APRIL 26, 1901.] 
nearly 30 years. Recently she was chartered as 
a private yacht, and, in addition to the accom- 
modation usual on whalers, has had a suite of 
commodious cabins specially built in a deck- 
house aft. Her tonnage is 800, and her 100- 
horse-power engines give her a speed of seven 
knots. Sheis a good sea boat and well fitted to 
withstand Arctic ice pressure ; last year while 
in Davis Straits she succeeded in getting out of 
the ice-pack from which a number of other 
whalers were unable to extricate themselves. 
Mr. Baldwin has himself left New York to join 
the America. We are unable to learn what 
Scientific men are accompanying the expedition 
or what scientific work is proposed. 
THE daily papers report that the department 
of physics of Cornell University has set up a 
camera with which to take each day one pic- 
ture of the new anatomical laboratory in course 
of construction. The negatives will be taken 
on a long bioscopic film, and be used to produce 
a moving picture of the building from the be- 
ginning of its foundation to its completion. 
THE Experiment Station Record states that 
the agricultural council of the Russian Ministry 
of Agricultural and Imperial Estates has taken 
steps in the direction of improving the character 
of the live stock and the live stock industry in 
general of that country. At present this in- 
dustry is said to be far behind that of other 
countries, the animals kept being inferior and 
stock-raising receiving comparatively small 
attention from the farmers. The council has 
recommended the holding of live-stock shows, 
with prizes for excellence, the establisment of 
breeding farms and furnishing of expert assist- 
" ance in purchasing good breeding animals, the 
maintenance of local breeding establishments 
where the service of pure-bred animals can be 
secured, and loans to municipalities and socie- 
ties for the purpose of purchasing pure-bred 
animals and providing for their care. In order 
to carry out the above measures the Ministry 
of Agriculture, with the concurrence of the 
Minister of Finance, has recommended an ap- 
propriation of 5,000,000 rubles (about $2,000, - 
000) to begin this work and a quadrennial 
appropriation of 1,125,000 rubles. 
WE learn from the same source that at the 
SCIENCE. 
679 
third agricultural congress, held at Barbados, 
January 5th, Dr. D. Morris, commissioner of 
agriculture for the West Indies, described the 
progress which is being made under the Impe- 
rial Department of Agriculture in the direction 
of agricultural experimentation and investiga- 
tion. During the year three new experiment 
stations have been established at Montserrat 
and one at Tortola for the Virgin Islands. At 
the present time there are 9 botanic stations 
maintained from imperial funds under the 
charge of the Imperial Department of Agricul- 
ture. In addition, there are 20 substations, or 
experiment plats, started at Grenada, St. Vin- 
cent, St. Lucia and Dominica to encourage the 
improved cultivation of cacao, coffee, limes 
and other crops. There are 12 central, manu- 
rial and local stations associated with the 
sugar-cane experiments at Barbados, 7 similar 
stations at Antigua and 3 at St. Kitts-Nevis. 
Experimental cultivation with food and other 
crops will be carried on in connection with all 
the agricultural schools. During the past 
year lectures to teachers in charge of elemen- 
tary schools have been carried on in every part 
of the West Indies, and the belief is expressed 
that within a year or two, in the smaller islands 
at least, every teacher in charge of a school 
should be qualified, not only to give a certain 
amount of instruction in the principles of agri- 
culture, but also to interest the children by 
simple experiments followed by practical dem- 
onstrations in the cultivation of plants suited 
to the district. The first agricultural school in 
the West Indies affording secondary education 
for boys was opened at St. Vincent in Septem- 
ber, and a similar school was opened at Do- 
minica in December, 1900. It is planned to 
establish two more agricultural schools during 
the present year, one at St. Lucia and another, 
combining the characters of an agricultural 
school and grammar school, at St. Kitts. Seven 
scholarships in agriculture at Harrison College, 
Barbados, have been established by the Imperial 
Department of Agriculture. Agricultural fairs 
have been successfully conducted, and have 
proved of value in stimulating effort toward bet- 
ter production. The Department of Agriculture 
has encouraged these by prizes amounting to 
£350 and the distribution of 100 diplomas. 
