June 16, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



923 



and to administer these lands as permanent 

 national forests. An appropriation of $2,000,- 

 000 is made annually until July 1, 1915, for 

 the examination and acquisition of these 

 lands, together with $25,000 additional annu- 

 ally for the expenses of the commission. 



Eliminating the deficiency appropriations 

 and that for the Forest Reservation Commis- 

 sion, these various appropriations, which are 

 intimately connected with the work of the 

 department, would, if added to the regular ap- 

 propriations, make a grand total of $22,570,- 

 016. This is a large sum, but as was pointed 

 out by Chairman Scott in concluding the pres- 

 entation of the bill, " the money appropriated 

 for the Department of Agriculture is an in- 

 vestment and not an expense. And that it has 

 been a good investment the statistics showing 

 the expansion of agriculture and the improve- 

 ment in methods throughout our country bear 

 eloquent witness. During these past ten years, 

 while the Department of Agriculture has been 

 expending $90,000,000, the farmers of the 

 United States have added to the wealth of the 

 world the stupendous and incomprehensible 

 sum of $80,000,000,000. Without anything 

 like a corresponding increase in the area of 

 land under cultivation, the value of the farm 

 products of our country has risen from 

 slightly more than $4,000,000,000 ten years 

 ago to nearly $9,000,000,000 in 1910. 



" The conclusion is inevitable, therefore — 

 and that conclusion could be made incontest- 

 able by innumerable other proofs if time per- 

 mitted — that the farmers of America are ap- 

 plying better methods and getting better re- 

 sults from their labors than ever before. And 

 in devising these better methods, in pointing 

 the way for better results, the Department of 

 Agriculture has been the undisputed leader, 

 as it should be, and has thus beyond cavil or 

 question derived from the money it has ex- 

 pended a percentage of profit to all the people 

 which can not be calculated." 



have been made from the Bache Fund of the 

 National Academy of Sciences: 



May 20, 1910. Franz Boas $300 



Investigation of head-forms of new-born children. 



May 20, 1910. John A. Parkhurst 500 



Photometric and spectroscopic survey of eireum- 

 polar stars. 



June, 1910. Louis T. More 500 



Continuation of investigation on discharge of 

 electricity through gases; radioactivity and 

 electro-magnetic action (second appropria- 

 tion; first made in May, 1908). 



December 9, 1910. S. F. Acree 400 



Investigation of reactions of alkyl halides with 

 sodium ethylate. 



January 25, 1911. P. W. Bridgman 500 



Effects of high pressure; variation of freezing 

 point of liquids with pressure; compressibility 

 of liquids and solids; and mechanical proper- 

 ties of metals. 



February 2, 1911. Francis B. Sumner 250 



Experiments on effects of external conditions on 

 growing white mice. 



April 17, 1911. E. W. Washburn 200. 



To prepare and measure the specific conductance 

 of pure water. 



April 17, 1911. Gilbert N. Lewis 500 



The determination of the electrode potentials of 

 the alkali metals and of the metals of the 

 alkaline earths. 



April 17, 1911. Charles C. Adams 125 



For the expense of completing and preparing for 

 publication a paper entitled ' ' The Geographic 

 Variations and Eolations of CO.." 



APPBOPEIATIONS FROM THE BACSE 

 FUND OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY 



OF SCIENCES 

 During- the past year the following grants 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 

 Columbia University has conferred its doc- 

 torate of laws on Professor C. F. Chandler, 

 who retires this year from the chair of chem- 

 istry after forty-seven years of active service. 



Sir Willum T. Thistleton-Dyer, formerly 

 director of the Kew Botanic Gardens, will 

 receive the honorary doctorate of science from 

 Oxford University on June 28. 



Dr. C. S. Sargent, director of the Arnold 

 Arboretum, Harvard University, has been 

 elected an honorary member of the Societe 

 Nationale d'Acclimation de France, and an 

 honorary member of the Royal Irish Acad- 

 emy. 



