474 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. No. 823 



o, side view of head of new awnless barley; 6, separate grains and spikelet; c, front view of 

 the head; d, separate grains and spikelet of hooded barley; e, head of hooded barley. 



the fall of 1907 and in 1908 produced heads 

 similar to those in 1907 with the exception 

 that on one plant were heads on which the 

 greater portion of the lateral spikelets con- 

 tained perfect kernels with short awns. The 

 short-awned kernels from each head were 

 planted in separate rows in the fall of 1908, 

 and the plants produced from one of them 

 in the summer of 1909 contained heads upon 

 which all of the spikelets were fertile, the 

 heads being six-rowed, with large plump 

 grains without awns. The entire progeny 

 was planted separately in the faU of 1909 in 

 a head-to-row test, and of the several hundred 

 heads produced in 1910 99 per cent, were of 

 the awnless type. As this reduction of the 

 awns was progressive and the heads have been 

 awnless for two seasons, it is believed that the 

 type is fixed. The variety has been named 

 "Arlington." The fact that there is already 

 a so-called type of beardless barley in existence 

 will cause some confusion. It is proposed, 

 therefore, that the name " hooded barley " be 

 used for the old type, and this name will here- 

 after be used by the Office of Grain Investi- 

 gations. The name beardless will only apply 

 to the new hybrid. 



The photograph illustrates both types. 



H. B. Derk 



TEE AMERICAN OBEMIGAL SOCIETY 



SAN FRANCISCO MEETING 

 A GEKEEAL description of the meeting has al- 

 ready appeared in Science. The usual abstracts 

 of papers have been delayed in publication, owing 

 to the loss of a trunk in transit which contained 

 many of them and has but recently been found. 



The general session of the society was held at 

 the St. Francis Hotel on Wednesday morning, 

 July 13, at which the following papers were 

 presented. An abstract of the last paper is the 

 only one received. 



Positive Photography: W. D. Banceoft. (Il- 

 lustrated with lantern slides.) 

 Liquid Ammonia as a Solvent and the Ammonia 

 SystetH of Acids, Bases and Salts: E. C. Feank- 



LIN. 



Chemistry in the Bureau of Standards: W. F. 



HlIiEBBAKD. 



The Use of Sodium Benzoate as a Preservative 



of Food: H. E. Baknabd. 



To warrant its use in foodstuffs a preservative 

 must possess certain characteristics. It must not 

 injure the health of the consumer; it must not 

 facilitate careless methods of manufacture; it 



