41 2 THE A M ERIC A N ASSO CIA TION FOE 



bering has been carried on very extensively for nearly a genera- 

 tion, and the results of these extensive operations, coupled with 

 the terrible fires which devastate the region, are of much inter- 

 est. From the maps which have been obtained I find that of 

 the accessible part of this region — i. e., those parts which are re- 

 garded by the present lumber practice as containing available 

 timber — not less than 45 per cent have been cleared, either by 

 cutting or fire, within recent times. About 23 per cent of this 

 entire area has been logged ; about 22 per cent has been burned. 

 Presumably the amount of timber cut and burned and its value 

 are at least proportional to the areas, and therefore it would fol- 

 low that not very much less than one-half of the available lum- 

 ber in this part of Washington has been destroyed since its 

 occupation by whites. We cannot complain of the cutting, pro- 

 viding it is done with some sort of economy, but no condemna- 

 tion can be too severe for the carelessness which allows such an 

 enormous amount of wealth to be destroyed by fires. 



AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT 

 OF SCIENCE 



The Fiftieth Anniversary Meeting of the American Association 

 for the Advancement of Science was held in Boston, August 22 

 to 27. As was anticipated, the return of the Association to the 

 city of its birth for the celebration of its semi-centennial was 

 the occasion of an unusually large attendance, it excited more 

 than ordinary local interest, and resulted in a very large acces- 

 sion to the membership. 



Of the 330 or more papers presented, many contained im- 

 portant contributions to the different sciences. Those of especial 

 geographic interest were for the most part read in Section E, 

 which held a joint session with the National Geographic Society 

 on August 25. On that occasion Dr Marcus Baker, cartographer 

 to the Venezuela Boundary Commission, discussed the Venezuela- 

 British-Guiana Boundary Dispute ; Prof. W J McGee, Vice-Pres- 

 ident of the National Geographic Society, traced the Geographic 

 Development of the United States ; Mr Mark S. W. Jefferson ex- 

 plained the peculiar characteristics of Atlantic Estuarine Tides, 

 and the Statistician of the Department of Agriculture set forth 

 the Considerations that have governed recent Movements of 

 Population. The following papers were also presented : "Some 



