912 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 678 



denee. That its existence forms the most 

 sim.ple explanation of the peculiar features of 

 the Martian landscape is probably doubted by 

 most astronomers. Indeed, the objective 

 reality of many of these peculiarities can not 

 be said to have been established beyond 

 doubt. It can at least be safely stated that 

 nothing amounting to a demonstration of the 

 existence of intelligent life on Mars has yet 

 been accomplished. 



S. I. Bailey 



BOTANICAL NOTES 



THE COMING BOTANICAL MEETINGS IN CHICAGO 



In a short time the annual gathering of 

 botanists will take place in Chicago in con- 

 nection with the meetings of the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science. 

 Through the persistent efforts of disinterested 

 and patriotic men we do not now have a 

 divided body of botanists in this country, all 

 the botanical societies now having merged 

 in the one organization — the Botanical So- 

 ciety of America. This merging has consoli- 

 dated American botanists in a most satis- 

 factory manner, and has done much to bring 

 them together in a compact, harmonious work- 

 ing body. This is quite as it should be. 

 Botany is not so large and wide as to make it 

 necessary that it should be parceled out among 

 a number of groups of workers. 



But the merging of these affiliated societies 

 does not wholly settle the question of the 

 meetings, for we still have officially two bodies 

 of botanists, namely the Section of Botany 

 (G) of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science, and the Botanical So- 

 ciety of America. Last year there was not 

 a little confusion in the meetings of these 

 two bodies, and on at least one occasion both 

 were in session at the same time. It is to 

 be hoped that the plans that are now being 

 talked over by the officers of both organiza- 

 tions will result in avoiding such conflicts in 

 the future. There is time enough, certainly, 

 for all of the papers to be read that are worthy 

 of taking the time of the botanists of the 

 country, without having simultaneous sessions. 



The writer has on more than one occasion 

 urged that there should be a differentiation in 



the work of the section, and the society. Per- 

 haps the easier plan is to make the meetings 

 of the society " program " meetings, in which 

 papers are read by invitation, while in the 

 section we still allow practically any one to 

 read almost any kind of a paper on nearly any 

 subject in any way connected with botany. It 

 is quite absurd to have two botanical organi- 

 zations with no other difference than that of 

 name and presiding officers. The writer holds 

 that the section should always be maintained 

 as a democratic body of botanists, before 

 which one may volunteer to bring a paper. It 

 must be maintained for the benefit of the 

 young men who are constantly joining the 

 ranljs of the botanists. Here is where as 

 strangers they may appear with papers which 

 show their ability, or lack of it. Here, too, 

 the older and more experienced men may read 

 their less technical papers, and those whose 

 purpose is more that of instruction, and the 

 promotion of general discussion. Methods of 

 teaching, the popularizing of botany, its ap- 

 plications in the arts and industries, and in 

 fact anything which may advance this depart- 

 ment of science, may certainly be included in 

 the work of the section. 



Possibly a practicable method for begin- 

 ning the differentiation of section and society 

 would be to have a joint committee on papers, 

 to which all papers for either organization 

 should be submitted. Such committee should 

 be given the power to sort the papers, and to 

 assign them to section, or society, for reading, 

 in accordance with an agreed plan. The dif- 

 ficulty with this proposal is that such a com- 

 mittee can not meet personally before the 

 meetings, and that the papers (or abstracts) 

 are not to be secured long enough in advance 

 of the meetings for the matter to be attended 

 to by correspondence. However, if for the 

 coming meeting every paper (or a good ab- 

 stract) could be in the hands of such a joint 

 committee by Monday morning, December 30, 

 at 9 o'clock, it would not be a difficult task 

 to make such an assignment as would dif- 

 ferentiate the two organizations quite sharply. 



For the present the society is preparing 

 programs for at least a part of its sessions, 

 and participation in these programs is by invi- 



