872 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXni. No. 857 



is attributed to the acidity of this water and of 

 the peat from which it flows, the chemical qualities 

 of the water preventing the growth of the organ- 

 isms of decay, and preserving the soil in such a 

 condition of acidity as to make it impossible for 

 ordinary swamp plants to grow on these lands. 

 The ' ' juniper ' ' trees and other vegetation of 

 these areas are specially resistant to acidity and 

 are able to grow with luxuriance in such a situa- 

 tion. The antiseptic quality of this water is fur- 

 ther attested by the estimation m which it has 

 long been held among sailors for drinking pur- 

 poses. Before the days of distilled sea water, the 

 favorite water supply of ships leaving Norfolk on 

 a long voyage was "juniper" water from the 

 Dismal Swamp. No other water was so highly 

 esteemed and none kept its sweetness so well. 



The Effect of the Reaction of Solutions on the 

 Growth of Wheat Seedlings: J. F. Brezeale 

 and J. A. Le Clebc. (Bead by Dr. Le Clerc.) 

 The authors showed, by the use of lantern slides 

 of photographs of seedlings grown in various solu- 

 tions, that the development of the roots of the 

 seedlings was injuriously affected by all the solu- 

 tions that had become appreciably acid in reaction. 

 This acid reaction was most marked with the ap- 

 plication of KCl and K^SO,, the plant exerting a 

 selective action for the K ion, thus leaving the 

 acid radicle CI or SO4 behind, which in turn made 

 the culture-medium acid by which the growth of 

 the roots was stunted. The conclusion was drawn 

 that the reaction of the solution played a most 

 important rSle in the development of the seed- 

 lings. 



Some Changes which talce Place in Stored Grain: 



Dr. J. W. T. DuvEL. 



This paper treated mainly of the more impor- 

 tant changes which take place in commercial corn 

 during storage in gram elevators and holds of 

 steamships. Corn thus stored frequently contains 

 relatively high percentages of moisture, thus af- 

 fording an excellent opportunity for the develop- 

 ment of molds and bacteria. The development of 

 these organisms, together with the action of un- 

 organized ferments, is accompanied by a distinct 

 and rapid increase in temperature and a marked 

 deterioration in the grain. Such grain is known 

 commercially as ' ' heating " or " hot ' ' and after 

 it starts to go " out of condition ' ' it usually 

 reaches a temperature of from 135° to 150° F. 

 within a very few days. The viability is greatly 

 reduced or entirely destroyed, and there is a 

 marked increase in the acidity, a reduction in the 



percentage of both sucrose and invert sugar, and 

 a considerable loss in fat. Other important 

 changes also occur in the chemical composition of 

 the grain, together with a heavy loss in weight 

 and a lowering in the weight per bushel. 



W. W. Stockberger, 

 Corresponding Secretary 



THE ASSOCIATION OP TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS 

 IN THE MIDDLE STATES AND MARYLAND 



The sixteenth meeting of the association was 

 held in Teachers College, New York, April 22, 

 1911. The meeting was called to order by the 

 president. Dr. Wm. H. Metzler, at 10:30 a.m. in 

 the chapel of the college. 



After the reading of the minutes, Mr. Brecken- 

 ridge, chairman of the committee on continuation 

 schools, reported the progress of his committee. 

 The report was very interesting in the matter of 

 the attitude of the students in those schools for 

 more pure mathematics, merely because of their 

 place in the curriculum of the ordinary day school. 

 The report was accepted and the committee was 

 continued. The algebra syllabus committee was 

 also continued. 



The first paper of the morning was given by 

 J. S. Rorer, of the Wm. Penn High School, Phila- 

 delphia, on ' ' The Curriculum : Present Tenden- 

 cies, Future Possibilities. ' ' 



The work of the morning was concluded by a 

 paper by A. M. Curtis, of the Oneonta Normal 

 School, on ' ' Study Supervision : Its Needs in the 

 Mathematics of the Elementary and Secondary 

 Schools. ' ' 



The first paper of the afternoon was a de- 

 scription, with lecture table models, of the slide 

 rule and its uses, by Clifford B. Upton, of 

 Teachers College. This was followed by a de- 

 scription, with stereopticon illustrations, of the 

 calculating machines then on exhibition in the 

 educational museum of Teachers College. 



Preliminary reports for the committees on 

 arithmetic, algebra and geometry were given by 

 Mr. Eorer for the committee on arithmetic and 

 by Mr. Durrell for the committee on geometry. 

 These reports consisted of plans for carrying on 

 the work. 



After expressing its thanks to Teachers College 

 the meeting adjourned to the educational museum 

 for the privilege of inspecting the exhibition of 

 slide rules, calculating machines, rare books and 

 manuscripts. 



H. F. Hart, 

 Secretary 



