34 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 392- 



It seems to me isrobable that a method of 

 hygrometry is here suggested which is worth 

 a trial and for which suitable apparatus could 

 be easily devised. In other words, artificially 

 nucleated air is suddenly cooled by expansion 

 until a fog just appears. The dew point is 

 computed from the pressure decrement thus 

 determined. If t be the temperature of the 

 air. in degrees centigrade and p its pressure, 

 and if the air is cooled from 20° and 76 cm., 

 we write approximately, 



dt/(t+27S)=.29 dp/p, 



so that roughly 1 cm. of pressure decrement 

 will correspond to a little more than one de- 

 gree of temperature decrement in a dew point 

 apparatus and more than 10 or 15 cm. of pres- 

 sure difference will rarely be. required. 



C. Barus. 

 Brown University, 

 Providence, R. I. 



SCLEROTINIA FRUCTIGENA. 



Among the many fungi connected with plant 

 diseases, Monilia fructigena is one of the most 

 notable. Its life history has been a subject of 

 study by many in this country and in Europe. 

 Woronin has made perhaps the most complete 

 study, and although the aseospore stage was 

 not found, he did not hesitate to place the 

 species of the genus Sclerotinia. The apo- 

 thecia have not been observed, to my knowl- 

 ' edge, by any one who has had the subject under 

 investigation, although they have been sought 

 for by many. 



This spring, during April and May, I found 

 this stage in considerable abundance in many 

 peach and plum orchards in Maryland. In 

 fact, some specimens were noticed in every or- 

 chard examined where brown rot had appeared 

 during the year 1900. The apothecia appear 

 with the flowers of the peach, and arise from 

 the sclerotia in the ' mummy ' fruits covered 

 by slightly moist soil, especially where they 

 have not been disturbed for a year. They are 

 from 3 to 12 mm. in diameter and the stipe 

 is long enough to bring the disk just above the 

 ground. The apothecia dry up in a few weeks 

 and are then very difficult to find, although 

 with a careful search they can probably now 

 be discovered in northern peach and plum or- 



chards. A few of the ascospores retain their 

 power of germination up to the present time. 



By means of numerous cultures followed, 

 out very carefully on agar, bouillon, on sterile 

 dried apple and prune and also on green 

 peaches and plums, I have produced the conid- 

 ial stage {Monilia) from the ascospores. The 

 peach petals are also easily infected with the 

 ' blossom blight ' by placing the ascospores in 

 contact with them. It may be that th& 

 blighting of peach and plum flowers comes- 

 largely from the ascospores. 



J. B. S. Norton. 



College Park, Md. 



QVOTATIOyS. 



THE HOUSE OF DELEG.ATES OF THE AMERICAN 

 MEDICAL ASSOCIATION". 



The House of Delegates of the American 

 Medical Association was created to be the 

 legislative assembly of the medical profes- 

 sion of the United States. Its first meeting at 

 Saratoga brought out prominently the possi- 

 bilities for effective work that are inherent in 

 its method of organization. That the work 

 of this body at its first meeting was not per- 

 fect need hardly be said, as no new machine 

 ever made its trial trip without developing- 

 some friction. However, it can truthfully be 

 said that the House of Delegates at Saratoga 

 so performed its duties as to encourage its 

 friends and as to quiet its critics. One criticism 

 somewhat frequently passed upon it was that 

 its work was not deliberative. Matters were- 

 referred to various committees whose report 

 was adopted or rejected with but scant discus- 

 sion. The reason for this is not far to seek.. 

 The men composing the House of Delegates, 

 were the same men who for years have been 

 endeavoring to get the old general session to 

 legislate intelligently upon various topics that 

 demanded elucidation at the hands of the rep- 

 resentative gathering of American physicians. 

 Their experience with that method had taught 

 every one of them that prolonged discussion 

 meant always defeat or postponement. This 

 lesson could not be readily unlearned, and so 

 they were moved by a somewhat feverish haste 

 to have important matters passed upon before- 

 they were killed by tiresome discussion. Be- 



