The British Association at Sheffield. 327 
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION AT SHEFFIELD. 
HE British Association Meeting at Sheffield (August 31st to 
September 7th) was distinctly a good one. In particular 
the local arrangements were excellently carried out, practically 
indeed without a hitch. This is no mean achievement nowadays, 
when the Association makes greater demands on the local resources 
than ever before. In fact, the growth of the Association has 
introduced new and difficult problems, the solution of which may 
possibly result in some radical changes of policy within the next 
few years. The formation of each new section renders it in¬ 
creasingly difficult for any but the largest towns to accommodate 
the Association, and indeed one even hears the opinion voiced 
occasionally that the Association itself might well be replaced 
by entirely iudependent meetings of its various sections. The 
Council apparently favours a general policy of convergence, 
endeavouring to encourage joint meetings between different sections, 
and to discourage the multiplication of sections. In fact, there are 
some who advocate the actual amalgamation of sections already 
formed. But however desirable such amalgamation might be on 
administrative grounds, it can scarcely be denied that the sub¬ 
divisions already made have been the unavoidable outcome of the 
perfectly natural and healthy progress of science itself. That 
being so, and while properly organised joint meetings have con¬ 
siderable value, any attempt to interfere seriously with natural 
developments, and to bring about artificial unions, could only be 
regarded as a retrograde step. However, time may be entrusted 
with the solution of these wider problems; meanwhile we are more 
nearly concerned with the proceedings of Section K at the Sheffield 
meeting. 
Although the total number of members present at Sheffield 
was below the average, the attendance in Section K was the best 
for some 'years, a marked feature being the presence of a large 
contingent of the younger men. The section warmed up as the 
meeting proceeded ; indeed, although afternoon sessions were the 
exception rather than the rule, on one occasion it enthusiastically 
discussed papers of a morphological nature till after 5.30 p.m. 
The President’s Address. 
Selecting for his subject the development of systematic field 
botany, Professor J. W. H. Trail delivered his Presidential address 
