370 



Profs. Percy Frankland and Marshall Ward. 



The cultures were examined at 4.40, 7 P.M., and 8.45, in each case 

 with no traces of germinated rodlets in that under water, whereas 

 that tinder bichromate had germinated out normally and grown well, 

 as the table shows. 



How the conclusion that the light from a sky only occasionally 

 blue, and generally very cloudy, retarded the spores indefinitely is 

 to be avoided here seems inconceiveable. There is nothing in the 

 minute differences of temperature the maximum at 11.45 was only 

 0'4 of a degree to account for it, and as for the variations (from 

 17'5 to 23'25), even if they had attained dangerous ranges, they 

 were similar in both cases ; but they were in no way dangerous ; 

 the range was really very favourable. 



On August 4 this experiment was repeated, but with broth 

 instead of 1 per cent, gelatine drops. The cultures were started 

 at 10.15, and kept till 10.55, at a north window in the laboratory, 

 because rain was threatened. The sky then became blue in patches 

 a very deep blue, but with rolling heavy cumulus clouds and 

 the cultures were then taken outside and exposed exactly as yester- 

 day, all the cells standing on a glass mirror, the surface of which 

 was covered with black paper except just below the drops and the 

 thermometer bulbs. The variations of sky and temperature are given 

 in the annexed table. 



