129 



of a wide range of materials — various acids, chloroform water, 

 grape sugar, lime water, etc. "There can be no reasonable 

 doubt . . . that any soluble substance whatsoever, except a 

 killing, a plasmolyzing or an oxygen-absorbing substance, if 

 continually liberated in excess locally in tissues would be com- 

 petent to induce tumor formation." 



Smith concludes, therefore, that in the growth of crown gall 

 the reaction is not to a specific chemical substance, but to changed 

 conditions, perhaps disturbed osmotic relations in the host cells 

 which can be produced by a large number of substances. 



The paper is exceptionally well illustrated by numerous 



photographs. 



Henry F. A. Meier 



NEWS ITEMS 



Edward W. Berry, a former secretary of the club, has been 

 appointed professor of paleontology at the Johns Hopkins Uni- 

 versity. 



A committee which was appointed to report on the proposed 

 exercises of the 50th anniversary of the Club has suggested that 

 meetings be held on the afternoons of Thursday, Friday and 

 Saturday, October i i-i3th. The actual date of the semi-centen- 

 nial is 26 Decemher. 191 7, but the holiday season and the meet- 

 ing of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 

 make that date unavailable. Further notice of this will be 

 printed later. 



Dr. John H. Shafer has recently returned from South America 

 where he was collecting cacti for the New York Botanical 

 Garden. His collections, numbering over 130 species, are de- 

 scribed as unique. 



The publication of the Keiv Bulletin started in 1887 has been 

 stopped because of the paper shortage in England. 



