Decembck 18, 1"J03.] 



SCIENCE. 



797 



little of it has been written in the English 

 language. * * * But two authors have at- 

 tempted a connected sketch of the Porto Rican 

 flora, and the efforts of these not only remain 

 incomplete in that they do not cover the en- 

 tire series of families of flowering plants, but 

 the lists are also partial and local, as the 

 writers themselves realized. The first of these 

 sketches was that of Don Domingo Bello y 

 Espinosa (' Apuntes para la flora de Puerto- 

 Rico,' 1881-1883). * * * The second of these 

 sketches and the most important contribution 

 to the botany of Porto Rico is the Flora pro- 

 jected by Dr. A. Stahl, of Bayamon, but un- 

 fortunately only partially published (' Es- 

 tudios para la flora de Puerto-Rico,' 1884r- 

 1888). * * * In spite of public indifference 

 and official animosity six parts of the flora 

 were issued at the expense of the author, 

 having been prepared in the intervals of his 

 professional life as a physician. Publication 

 ceased in 1888, and Dr. Stahl no longer hopes 

 to continue the work." Two other titles are 

 given, viz., ' Diccionario botanico de los 

 nombres vulgares cubanos y Puerto-Riquenos,' 

 by Manuel Gomez de la Maza, and ' El medico 

 botanico crioUo,' by Rene de Grosourdy. 



The catalogue proper consists of an alpha- 

 betical list of names, common and scientific, 

 with descriptive notes and cross references. 

 Here the reader finds many interesting facts 

 about tropical and semitropical plants which 

 are or might be grown in Porto Rico and 

 other West Indian islands. One is struck, 

 after reading a few pages, with the fact that 

 there is much to be done on this island pos- 

 session of ours in order to develop its use of 

 the plants which may be grown there with 

 profit. Coffee appears to be the most impor- 

 tant of the cultivated plants, and yet we learn 

 that " the most careless and wasteful methods 

 are practised in the culture of this important 

 crop. No attention is paid to the selection 

 of seedlings, most of the new plants being se- 

 cured from seeds that have germinated under 

 the trees in the old plantations. It is esti- 

 mated that by proper methods of cultivation 

 the yield from the land now devoted to coffee 

 could be doubled or tripled." Similar state- 

 ments are made with reference to most of the 



crops of the island. Evidently there is a 

 field of work here for the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture, and this volume is 

 an indication that it is entering upon it with 

 energy and ability. 



Cii.vuLES E. Bessey. 

 The I'mversity of Nebraska. 



THL CARXEGIE INSTITUTION. 

 The newspaper reports in regard to the 

 -second annual meeting of the trustees of the 

 Carnegie Institution, held in Washington on 

 December 9, read as follows: 



" There were two sessions, with a dinner follow- 

 ing. The report snbinittcd on the proceedings 

 of the last year was supplemented by explanatory 

 statements by Dr. Oilman, the president of the 

 institution, and by Dr. Walcott, the secretary. 

 The report on the year's operations showed sixty- 

 six grants made by the executive committee for 

 scientific research, involving an aggregate of 

 .$150,000, and recipients representing every part 

 of the United States and the smaller colleges as 

 well as the large universities, observatories and 

 laboratories. Twenty-five research assistants 

 were appointed. These sums are exclusive of ad- 

 ministrative and incidental expenses of the insti- 

 tution. The beneficiaries are given the option 

 of making public the nature of these grants. Ac- 

 tion on request for 1,022 grants, involving an 

 allowance of $3,000,000 a year, was indefinitely 

 postponed. Arrangements have been made for 

 publication at an early day of eleven scientific 

 papers, most of them making large and costly 

 volumes. Among the subjects now under con- 

 sideration by the institution in connection with 

 grants are a solar observatory; southern observa- 

 tory; geophysical laboratory; Transcaspian ex- 

 ploration and archeological exploration; explora- 

 tion in the south Pacific, establishment of 

 biological experiment laboratories and interna- 

 tional magnetic researches. 



'■ The morning session was devoted mostly to a 

 discussion of several large projects. No con- 

 clusion was announced. The trustees authorized 

 an aggregate expenditure of $373,000 in grants 

 for scientific researches and $40,000 for publica- 

 tions during the ensuing year. 



" It is said that Mr. Carnegie made a brief ad- 

 dress, in which he commended the work already 

 done and talked of the aim of the institution to 

 give liberal encouragement, in cooperation with 

 other institutions, to investigation, research and 

 discovery; to provide buildings, laboratories. 



