764 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VHI. No. 205. 



of the Wasliiiigtou Agricultural College and School of 

 Science. ' Relations of the Churches to State Colleges 

 and Universities,' A. W. Harris, President of the 

 University of Maine. 



Section on Slechanic Arts : ' What Preparatory 

 Work should be Required to enter Four-Year Engi- 

 neering Degree Courses,' O. L. Waller, Professor of 

 Mathematics and Civil Engineering of the Washing- 

 ton Agricultural College and School of Science. 

 ' Engineering Standard in Land-Grant Colleges, ' W. 

 H. Williams, Professor of Mechanical Engineering 

 and Mathematics of the Montana College of Agricul- 

 ture and Meclianic Arts. 



Section on Horticulture and Botany: ' Laboratory 

 Methods in Teaching Horticulture, ' L. C. Corbett, 

 Professor of Horticulture of the West Virginia Uni- 

 versity. ' Relation of Rainfall to Fungus Diseases,' 

 B. It. Halsted, Professor of Botany and Horticulture 

 of Rutgers Scientific School. ' Testing of Fruits by 

 the Experiment Stations, ' S. . M. Emery, Director of 

 the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. 

 ' Technical Training in Teaching Horticulture,' S. B. 

 Green, Professor of Horticulture of the University of 

 Minnesota. ' Preliminary Report of the Committee 

 for the Testing of Races of Peaches,' R. H. Price, Pro- 

 fessor of Horticulture, Botany and Entomology of the 

 State Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas 



Section on Entomology : ' Entomology in Agricul_ 

 tuial Colleges,' E. E. Faville, Professor of Horticul. 

 ture and Entomology of Kansas State Agricultural 

 College ; S. A. Forbes, Professor of Zoology of the 

 University of Illinois ; H. Osborn, Professor of Zo' 

 olog3' and Entomology of Iowa State College of Agri- 

 culture and Mechanic Arts ; L. Bruner, Professor of 

 Entomology of the University of Nebraska. ' A 

 Fungus Disease of the San Jos6 Scale,' V. H. Lowe, 

 Entomologist of the New York Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station. ' The Teaching Function of the Station 

 Worker,' J. B. Smith, Professor of Entomology of 

 Rutgers Scientific School. ' The Influence of Nature- 

 Studies in Schools upon the Biology of the College 

 Curriculum, ' C. M. Weed, Professor of Zoology and 

 Entomology of New Hampshire College of Agricul- 

 ture and Mechanic Arts. 



Section on Agriculture and Chemistry : ' Clover . 

 Phosphates, and Wlieat in Ohio,' W. I. Chamberlin^' 

 of Ohio. ' Productivity as afi'eoted by Tillage, I. P. 

 Roberts, Director of Cornell University Agricultural 

 Experiment Station. ' The Maintenance Ration of 

 Cattle,' H. P. Armsby, Director of the Pennsylvania 

 State College Agricultural Experiment Station. 

 ' The Mission of the Agricultural and Mechanical 

 Colleges and Stations from the Standpoint of the 

 Agriculturist,' J. S. Newman, Professor of Agricul- 

 ture of Clemson Agricultural College. ' Upon the 



Possibilities of drawing Erroneous Conclusions from^ 

 Plant Soil Tests designed as Guides to the Econom- 

 ical Manurial Treatment of Soils, and to serve as a 

 Basis for the Development of Reliable Chemical 

 Methods for ascertaining their Requirements,' H. J. 

 Wheeler, Chemist of the Rhode Island Agricultural 

 Experiment Station. ' The Significance of Stock- 

 Feeding Experiments,' C. F. Curtiss, Director of the- 

 Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station. ' Notes on 

 Butter Tests of Cows, 51. A. Scovell, Director of the 

 Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. 



A. C. True. 

 Washington, D. C. 

 November 22, 1898. 



THER3IAL EFFICIENCY OF STEAM-ENGINES, 

 A COMMITTEE of the British Institution of 

 Civil Engineers, composed of recognized 

 authorities, has recently made a report, 

 now published by the Institution, on the 

 above subject, in which is proposed a stand- 

 ard and consistent scientific scheme for the 

 treatment of thermal and thermodynamic 

 quantities in the discussion of the experi- 

 mentally determined efficiencies of the 

 steam-engine. It is so important a docu- 

 ment that we give space to a somewhat 

 liberal abstract and summary of the con- 

 clusions of the committee.* 



An introduction by tlie Secretary, Cap- 

 tain H. R. Sankey, gives a technical defini- 

 tion of the ' steam-plant ' and points out 

 the differences, the wastes, whicli distin- 

 guish the ideal and the real heat-engines. 

 These differences are illustrated by an ex- 

 ceedingly interesting and helpful diagram 

 in which the energy-flow is traced from its 

 source in the fire-box of the boiler through 

 the boiler and its contents of steam and 

 water, on the one hand, for use in the 

 engine, and, on the other hand, to the 

 chimney as a waste. It exhibits the meth- 

 ods, extent and character of the wastes of 

 thermal, of dynamic and of thermodynamic 



* Report of the Committee appointed to consider 

 and report to the Council upon the subject of the 

 Definition of a Standard of Thermal Efficiency. — 

 London, Published by the Institution, 1898. 



