IOO 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



lindens crashed to the ground, followed 

 by another tree, the name of which 1 

 forget. 



After the storm, whenever there was 

 a strong breeze, we could see the roots 

 of the remaining poplar gently move 

 up and down where they crossed a dirt 

 walk that led past the twin trees. 

 Moreover, for all its great height and 

 obvious great age, the tree had not for 

 a number of years, looked over healthy. 

 It had no disease, but its foliage might 

 have been more luxuriant and while it 

 was a very handsome tree, events 

 proved it could be handsomer. It was 

 evident that the roots had been loosen- 

 ed and its position on the steep slope of 

 a bank rendered it none too safe in any 

 case. 



How could I save it ! For save it I 

 must. Happily one portion of my 

 beach has an unlimited number of just 

 such stones as the picture shows, and 

 the reader sees the result of the idea 



conceived in my brain after a little 

 thinking. My gardener feared that 

 such a depth (4 feet) of soil necessary 

 to fill in my circular wall would kill 

 the tree, but it was a case of "kill or 

 cure" anyway, so I persevered and 

 mixed with the soil a lot of stable 

 manure preparatory to growing 

 flowers. 



Imagine my delight when the follow- 

 ing spring my aged poplar showed 

 every sign of rejuvenation. It came 

 into leaf ahead of all others : its foliage 

 was thicker than I had supposed pos- 

 sible in that species and it has con- 

 tinued to thrive ever since. The tree 

 certainly had taken on a new lease of 

 life. The rich soil had much to do with 

 its improved appearance, no doubt, but 

 it was the tremendous weight covering 

 and holding firm the roots that saved 

 its life. 



Very sincerely yours, 



Nathalie Alexandre. 



Why Do I Need an Anastigmat? 



BY HERRN HYPERFOCUS. 



One of the questions which is often 

 asked by the amateur is, "Why do I 

 need one of those high priced lenses on 

 my camera when I am getting pretty 

 good results with my present equip- 

 ment?" The fact is that a great many 

 people have been led to believe that 

 a good sharp negative is only a matter 

 of luck and it comes only to those 

 fortunate persons who happen to have 

 a good lens picked out for them. 



The amateur (and the professional 

 as well) often fails to appreciate the 

 difference between the old rapid rec- 

 tilinear lens and the anastigmat type, 

 now rapidly moving to the front. The 

 most striking property of the anastig- 

 mat is speed. At the same aperture 

 as the older lenses, finer definition is 



produced than with the rapid rectilin- 

 ear. 



If we wish to demonstrate forcibly 

 the difference between the old and new 

 type of lenses, nothing is more simple. 



First. Arrange your camera so that 

 you know the front board is absolutely 

 parallel to the ground glass of the 

 camera. 



Second. Determine if the ground 

 glass, focusing surface, and the plate in 

 the plate holder are in absolute regis- 

 ter. 



If these precautions are not taken the 

 so called "test" of lenses is absolutely 

 worthless and it is responsible for the 

 comments made by careless persons 

 who can see no good in anastigmat 

 lenses based on the evidence of their 

 own "expert" test. If we now focus 

 with an anastigmat upon a flat subject, 



