between the two sci- 

 ences. It seems a great pity that the two 

 should so seldom find themselves together 

 in the same room. The astronomer, in 

 common with the physicist, the chemist and 



1 Address of the vice-president and chairman of 

 Section A, Astronomy and Mathematics, Ameri- 

 can Association for the Advancement of Science, 

 Philadelphia, December, 1914. 



