November 11, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



655 



der the auspices of the American Association 

 of Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Sta- 

 tions appears to have been a marked success. 

 It was no little v7ork to keep such a school 

 in running order under the circumstances of 

 a large shifting audience, but Professor J. H. 

 Shepperd, of the North Dakota Agricultural 

 College, who was in charge of this work, seems 

 to have accomplished what it was intended the 

 school should be, carrying out the full detail 

 of the work as to preparation of buildings, 

 equipments and the construction of a daily 

 program. Speakers came from nearly all the 

 experiment stations and colleges, and there 

 was presented, before this audience of prac- 

 tical farmers and animal breeders, many of 

 the newest and best ideas in regard to plant 

 and animal breeding. During the last ses- 

 sion, October 3-15, the demonstration work 

 upon plant breeding was emphasized, showing 

 that much work is being done at the experi- 

 ment stations at the present time in develop- 

 ing broader methods. Eesults were divided 

 into breeding cereals for resistance to drought 

 and plant diseases. Professor Ten Eyck, of 

 the Kansas Agricultural College, is making 

 extended experiments upon drought resistance. 

 Professor H. L. BoUey, of the "North Dakota 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, gave two 

 lectures on breeding cereals for disease re- 

 sistance. Assuming that the struggle for ex- 

 istence among plants and a survival of the 

 fittest represents the principle which the 

 breeder should use. Professor Bolley has for 

 several years conducted plant breeding experi- 

 ments eliminating by a harsh environment 

 or the promotion of disease weak strains and 

 types in a farm crop. 



As we have already noted. Captain Robert 

 S. Scott was expected to open the new session 

 of the Royal Geographical Society on No- 

 vember 7 with an account of the British 

 Antarctic expedition. We learn from the 

 London Times that at subsequent meetings 

 Lieutenant Royds will deal with the meteorol- 

 ogy of the expedition, Mr. Eerrar with the 

 geology. Dr. Wilson with the zoology, and Mr. 

 Bernacehi with the terrestrial magnetism. 

 Captain Scott has consented to tell the story 

 of some of the leading- incidents of the expe- 



dition to young people about Christmas, when 

 there will be an abundance of lantern illus- 

 trations. At the second meeting of the ses- 

 sion, on November 21, Dr. Hunter Workman 

 will give an account of the explorations in 

 the Western Himalaya recently accomplished 

 by himself and his wife. Dr. Fanny Bullock 

 Workman. At the next meeting, on Decem- 

 ber 12, Major Delme Radcliffe will deal with 

 the results of the Anglo-German Boundary 

 Commission in East Africa, on which he was 

 the principal British representative. After 

 Christmas, Colonel L. Jackson, R.E., will give 

 an account of another Anglo-German Bound- 

 ary Commission, that which was recently at 

 work in Nigeria. Another African paper will 

 be that by Mr. B. H. Jesson, the surveyor 

 who accompanied Mr. McMillan's expedition; 

 he will deal with the portion of the Sobat 

 basin in Abyssinia which has not hitherto 

 been explored. Colonel P. H. M. Massy will 

 give an account of his explorations in Asia 

 Minor, which extended over several years. 

 There will be two South American papers, 

 one by Dr. H. Hoek on explorations in various 

 parts of South America, while a paper by 

 Mr. C. Reginald Enock will give an account 

 of two recent journeys in outlying parts of 

 Peru. It is hoped that during the session 

 one of the leading members of the recent 

 Tibetan mission will give an account of the 

 geographical results which were obtained, and 

 which are believed to be of considerable im- 

 portance. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEW8. 



The alumni of the Massachusetts Institute 

 of Technology are collecting a fund for cur- 

 rent expenses, which now amounts to over 

 $100,000 to be used in the course of the next 

 five years. 



Harvard University has received from Miss 

 Maria Whitney a gift of $5,000, to be known 

 as the ' Josiah Dwight Whitney Fund,' the 

 income of which is to be applied as a scholar- 

 ship, not exceeding $200, or as two scholar- 

 ships of $100 each, to aid meritorio,us students 

 in the study of field geology or geography in 

 the summer months, preferably in the moun- 

 tain region of the western United States. 



