SCIENCE 



Friday, December 16, 1910 



CONTENTS 



The Teaching of Chemistry in American 

 Agricultural Colleges: Professor W. A. 

 Withers 849 



Biological Survey of the Panama Canal Zone 855 



Tlie Population of the United States 856 



The Paleontological Society 857 



Mechanical Scietice and Engineering in the 

 American Association 857 



The Convocation Week Meetings 857 



Scientific Notes and News 859 



University and Educational News 863 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Is this a Dynamical Proof of the Pytha- 

 gorean. Theoryf Db. Edwin F. Nobthrup. 

 Women and Scienlific Research: Professor 

 Ellen Hates. Eminence of Women in 

 Science: Professor Marion Talbot. The 

 Century Dictionary Supplement : E. E. B. 

 McKenney 863 



Scientific Books: — 



Ta^stnanian Crania: Db. Ales Hbdlicka. 

 The Plant Life of Maryland: Professor 

 John W. Haeshberger 867 



Special Articles: — 



On a Modified Mendelian Ratio among 

 Yellow Mice: Professor W. E. Castle 

 and C. C. Little. Further Data regarding 

 the Sex-limited Inlierilance of the Barred 

 Color Pattern in Poultry: Dr. Ratsiond 

 Pearl and Db. Fbank JI. Surface 868 



Tlie Astronomical and Astrophysical Society 

 of America : De. Frank Schlesingeb .... 874 



Societies and Academies: — 



The Philosophical Society of Washington: 

 R. L. Fabis. The American Chemical So- 

 ciety, New York Section: C. JI. Joyce . . . 887 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended foz 

 review should be sest to the Editor of Sciesck, Garrison-on- 

 Hudson, K, Y. 



THE TEACHING OF CHEMISTRY IN AMERr- 

 lOAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES'^ 



The eollection of statistics is very diffi- 

 cult. One special difficulty in connec- 

 tion with the subject which I have se- 

 lected is due to the number and kinds of 

 courses in the American agricultural col- 

 lege. This paper will be confined to two 

 phases of chemistry in the agricultural col- 

 lege, viz., (1) the chemical instruction 

 which is given to those who are preparing 

 for agriculture, and (2) the opportunities 

 afforded in these institutions for the prepa- 

 ration of students for careers in agricul- 

 tural chemistry. With this purpose in 

 mind we must omit all consideration of the 

 various engineering courses in these insti- 

 tutions. We must omit from consideration 

 also the various short agricultural courses 

 and the courses in the agricultural colleges 

 for negroes, as the chemical work in both 

 cases is generally below the usual college 

 grade and the consideration of either would 

 of itself furnish sufficient material for a 

 paper. These exclusions leave us the agri- 

 cultural and the chemical courses. We 

 shall first consider the four-year agricul- 

 tural course. There are complications even 

 here on account of the large number of 

 electives which in effect give us several 

 courses, such as in general agriculture, 

 agronomy, horticulture, forestry, dairying, 

 veterinarj' science, domestic economy, bot- 

 any, etc. As we can not discuss all of 

 these, the matter which we have collected 

 is from one four-year course in each agri- 



' Presidential address before the Association of 

 OfiBcial Agricultural Chemists. Read at the 

 twenty-seventh annual meeting in Washington, 

 D. C, November 11, 1910. 



