From far and wide

From far and wide

86 FROM FAR AND WIDE ORIGINS OF THE B.M.S. Dr Roy Watling recently gave a lecture on the origins of the British Mycological Society at a meeting of ...

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86

FROM FAR AND WIDE ORIGINS OF THE B.M.S.

Dr Roy Watling recently gave a lecture on the origins of the British Mycological Society at a meeting of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History held at the University of Bradford on 21 November 1981. He discussed the importance of the local natural history societies such as the Woolhope Club and the Yorkshire Naturalists, some of whose members were responsible for the foundation of the B.M.S. He also gave a fascinating account of some of the notable mycological personalities of the time. The lecture will be published in a forthcoming number of The Naturalist. THE COMMONWEALTH INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGICAL CONTROL

The Executive Council of the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux has decided to establish a Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control station in the U.K. This station will be situated at the Imperial College Field Station at Silwood Park, nr. Ascot, where Professor M.J. Way is developing a Centre for Pest and Disease Management. The objectives of the new station will be to facilitate access by ClBC to expertise in pest management generally, to provide a coordinating centre for biological control, especially in Europe, to undertake and stimulate research and to assist in organising training and refresher courses. Studies on biological control of cassava pests and of gorse in New Zealand have already started. The Unit will be led by Dr D.J. Greathead, Assistant Director, CIBC. C.A.B. SERVICES The 13 taxonomists at C.M.I. now identify around 10,000 cultures and specimens each year, sent in by plant and forest pathologists, universities and research centres. The service is free to users in member countries of C.A.B. and at moderate cost to users in commercial organisations and in non-member countries. Support for use of the service may be provided by F.A.O. Information on charges, methods of payment and on the best way to prepare and send material is available on request to the Director, Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Ferry Lane, Kew, Surrey TW9 3AF. C.A.B. is now using Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) interactive PDP minicomputers and terminals to collect and process records prior to printing abstracts in such journals as the Review of Plant Pathology. For R.P.P., records will be compiled, as hitherto, at C.M.!., then checked and sent via Telecom data lines to a PDP 11/44 minicomputer at C.A.B. Head Office. The records will then be transferred via magnetic tape to the existing IBM based journal production system used since 1973. The change will mean that C.A.B. customers will have access to abstracts within a few weeks of papers appearing in primary journals. If information is needed urgently, arrangements will be made to select outputs weekly from the PDP 11/44. C.A.B. will also, on request, provide information on-line via DIALOG, and prepare bibliographies. Apply to Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Farnham House, Farnham Royal, Slough SL2 3BN.