December 29, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



861 



stration Work and "What Kind should the 

 Experiment Station undertake?' Under 

 the first subject Dr. C. G. Hopkins pre- 

 sented a paper on ' Soil Fertility in Relation 

 to Permanent Agriculture,' in which he 

 outlined the method followed in Illinois in 

 studying the problems of fertility and the 

 fertilizer requirements, summarizing the re- 

 sults obtained and introduced into practise. 

 Dr. A. M. Peter presented ' Some Results of 

 an Old Method for Determining Available 

 Plant Food in Soils,' giving the results upon 

 virgin soil, old field soil and subsoil. He 

 pointed out the weaknesses of the method 

 and recommended a modified method, for 

 which he gave a series of results. Director 

 C. E. Thorne, in a paper on 'Soil Investiga- 

 tion,' pointed out the necessity of supple- 

 menting chemical analysis and pot experi- 

 ments with carefully conducted field experi- 

 ments, and also of giving more attention to 

 the biological processes of the soil ; and Dr. 

 H. J. Wheeler described some of the lines 

 of soil investigation in progress at the 

 Rhode Island Experiment Station, making 

 suggestions regarding profitable lines of 

 research to be undertaken in this field. 



The discussion upon the subject of dem- 

 onstration work developed some difference 

 of opinion as to the advisibility of the ex- 

 periment stations undertaking such work, 

 although its usefulness was freely acknowl- 

 edged. A clear distinction was drawn be- 

 tween experimental and demonstration 

 work, and the general opinion was advanced 

 that the demonstration work was more 

 strictly an education phase which might 

 very properly be undertaken by other 

 agencies, leaving the stations free to confine 

 their efforts quite largely to experimenta- 

 tion and research. Considerable demon- 

 stration work is now carried on by the ex- 

 periment stations, and this work is a neces- 

 sary supplement of the present system of 

 investigation and dissemination. 



The association received an invitation to 



hold its next meeting in California, prior to 

 or following the meeting of the National 

 Educational Association. Considerable 

 interest was manifested in this matter, an 

 objection to the plan being that it might 

 conflict with the proposed graduate school 

 if held during July. The matter was left 

 with the executive committee. 



In the election of officers President M. H. 

 Buckham, of Vermont, was chosen presi- 

 dent ; President C. C. Thach, of Alabama, 

 Dr. E. H. Jenkins, of Connecticut, and 

 Presidents J. H. Worst, of North Dakota, 



B. I. Wheeler, of California, and Luther 

 Foster, of New Mexico, vice-presidents. 

 Director J. L. Hills, of Vermont, was 

 reelected secretary-treasurer; Dr. A. C. 

 True, of the Department of Agriculture, 

 bibliographer; and Dr. H. C. White, of 

 Georgia, President J. L. Snyder, of Mich- 

 igan, Dr. W. H. Jordan, of New York, 

 Director C. F. Curtiss, of Iowa, and 

 Director L. H. Bailey, of New York, 

 members of the executive committee. 

 President C. R. Van Hise, of Wisconsin, 

 was chosen chairman, and President H. 



C. Price, of Ohio, secretary, of the section 

 on college work and administration; and 

 Director B. C. Buffum, of Wyoming, chair- 

 man, and Director M. A. Scovell, of Ken- 

 tucky, secretary, of the section on experi- 

 ment station work. 



E. W. Allen. 

 Wash:ington, D. C. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS. 



Jordan's guide to the study of fishes.^ 

 In 1880, ten years after completing his 

 great ' Catalogue of the Fishes in the British 

 Museum,' Guenther published his ' Introduc- 

 tion to the Study of Fishes,' a book of T20 

 pages which gives ' in a concise form an ac- 



' Jordan, David Starr, ' A Guide to the Study of 

 Fishes,' 2 Vols., small quarto, pp. xxvi + 624 and 

 xxii + 599. 2 colored frontispieces and 899 illus- 

 trations. New York, Henry Holt & Co., 1905. 

 $12.00 net. 



