NOVEMBEB 2, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



55.S 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. 

 The Museums Journal of Great Britain for 

 September contains the following articles: 

 ' On a Collection to Illustrate the Origin and 

 Structure of Eocks/ by H. C. Sorby; 'A 

 Method of Exhibiting Coins/ by F. R Eowley; 

 'Notes on Models of Protozoa,' by F. E. 

 Eowley ; ' On the Hanging and Care of Pic- 

 tures,' by Eichard Quick; and 'A Method of 

 Preserving Tortoises,' by J. E. Duerden. The 

 reports of a number of museums are noted, 

 giving, a good idea of the general activity in 

 museum work in England, as well as showing 

 how much is being done there to make mu- 

 seums at once interesting and instructive to 

 the general public. It is stated that it is the 

 intention to make the Tolcross branch of the 

 Glasgow Museum a museum for children. 



The following extract from the report of the 

 Stockport Museum deserves a wide circulation : 

 " Many people do not realize that the true 

 foundation of a municipal museum is educa- 

 tional, seeming to regard it as a receptacle 

 for their useless old lumber and rubbish." 



The Report of the Manchester Museum, 

 Owens College, for 1905-1906, shows a wel- 

 come improvement in its finances, due to an 

 extra appropriation by the university, which 

 already furnishes the major part of the 

 $14,000 (in round numbers) devoted to its 

 support. Dr. Hoyle's address, ' The Educa- 

 tion of a Curator,' is reprinted as one of the 

 museum publications and should be widely 

 read. There are still people who inquire if a 

 curator needs any special training and apply 

 for a position as curator of anything. 



The Report of the Curator of the museum 

 of the University of Michigan shows progress 

 in rearranging and caring for the collections, 

 and gives an outline of the summer's work in 

 the ecological survey of Isle Eoyale. Under 

 the direction of Mr. C. C. Adams the mu- 

 seum work seems to have been carried on in 

 the best possible manner for a university mu- 

 seum, but it is doubtful if Mr. Adams's re- 

 marks as to the benefits of explorations can 

 be applied indiscriminately to all museums. 

 Mr. Adams has just accepted a position in the 

 Museum of the Cincinnati Society of Natural 



History where his energy and experience in 

 museum work will be of great service. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 



The program for the stated meeting, Oc- 

 tober 19, 1906, was as follows : 



T. J. J. See, Ph.D. : ' The Cause of Earthquakes, 

 Mountain Formation and Kindred Phenomena con- 

 nected with the Physics of the Earth.' 



Ebic Doolittle : ' Problems of Double Star 

 Astronomy.' (With lantern illustrations.) 



Geo. M. Rommel, B.S.A., and E. F. Phillips, 

 Ph.D. : ' Inheritance in the Female Line of Size 

 of Litter in Poland China Sows.' 



the SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF AGRICUL- 

 TURAL SCIENCE. 



The program for the meeting which will be 

 held at Baton Eouge, La., on November 13, is 

 as follows : 



9:30 A.M. Meeting of officers and executive 

 committee. 



10:30 a.m. Public meeting. (1) 'Importance 

 of Nitrogen as Plant Food,' Professor T. F. Hunt, 

 Cornell University ; ( 2 ) ' Teaching Agriculture in 

 Public Schools,' Professor S. M. Tracy, Biloxi, 

 Miss. ; ( 3 ) ' The Growing Importance of Plant 

 Physiology in Agricultural Education,' Dr. Chas. 

 E. Bessey, University of Nebraska; (4) 'The 

 Growing of Alfalfa East of the Mississippi,' Dr. 

 J. E. Beal, Michigan Agricultural College; (5) 

 ' The Problem of Reforesting New England,' Pro- 

 fessor F. Wm. Rane, State Forester, Mass. 



2:00 P.M. Symposium: Experimental Work. 

 (a) ' What is Research? ' Professor Thos. F. Hunt, 

 Cornell University ; ( 6 ) ' Tendencies in Station 

 Work as Influenced by the Conception of Scien- 

 tific Investigation,' Dr. H. J. Wheeler, Rhode 

 Island College; (c) 'Scientific Methods in Re- 

 search,' Dean H. J. Waters, University of Mis- 

 souri; (d) 'The Experiment Stations and the 

 Adams Act,' Dr. C. D. Woods, University of Maine. 

 (e) General discussion. 



8:00 P.M. Evening meeting. President's An- 

 nual Address. Subject: 'The Promotion of Agri- 

 cultural Science,' Dr. Henry Prentiss Armsby, 

 State College, Pa. 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. 



THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AND RESEARCH. 



So much has been said about the advantages 

 of herding scientific workers that a small voice 



