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officers of the new society are: President, Victor E. Shelford; 

 Vice-President, William M. Wheeler; Secretary-Treasurer, Forrest 

 Shreve. ■ 



The officers for the Botanical Society of America for the 

 coming year are President, R. A. Harper; Vice-President, G. T. 

 Moore; Treasurer, Arthur HolHck; Secretary, H. H. Bartlett. 

 The society voted to do away with the class of membership 

 heretofore known as fellows, but failed to create a class of 

 honorary membership as outlined in a proposed amendment to 

 the constitution. 



A series of free public lectures for amateur gardeners and those 

 interested in plant growth has been established at the University 

 of Pennsylvania. The lectures are being given on Wednesday 

 evenings by Dr. John M. Macfarlane, professor of botany and 

 director of the botanical gardens of the university. 



The Plant World announces the offering of two prizes for the 

 best papers embodying original work in soil physics. The first 

 prize will be $50 and the second $25, with the reservation of the 

 right to withhold both prizes if no worthy papers are submitted 

 or to combine the prizes for the rewarding of a paper of excep- 

 tional merit. The conditions governing the award will be similar 

 to those employed in connection with the prizes for papers on 

 the water relations of plants which were offered in April, 1915. 

 The contesting contributions should be in the hands of the editor 

 of The Plant World by December i, 1916, and the announcement 

 of the award will be made not later than March i, 1917. 



Associate Professor H. P. Barss has been promoted to be pro- 

 fessor of botany and plant pathology at the Oregon Agricultural 

 College in place of Professor H. S. Jackson, who recently resigned 

 to accept the position of plant pathologist at Purdue University. 



Dr. Paul Bartsch and Dr. J. N. Rose have been selected as 

 delegate and alternate to represent the Biological Society of 

 Washington at the Pan-American Scientific Congress. 



At the annual meeting of the New York Academy of Sciences 

 held at the Hotel Manhattan on the evening of December 20, 

 191 5, members of the New York Academy were enabled to con- 



