June 30, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



919 



thus to one whose investigations have been 

 confined to those species growing in the tem- 

 perate zones, Cinchona furnishes splendid op- 

 portunity for the extension of his work to such 

 allied tropical species. 



A tropical rain-forest presents peculiar con- 

 ditions. The plants do not show the marked 

 periodicity characteristic of colder and dryer 

 regions. "Where the temperature and rainfall 

 are so nearly constant at all times of the year 

 as at Cinchona, one is likely to find all of the 

 stages in the life history of a species on almost 

 any single day, and conditions are favorable 

 for collecting the year around. In the plants 

 of a tropical rain-forest, moreover, there is 

 much less cutin, fewer hairs, etc., to interfere 

 with the penetration of fixing solutions, and 

 hence there is the probability of better fixa- 

 tion. That such is not in all cases true is evi- 

 denced through the impermeability of the walls 

 of fern sporangia, and the hairiness of the 

 leaves of the GymnogrammeEe may be as strik- 

 ing here as elsewhere. 



To the cytological collector a compound 

 microscope is an absolute necessity; and such 

 a permanent station as that at Cinchona, there- 

 fore, seems to be the only solution to the ac- 

 cessibility of such regions. The buildings at 

 Cinchona, including two cottages, a two-room 

 laboratory, the drying house, the dark room, 

 the greenhouses and the garden, were all in 

 good condition when I left there in December 

 last. Through the kind offices of Mr. William 

 Harris at Hope Gardens servants were made 

 available, and one's personal needs adequately 

 supplied. The space is sufficient for a num.- 

 ber of investigators at one time, and life there 

 is very pleasant indeed. C. H. Farr 



Columbia University 



experimental work at cinchona 



The portions of the Blue Mountains which 

 are accessible from Cinchona, at both higher 

 and lower altitudes, exhibit a diversity of vege- 

 tation in correlation with the widely differing 

 temperature and moisture conditions, and also 

 a vertical diversity from floor to canopy within 

 the rain-forest itself. Ample opportunity is 

 thus offered for the investigation of the phys- 

 ical environment in relation to the local and 



general distribution of plants. A wide range 

 of plant material is available for the study of 

 general physiological behavior as well as for 

 the special types of activity characteristic of 

 rain-forest plants. The fundamental processes 

 of plants, as carried on under extremely humid 

 conditions, and the influence of the character 

 and rate of these processes upon the growth, 

 distribution and periodic phenomena of the 

 hygrophytic vegetation offer a rich field for 

 future work at Cinchona. The gardens, green- 

 houses and various outbuildings afford oppor- 

 tunity for propagating plants and for placing 

 them under a variety of experimental condi- 

 tions. The nearness of an extensive tract of 

 virgin forest is also a valuable asset for physio- 

 logical as well as ecological work. The excel- 

 lent trails, the easy means of communication 

 and supply, the presence of a guide with a 

 knowledge of the local flora, and the very 

 healthful living conditions combine to make 

 Cinchona an extremely useful station for those 

 who may wish to carry on more or less pro- 

 longed investigations in the problems of the 

 semi-torrid and humid tropics. 



•Forrest Shreve 

 The Desert Laboratory 



UNIVERSITY AND INDUSTRY i 



1. This Committee was appointed at the 

 April, 1916, meeting to consider the papers 

 presented at the meetings in November and 

 December, 1915, and in April, 1916, and to re- 

 port at the June, 1916, meeting; this report to 

 embody the findings, conclusions and recom- 

 mendations of this committee based upon the 

 foregoing material, supplemented by such other 

 as this committee was able to consider. 



2. Your committee was divided into three 

 subcommittees to examine the above subject- 

 matter from three different points of view: 

 Firstly, that of the university; secondly, that 

 of the industries, and thirdly, that of the con- 

 sulting chemists. Each of these subcommittees 

 reached its conclusions separately and these 

 conclusions were then submitted in writing to 

 the full committee. The work of the whole 

 committee is given in the following under 



1 Report of a committee of the New York Section, 

 American Chemical Society. 



