Feeeuabt 10, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



229 



A PEELiMiNAEY report of the investigation 

 of the upper air in Java has recently been 

 made by Dr. W. van Benunelen and Dr. C. 

 Braak. Aerological investigation at the Ba- 

 tavia observatory was begun under the aus- 

 pices of the Dutch government in 1909. 

 Because of the proximity of the sea, pilot bal- 

 loons only veere used at first, and with these 

 a more thorough knowledge of the upper cur- 

 rents was obtained. Later recording instru- 

 ments were elevated by means of captive bal- 

 loons and kites, the latter being used above 

 the sea as well as above the land. It was 

 found that during the period September-May 

 the general air-current had easterly compo- 

 nents up to the greatest heights attained (10- 

 15 kilometers), though occasionally the west 

 monsoon appeared at the ground, its average 

 height having been found to be 5.4 kilometers. 

 No antitrade wind aloft was found. However, 

 on one occasion when a balloon attained a 

 height of 18 kilometers it encountered a west- 

 erly wind, similar to the strong westerly winds 

 which were observed at heights of 10-20 kilo- 

 meters on Professor Berson's East-African 

 expedition. This phenomenon still awaits an 

 explanation. 



The newly created professorship in meteor- 

 ology at the National University at Utrecht 

 has been awarded to Dr. E. van Everdingen, 

 who assumed the chair October 17. Consider- 

 ing the recent history of meteorology, the in- 

 augural address, " The Third Dimension in 

 Meteorology," was particularly appropriate. 

 In Dr. Everdingen's estimation, the setting 

 apart of a chair of meteorology indicated a 

 recognition that meteorology was now worthy 

 of a place among the established sciences. 



As a result of many requests from teachers, 

 students and others interested in the subject, 

 the Weather Bureau has published a second 

 compilation of standard books dealing with 

 meteorology and its several branches. The 

 list includes about 150 titles, the selections 

 having been made by Mr. 0. Eitzhugh Tal- 

 man, librarian of the bureau. As stated in 

 the introduction, " the present compilation is 

 the fruit of several years' experience in deal- 

 ing with the literature of the subject, and will 



probably meet the requirements of the ma- 

 jority of American readers and students." 



The action of the management of the recent 

 International Aviation Meet at Belmont Park 

 in taking out insurance against loss due to 

 inclement weather is one of the first instances 

 of its kind in America. The practise is a 

 common one in Europe, however, especially so 

 in England, where managers of most of the 

 outdoor gatherings have long insured through 

 Lloyd's against loss from wet weather. The 

 premiums paid for the risks were relatively 

 large at first, but of late there has been a 

 tendency toward placing the practise upon a 

 scientific basis, statistics having been gathered 

 with that end in view, and in consequence the 

 rates have been readjusted. 



Andrew' H. Palmer 

 Blue Hiii Obseevatobt, 

 January 14, 1911 



v' SPECIAL ARTICLES 



INTERPRETATIONS OF RESULTS NOTED IN EXPERI- 

 MENTS UPON CEREAL CROPPING METHODS 

 AFTER SOIL sterilization' 



It is not my intention at this time to give 

 the details of extended experiments upon soil 

 sterilization and its effects; nor to enter any 

 special criticisms upon the work of other in- 

 vestigators. I wish only to call attention to 

 some facts, observations and conditions of the 

 work centered about cereal cropping and ex- 

 periments upon soils which may indicate that 

 a new light may be thrown upon the conclu- 

 sions to be dravm; with that light emanating 

 from a different source than has usually been 

 indicated by most experimenters. 



Ohservations and Reflections. — The follow- 

 ing features of cropping and experiments will 

 be familiarly known to most of you: 



1. New Lands, when first sown to wheat or 

 other cereals, produce quite lavishly in seed 

 of high quality and at slight effort on the 

 part of the farmer. These new land yields, in 

 this country, are quite commonly taken as the 

 standard of what ought to be expected. 



'Read before the Society of Agronomy, Wash- 

 ington, D. C, November meeting, 1910. 



