PROCEEDINGS OF THE 
Twenty - Seventh Annual Session of 
the Iowa Academy of Science 
REPORT OF TPIE SECRETARY. 
Fellows and Members of the Iowa Academy of Science : 
During the year since the last meeting of the Academy no vigorous 
campaign has been conducted to increase the membership. No attempt 
was made by the secretary to reach the high school science teachers other 
than by sending out programs of the 1913 meeting. This was done in 
order that the general character of the papers presented might be known, 
and the way be prepared to extend invitations during the coming year. 
Three notices of the 1913 meeting were mailed to the members; in 
addition to the notices a program was sent to each member. 
In February an invitation from the Minnesota Academy of Science 
was received by the president of the Academy, to send a delegate to rep- 
resent the Iowa Academy at their 40th anniversary which occurred 
March 4th. It was hardly practicable to accept the invitation because 
funds were not available. 
Almost every year a few authors append the names of the laboratories 
where their work was done, to the papers sent to the secretary for pub- 
lication. It has not been the custom to indicate the schools or labora- 
tories with which the authors may be connected. If it be desirable to 
make a change in this respect it will be well for the Academy to take 
action to that effect. The question is one upon which there may be 
difference of opinion. Also would it be well, or would it not, to give 
the academic degrees held by the members of the Academy, educational 
positions occupied, or positions of honor, and the schools with which 
they are connected, in the list of fellows and members as it appears in 
the Proceedings. No recommendation is made in this report. 
It seems to be accepted as a fact that a law or rule that does not have 
the sympathetic support of the people passing the law or formulating 
the rule is not enforced nor indeed can it hardly be. Among our rules 
is one to the effect that an abstract shall be submitted with the title 
of the paper to be presented at the meetings of the Academy. Action to 
