bU8 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. No. 831 



termined. Five varieties of Japanese persimmons 

 were found to process satisfactorily in carbon 

 dioxide in from three to five days. 

 The following papers were read: 



The Behavior of Pure Line Cultures of Glomer- 



ella: Dr. C. L. Sheab. 



Studies of pure line pedigreed cultures of a 

 species of Glomerella obtained from an acervulus 

 on a leaf of the avocado {Persea gratissima) were 

 made, starting with a single conidium isolated in 

 a poured plate and transferred to a tube of corn- 

 meal agar. Twenty-three successive generations 

 were grown from this culture and carefully com- 

 pared with each other. 



Single ascospore cultures obtained in the same 

 manner from the same initial culture were also 

 made and studied through seven generations. All 

 were grown on the same medium and kept under 

 apparently the same conditions of environment. 



Variations in all the characters of the organism 

 occurred. The variations of the conidial fructi- 

 fications and perithecia were most striking. The 

 greatest variation was shown in the series origin- 

 ated from a single conidiiuu. Some of the char- 

 acters were transmitted for several generations 

 and then either suddenly or gradually disappeared. 

 Others appearing suddenly in one generation were 

 not transmitted to the next, but reappeared in 

 later generations. 



The kinds of variation occurring and their be- 

 havior were so erratic that they are not easily 

 classified or explained. Whether these variations 

 should be regarded as new expressions of latent 

 hereditary characters, as fluctuating variations, or 

 as mutations, is not clear. Much more data must 

 be collected before any satisfactory conclusion can 

 be dra\vn. Though the physical, chemical and 

 biological characters of environment of the organ- 

 ism were supposed to be the same, it is possible 

 that some of the variations observed may have 

 been in some way induced or influenced by some 

 slight unrecognized variation of some environ- 

 mental factor or factors. It seems more probable, 

 at present, however, that some of the sudden and 

 striking variations noted would more properly be 

 referred to some other category not usually re- 

 garded as primarily due to the influence of en- 

 vironment. 



Line Breeding of Vegetables : Professor L. C. CoR- 



BETT. 



This paper outlined the commercial need for line 

 breeding by citing the chaotic condition of such 

 groups as the garden beet, in which the so-called 



varieties are distinguished merely by the predom- 

 inance of a given form. If, for instance, 60 per 

 cent, of the plants in any sample are blood turnip, 

 although the other 40 per cent, may be composed 

 of a number of different tjrpes, the variety is 

 according to the trade blood turnip. What is true 

 of the beet is also true of cabbage. The work the 

 department of agriculture is doing in the line 

 breeding of lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, 

 tomatoes and beans was described and illustrated 

 by photographs. The work is to make true rather 

 than new types and strains. The trade already 

 lias too many so-called varieties. But there is 

 great need of strains true to type, especially 

 adapted to particular uses and industries. 

 Some Aspects of the Species Question: Dr. E. L. 



Geeene. 



The full paper is to be published elsewhere. 

 W. W. Stockbebqeb, 

 Corresponding Secretary 



THE ANTHEOPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 44Sth regular meeting of the society, the 

 first of the present session, was opened by the 

 president. Dr. J. Walter Fewkes, in the hall of 

 the Public Library, October 18, 1910, 8 p.m. 



The speaker of the evening was M. Capitan, 

 Professeur au College de France, who delivered a 

 discourse entitled, " Apergu sur I'Archgologie 

 Prghistorique de la France," illustrated with lan- 

 tern slides. The lecturer illustrated and described 

 Swiss dwellings, dolmens and numerous imple- 

 ments of the chase used by the prehistoric races 

 of France. Frequent comparisons were made with 

 archeologieal objects from America. It was shown 

 that religious and superstitious motives largely 

 entered into the making of the earliest rock in- 

 scriptions. 



Among the views shown were a reindeer found 

 at Bruncquil; horses' skulls; elephants; female 

 figures on rocks and stelae from Mas d'Azil; a re- 

 production of the grotto at Lourdes, as also 

 carved and incised figures of the horse and hip- 

 potamus. The grotto of Eyzies, Dordogne, where 

 Mr. Otto Hauser has carried on extensive excava- 

 tions, was also thrown on the screen. Other 

 slides illustrated household furnitures and -uten- 

 sils. It was also pointed out by the lecturer that 

 the prehistoric inhabitants made use of the eleva- 

 tions and rugged surfaces in the rocks in the 

 delineation of their drawings. 



J. M. Casanowicz, 



Secretary 



