464 Transactions. — 3Iiscellaneous. 



about half the current of a Daniell, were brought into play in 

 the following manner : I filled two glass tubes of lin. length 

 with guano, and at one end of each tube fitted a section of 

 carbon with wire attached. The sections of carbon and lin. 

 of each wire were then covered with guttapercha. This pre- 

 vented any current passing through the earth, except by 

 way of the guano in the tubes. 



Two mustard-plants nearly lin. above the surface of 

 the ground were brought between the open ends of tubes, 

 and the current turned on. During the period of three 

 weeks the current was passed through the circuit intermit- 

 tently, and always in the same direction. At the end of that 

 time the gain over plants, equal in size at the commencement, 

 was 2in., with size in proportion. 



With seeds soaked in water, which w-ere placed within a 

 strong magnetic field, little or no effect was apparent. With 

 zinc and carbon and zinc-cum-copper couples placed at dis- 

 tances of 1 and 2 yards, with rows of peas between, dis- 

 tinctly beneficial results have been observed. 



Aet. LIII. — So7ne Becent Evidence in favour of Impact. 



By A. W. BiCKEKTON. 



[Bead before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 1st November, 



1893.] 



Plate LII. 



In the years 1878-79-80, I read before the Institute a series 

 of papers on cosmic evolution, founded on the theory of 

 impact. 



The reasoning on which the theory was based was of so 

 obvious a character as to leave little doubt on the mind 

 of any one acquainted with the modern doctrine of energy as 

 to the substantial accuracy of the induction. At the same 

 time, there seemed but small probability that any phenomena 

 would occur, sufficiently striking to actually demonstrate the 

 theory. It is often said, however, that it is the improbable 

 that occurs, and this seems to apply with special force to what 

 Nova Auriga has done to demonstrate the theory of construc- 

 tive impact. 



The theory suggested the existence of dark suns, and, 

 although in my earliest papers I stated that Algol was pro- 

 bably a dead sun revolving around a brilliant one, there then 

 seemed little likelihood of the surmise being proved. Many 



