FEBBUABT 11, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



219 



"Dr. James A. Lyon," by J. I. D'. Hinds; (c) 

 "Mr. James H. Baird," by S. Cecil Ewing. 



Annual address of the president: "The Prob- 

 able Origin of the American Indian," by W. E. 

 Myer. 



The election of officers for the ensuing year 

 resulted as follows: 



President, Samuel M. Bain, University of Ten- 

 nessee, Knoxville, Tenn. 



Vice-president, Samuel M. Barton, University 

 of the South, Sewanee, Tenn. 



Secretary, Eoscoe Nunn, U. S. Weather Bureau, 

 1235 StaWman Building, Nashville, Tenn. 



Treasurer, Archibald Belcher, Middle Tennessee 

 State Normal School, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 



Editor, A. H. Purdue, State Geological Survey, 

 Nashville, Tenn. 



The president appointed as members of the 

 executive committee, J. I. D. Hinds, Castle 

 Heights School, Lebanon, Tenn., and F. B. Dress- 

 lar, George Peabody College for Teachers, Nash- 

 ville, Tenn. 



Eoscoe Nunn, 



Secretary 



Nashville, Tenn. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The one hundred and sixth regular meeting of 

 the Botanical Society of Washington was held in 

 the assembly hall of the Cosmos Club at 8 p.m., 

 October 5, 1915. Thirty members and two 

 guests were present. The following scientific pro- 

 gram was given : 



Some JSecent Investigations in Sugar-beet Breed- 

 ing (with lantern) : Me. P. J. Pritchard. 

 The speaker presented a large number of tables 

 and figures based upon ten years' experiments in 

 sugar-beet breeding from which the following con- 

 clusions were drawn: Differences in the size, total 

 sugar content and percentage of sugar of indi- 

 vidual beet roots show no evidence of inheritance. 

 There is no correlation between percentage or 

 quantity of sugar of roots of ordinary sizes and 

 their yield of seed, nor between their yield of seed 

 and the average percentage of sugar in their 

 progeny. Fluctuations in percentage and yield 

 of sugar of beet families planted in progeny rows 

 in alternation with check rows greatly exceed their 

 real differences. The discontinuance of selection 

 for one generation caused no deterioration, but 

 some apparent gain in percentage of sugar. No 



improvement was obtained in yield or percentage 

 of sugar from continuous selection. Both the 

 good and the poor families transmitted average 

 qualities. Fluctuations in percentage and yield 

 of sugar are caused chiefly by irregularities of the 

 soil. The nutritive conditions which favor the 

 production of a large root cause a large tonnage 

 of beets, but a low percentage of sugar. Even 

 with a uniform stand certain rows and certain 

 parts of the field produce a relatively small root 

 and consequently a high percentage of sugar, 

 while neighboring areas produce a large root and 

 a low percentage of sugar. As the fluctuations 

 in percentage and yield of sugar are large, they 

 obscure real differences between varieties or fam- 

 ilies but real differences may be distinguished by 

 planting each variety or family a large number of 

 times. 



Notes on Plant Parasitic Nematodes (with lan- 

 tern) : Mb. L. p. Byars. 



After a few introductory remarks concerning 

 the general characteristics of the three groups of 

 nematodes — the free living, animal parasitic, and 

 plant parasitic — the speaker indicated some of 

 the more important anatomical and life-history 

 features of species belonging to the last group. 

 Emphasis was laid on the economic importance of 

 and present distribution of Tylenchus dipsaci, the 

 bulb and stem-infesting nematode; Tylenchus tri- 

 tici, a nematode living in wheat kernels; Aphe- 

 lencTius armerodis, the violet bud organism; and 

 Heterodera radicicola, the gall-forming nematode, 

 all of which are parasites introduced into this 

 country. Illustrations and drawings were used to 

 show the speaker's method of growing Hetero- 

 dera radicicola in pure culture, and to indicate the 

 effect of this parasite on its host. 

 The First Washington Botanical Society: Mr. P. 

 L. Ricker. 



While collecting material for the bibliography 

 and biography in the forthcoming Flora of Wash- 

 ington I first learnedi of the existence of a Wash- 

 ington Botanical Society organized on March 13, 

 1817, with thirteen charter members, consisting of 

 John Boyle, W. A. Bradley, Dr. John A. Brere- 

 ton, Samuel Elliot, Jr., William Elliot, J. W. 

 Hand, Dr. Henry Huntt, Maj. James Kearney, 

 Eev. Dr. James Laurie, Dr. Alexander McWill- 

 iams, J. M. Moore, John Underwood and George 

 Watterson. Subsequently six additional mem- 



1 Coville, Frederick V., ' ' Early Botanical Ac- 

 tivity in the District of Columbia." Eecords of 

 the Columbia Historical Society, 5 : 176-194. 1901. 



