METEOROLOGY WATER. 



15 



XII +53). — In addition to various administrative details, this report contains 

 tabular summaries of observations on pressure, temperature, rainfall, sunshine 

 and cloudiness, evaporation, and wind movement at various places in Cape of 

 Good Hope. 



Climate [of Japan], C. Shimooka (In Agriculture in Japan. Tokyo: Govt., 

 1908, pp. 27-38). — The principal climatic features of Japan are briefly described 

 in this article. It is pointed out that while the greater portion of the country 

 is situated in the temperate zone and the whole country is surrounded by seas, 

 which make the climate much milder than that of Manchuria, Siberia, and 

 Korea, the facts that the country extends over 30 degrees of latitude and has a 

 great variety of topographical conditions give rise to wide variations in climatic 

 features. 



On the extreme variations in rainfall, G. Hellmanx (Ztschr. Gesell. Erdk. 

 Berlin, 1908, Xo. 0, pp. 605-613; ahs. in Ann. Hydrog. u. Marit. Met., 37 (1909), 

 No. Jf, pp. 183, 18'i). — On the basis of observations on rainfall in different parts 

 of the world, an attempt is made to formulate certain laws controlling the 

 variations in rainfall and to determine variation quotients for different regions. 



Percolation, evaporation, and condensation, B. Latham {Quart. Jour. Roy. 

 Met. Soc. [London], 35 {1909), No. 151, pp. 189-211, figs. 8).— This article gives 

 the results of observations with rain gages and pex'colating gages on chalk 

 soils. 



Each of the percolating gages was exactly one square yard in area and con- 

 tained 1 cu. yd. of material. The edges of the gages stood about I5 in. above 

 the surface of the soil inside and outside of the gage. One gage was filled with 

 chalk soil, the other with a gravel soil containing vegetable remains. The 

 observations recorded began in 1878 and have been continued daily up to the 

 present time. The amount and composition of the percolating waters and the 

 evaporation as measured by standard evaporators are reported. The results 

 are summarized in the following table: 



Monthly average rainfall, percolation, evaporation, and condensation at Croydon 

 for the 30 years 1879 to 1908. 



Month. 



Rainfall. 



Percola- 

 tion, 

 chalk. 



Percola- 

 tion, 

 gravel. 



Evapora- 

 tion, 

 floating 

 evapora- 

 tor. 



Conden- Evapora- 



sation , 

 floating 

 evapora- 

 tor. 



tion 

 exposed 

 evapora- 

 tor. 



Tempera- 

 ture of 

 water, 

 floating 



evapora- 

 tor, at 

 9 a. m. 



Tempera- 

 ture of 

 dew- 

 point at 

 9 a. m. 



January 



February 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September 



October 



November 



December 



Yearly average. 



Inches. 

 1.849 

 1.854 

 1.733 

 1.616 

 1.806 

 2.253 

 2.299 

 2. 265 

 2.007 

 2. 963 

 2.612 

 2.199 



Inches. 



1.7095 



1. 6275 



1. 2730 



.5472 



. 4045 



.4387 



.3096 



.3240 



.1686 



.9876 



1. 4314 



1.6221 



Indies. 



1.6446 



1. 5150 



1. 1346 



.3893 



.2056 



.3089 



.2881 



. 2645 



.1217 



.9567 



1.6811 



1. 8324 



Inches. 



0.246 



.344 



.936 



1. 808 



2.698 



3.116 



3. 305 



2. 679 



1.521 



.825 



.426 



.233 



Inches. 

 0. 0608 

 .0460 

 .0180 

 .0040 

 .0012 

 .0028 

 .0003 

 .0018 

 .0018 

 .0378 

 .0654 

 .1190 



Inches. 



0.743 



.994 



2.189 



3. 515 



4.893 



5.261 



5. 549 



4.658 



2.931 



1.554 



.893 



.670 



°F. 

 36.15 

 36.86 

 39.88 

 47.34 

 .55. 53 

 62.16 

 65.30 

 63.38 

 57.61 

 49.26 

 42.79 

 37.75 



25.456 i 10.8437 



10. 3425 



18. 137 



.3589 



49.50 



°F. 

 34. 45 

 34.81 

 36. 53 

 40.02 

 45. 31 

 .51. 18 

 54.48 

 54.71 

 52.22 

 45. 75 

 40.96 

 35. 93 



43.87 



The nature and extent of air pollution by smoke, J. B. Cohen and A. G. 

 RusTON {Abs. in Nature [London], 81 {1909), No. 2085, pp. 468, 469, figs. 2).— 

 This is an abstract of a paper read at the Health Congress at Leeds July 17, 

 and gives the results of detailed examinations of samples of air taken at 10 

 representative stations in Leeds and one at Garforth about 7* miles from Leeds. 



