May 12, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



745 



1905, with President Knowlton in the chair 

 and eighty-seven persons present. Under 

 ' Notes and Exhibition of Specimens,' Dr. L. 

 O. Howard exhibited specimens of various 

 products of artificial silk, and briefly ex- 

 plained the process of preparation and weav- 

 ing. This note was discussed by Mr. W. P. 

 Hay. Mr. E. L. Morris called attention to 

 the recently issued edition of Cassino's ' Nat- 

 uralists' Universal Directory ' ; and noted the 

 very large number of errors which are scat- 

 tered through the work. He suggested the ad- 

 visability of the scientists in a city like Wash- 

 ington taking some steps to have such errors 

 as much reduced in number as possible. Mr. 

 F. H. Blodgett exhibited a microscope slide 

 of a common ant mounted in toto, in xylol 

 and balsam, in normal position, showing 

 clearly such anatomical characters as the at- 

 tachment of the head to the thorax. This 

 preparation was discussed by Mr. Morris. 

 President Knowlton called attention to a re- 

 cent paper containing facts concerning the 

 salts found in human blood. 



The regular paper of the evening was by 

 Professor Willett M. Hays, assistant secre- 

 tary of agriculture, on ' Breeding Problems.' 

 He said : 



Of the $5,000,000,000 worth of agricul- 

 tural products annually produced in the 

 United States, $4,000,000,000 worth is handled 

 by plant and animal life. This production 

 may be increased by (1) better farming ten 

 per cent, and (2) by breeding ten per cent. 

 Increased returns from better farming cost 

 more than equal increased returns from breed- 

 ing. Ten per cent, of $4,000,000,000 is $400,- 

 000,000 and this can be produced at a cost 

 very small as compared with the total in- 

 crease. 



Improvements through breeding can not be 

 patented or monopolized. The problem, there- 

 fore, is a national one and national funds 

 should be forthcoming with which to facilitate 

 the work of investigation, growing, testing, 

 recording and distributing improved varieties 

 and breeds. The work already done by the 

 Department of Agriculture, the experiments 

 stations and by private effort sufficiently justi- 

 fies such large expenditures, and the money is 



not far oS. It would seem wise to have the 

 ownership of the plants and animals under 

 process of improvement vested in private 

 hands, the government giving general direc- 

 tion and subsidizing the operations. 



A broad plan of cooperation must be worked 

 out. Plant and animal breeders are well 

 started in cooperation through the medium 

 of the American Breeders' Association, or- 

 ganized a year ago and soon to publish its 

 first annual report. 



The pi'oblems in breeding now up for solu- 

 tion are worthy of the highest scientific effort. 

 The technique of breeding, growing and dis- 

 tributing pure bred stocks of the different 

 crops and animals calls for skill and business 

 ability of a high order. The study of therma- 

 tology in agricultural high schools and col- 

 leges is fascinating and most valuable. The 

 economic importance of breeding demands 

 serious attention from the whole people. 



The 400th regular meeting of the Biological 

 Society of Washington was held March 25, 

 1905, with Vice-President Hay in the chair 

 and seventy-seven persons present. Under 

 ' Notes,' Mr. M. W. Lyon, Jr., spoke of having 

 observed twelve dead crows during a short 

 walk in the Soldiers' Home grounds, and com- 

 mented on the large number for so small an 

 area. Dr. B. W. Evermann stated that three 

 weeks previous, in a grove of pines, he had 

 observed seven. Dr. E. A. Mearns noted that 

 such deaths were epidemic, especially in the 

 neighborhood of Port Meyer. Many of the 

 specimens observed had been sent to the 

 Smithsonian Institution as probable cases of 

 malarial fatality. Mr. William Palmer stated 

 that after every snow, especially if more than 

 two weeks' stand, the crows died by the score. 

 Dr. L. O. Howard emphasized the fact that 

 these were largely malarial cases. Mr. W. L. 

 McAtee called attention to the large amount 

 of food suitable for birds he had noted during 

 the winter in heaps of drift. He stated that 

 in one heap alone he had counted 1,583 speci- 

 mens of seeds, etc., all of which were available 

 as bird food. 



The first regular paper of the program was 



