190 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 370. 



Pathology and Physiology,' stating that last 

 fall he had been called upon to examine a large 

 pear orchard belonging to Mr. A. S. New- 

 son of Algoa, Texas, that was said to be suf- 

 fering from the efEects of blight. On exam- 

 ination it was found, in addition, to be suffer- 

 ing from leaf blight, from lack of cross fertili- 

 zation and from unfavorable environment, 

 having been planted on prairie soil without any 

 proper natural drainage. Steps had been tak- 

 en to combat the pear blight, but the result 

 was very doubtful, as the disease could be 

 readily brought in from surrounding orchards. 

 The leaf blight could be remedied by spraying 

 and the cross fertilization supplied by planting 

 other varieties of pear, but it remained to be 

 seen whether or not the locality was too far 

 south for the successful cultivation of pears. 

 These trees, like the peach, needed the rest 

 gained by lying dormant during cold weath- 

 er. 



Wilfred H. Osgood spoke of 'The Supposed 

 Occurrence of Caribou on the Queen Charlotte 

 Islands,' saying that a new species, Bangifer 

 dawsoni, had been described on the strength of 

 a single imperfect skull, said to have been 

 brought from Graham Island. Mr. Osgood re- 

 viewed the evidence relating to this skull and 

 read extracts from a number of letters con- 

 cerning it, concluding that in all probability 

 caribou had never been seen in that locality. 



Jacob Kotinsky read a paper on 'Present 

 Opinion concerning the Home of the San Jose 

 Scale,' briefly reviewing the history of the pest 

 from the time of its appearance in California 

 and the attempts to find its original habitat. 

 It was supposed quite recently that Japan was 

 the native place of the scale, but investigation 

 showed that it did not occur in elevated por- 

 tions of Japan, nor on native trees, while Mr. 

 Marlatt had subsequently located it in China, 

 south of the Great Wall. 



P. A. Lucas. 



PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



Thk 31st annual meeting was held Dec. 21, 

 1901, President Walcott in the chair. 



The report of the secretaries was presented 

 by Mr. J. P. Hayford. During the year the 

 principal event has been the incorporation of 



the Society ; 16 meetings have been held for the 

 presentation of papers ; Vol. XIII. of the Bul- 

 letin has been completed and distributed, and 

 78 pages of Vol. XIV. At present the Bulle- 

 tins are sent regularly as issued to about 300 

 societies, libraries, etc. A tabulation of the 

 membership for about 20 years, during which 

 time several other scientific societies have been 

 formed at Washington, showed that the loss 

 in membership due to these had now ceased 

 and the Society has reached a steady regime. 

 The present membership is lOY. The treasur- 

 er's report presented by Mr. B. R. Green show- 

 ed a healthy financial condition. 



Mr. Richard Rathbun, Assistant Secretary 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, was elected 

 President for 1902, and the other officers were 

 reelected. 



The 544th meeting was held Jan. 4, 1902. 



Mr. D. B. Wainwright, of the Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey, described the experiments 

 made in October last between Nantucket Light 

 ship and the shore, a distance of 48 miles, by 

 the aid of the Marconi apparatus in regular 

 use there, to determine 'Longitude by Wire- 

 less Telegraphy.' It was found possible to 

 secure chronograph records of the chronometer 

 beats and the signals from the ship, and then 

 to eliminate the lag of the instruments by 

 causing the chronometer-break to excite the 

 coherer and obtain new chronograph records. 

 Time observations were made and the data 

 were obtained for what is probably the first de- 

 termination of longitude by wireless telegraph. 

 In the discussion that followed, participated in 

 by several geodesists, the opinion was express- 

 ed that even for the short distances through 

 which the new method could now be used, the 

 precision of observation was greater than that 

 of any other method except the telegraphic; 

 its special vakie would probably be found in 

 work among islands and in unsettled countries 

 lilve Alaska. 



Professor TJpdegraff then discussed the 

 'Stability of Astronomical Piers.' The first 

 astronomical instrument was only a pier, the 

 Gromon; and by its aid the ancients deter- 

 mined a surprisingly large number of con- 

 stants. A pier should be built on soil rather 

 than on rock ; brick was now in favor rather 



