SCIENCE 



A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



Fridat, Mat 6, 1904. 



CONTENTS: 

 The General Meeting of the American Philo- 

 sophical Society 713 



Scientific Books: — 



Kundt's ' Vorlesungen uber Eayperimental- 

 physik': Pbofessoe J. S. Ames. Bideal's 

 Disinfection and the Preservation of Food: 

 Db. H. W. Wimt 730 



Scientific Journals and Articles 732 



Societies and Academies: — 



The Geological Society of Washington: 

 Alfred H. Bkooks. The Philosophical So- 

 ciety of Washington: Chakles K. Wead. 

 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

 Journal Club: G. F. liOUGHLiN. The Ohio 

 State Academy of Science: E. L. Moseley. 733 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 



'Horses' not Horses: De. Theo. Gill. 737 



Special Articles: — 



The Influence of Climate and Soils on the 

 Transmitting Power of Seeds: Will W. 

 Teacy, Se 738 



Current Notes on Meteorology : — 



Changes of Climate in Central Africa; A 

 New Drosometer; Meteorological Oiserva- 

 tory on Monte Rosa; Meteorological Insti- 

 tute of Boumania: Peofessoe R. DeC. 

 Wabd 740 



Erwin E. Ewell 741 



Scientific Notes and News 741 



University and Educational News 744 



MSS. intended foi publication and books, etc., intended 

 for review should be sent to tlie Editor of Science, Garri- 

 Bon-on-Hudson, N, Y. 



THE GENERAL MEETING OF THE AMERI- 

 CAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 



A GENERAL meeting of the American 

 Philosophical Society which undertakes to 

 bring together the members from widely 

 different parts of the country has now be- 

 come an annual event of the week follow- 

 ing Easter. All the general meetings which 

 have been held so far have been highly suc- 

 cessful and profitable and have served to 

 arouse much interest in the history and 

 purposes of this organization, which is the 

 oldest scientific society on this continent. 

 The interest in the meeting this year was 

 in no respect inferior to that of former 

 years, as was evidenced by the large at- 

 tendance of non-resident members and by 

 the extensive program of scientific papers. 



That these meetings fill a real need in 

 the scientific life of this country is the 

 opinion of most of those who have at- 

 tended them. This society, more than any 

 other in this country, with the possible 

 exception of one, stands for the solidarity 

 of human learning. A lively appreciation 

 of this fact is awakened by an inspection 

 of the contents of the long series of vol- 

 umes issued by the society during a period 

 of more than one hundred and fifty years, 

 as well as by a glance at the varied char- 

 acter of the papers offered at the general 

 meeting. There are few if any organiza- 

 tions in this country which attempt to 

 cover the same field. The American As- 

 sociation for the Advancement of Science 

 and the National Academy of Sciences are 

 devoted to scientific subjects in the stricter 

 sense. The American PhiTosophical So- 



