l62 



NATURE 



[November 30, 



i<i 



was presented the ascentt have taken place. Six balloons 

 were liberated, and five of these have l)eon recovered. 



It is desirable that observations of pilot balloons should 

 be obtained in Ireland in addition to the records from 

 registering balloons, and the committee recommend re- 

 appointment, with a grant of 50I., to permit of this 

 extension of the work. A special theodolite, costing about 

 30/., is necessary for the observations. The additional 

 outlay on balloons and hydrogen for the pilot-balloon 

 observations would be comparatively small. 



In the table temperature is expressed in degrees centi- 

 grade above the absolute zero —273** on the ordinary scale. 

 H, is the height and T, the temperature at which tempera- 

 ture begins to be practically constant in a vertical direction. 



.1 SCIENTIFIC MISCELLASV. 



1 



HE Smithsonian report for the year 1910 has just been 

 published by the institution. Besides the report of 

 the regents and the secretary, the volume contains, as 

 usual, a "general appendix," consisting this year of 

 thirty-four papers of popular interest on various branches 

 of science, also biographies of a number of prominent 

 scientific men who have recently died. Some of the papers 

 are original, while others are reprinted from foreign and 

 domestic scientific and technical periodicals. All the 

 articles are selected with the view of furnishing the latest 

 accurate information on topics which are believed to be 

 of interest to a wide circle. 



Aviation. 

 A review of modern progress in aviation is ably re- 

 corded by the late Mr. Octave Chanute. His paper covers 

 the principal advances made in aviation, beginning with the 

 experiments of Hiram Maxim in 1894, ^"<i including 

 Langley's expeiiments (1896-1903), the author's own in- 

 vestigations, the work of the Wrights, Dumont, 

 de Lagrange, Farman, Bl^riot, Bell, Curtiss, and others, 

 bringing the subject down to the close of the year 1909. 



Reclamation of Arid Lands. 

 Mr. F. H. Newell, director of the Reclamation Service, 

 sets forth the recent progress in the reclamation of the 

 arid lands in the Western States. The work of reclama- 

 tion includes all the Western States and territories, where 

 nearly 10,000 families are being supplied with water. 

 Through this great undertaking the waste waters of the 

 West are being conserved, destructive floods prevented, 

 apparently valueless lands converted into productive farms, 

 and thousands of families settled in newly opened terri- 

 tory, where they are maintaining homes on reclaimed land. 

 Besides engineering, with its business and financial 

 problems, the article deals with many other subjects, such 

 as the character of settlers, the size of farms, crops, &c.. 

 and the individual projects which together furnish water 

 for about 1,000,000 acres, nearly one-half of which is 

 already settled. 



Electric Power from the Mississippi. 

 A kindred topic is the great electric power plant at 

 Keokuk, Iowa, with its 4278-foot concrete dam across the 

 Mississippi River between Keokuk, Iowa, and Hamilton, 

 III. This subject is treated by Mr. Chester M. Clark in 

 a well-illustrated article entitled " Electric Power from the 

 Mississippi River." The paper shows the development of 

 the largest single hydro-electric plant in existence through 

 the construction of what is undoubtedly the greatest bank- 

 to-bank dam in the world. 



Papers on Physics, Chemistry, and .Astrophysics. 

 Under the heading of physics there is an account, by 

 Mr. T. Thome Baker, of experiments and researches in 

 the telegraphy of photographs, transmitted by both the wire 

 and the wireless systems ; Prof. Jean Becquerel, professor 

 at the Museum of Natural History of Paris, has permitted 

 the translation of his valuable paper on modern ideas on 

 the constitution of matter, comparing the old theories of 

 matter with the newer views recently confirmed by experi- 

 ments ; and Mr. R. A. Millikan has abridged his treatise 

 on "The Isolation of an Ion," which deals with the exact 

 measurement of an elemental electrical charge and several 

 analogous problems. 



Dr. CharUif E. Munroc. professor of cl 

 ^ n University, and a well-known uud 



, has written an interesting paper on tii> 

 d-,v<jiupniciit!> in methods of testing explosives. ^^| 



Mr. C. G. Abbot, director of the Astrophysical ObiM^| 

 tory of the Smithsonian Institution, contributes ar --**^^ 

 on the recently devclop«;d subject of astrophykics, 

 a study of celestial physics, but pertains principal!;, 

 heat and other physical properties of the sun. The \> 

 relates to the solar constant of radiation, a topic on ui 

 Mr. Abbot is well informed, having pursued studies in : 

 direction for nearly sixteen years at the Smithstj: 

 Observatory in Washington, and on Mount Whit 

 Mount Wilson, California. In this article the auti 

 with the problem of measuring the amount of so.... . 

 received by the earth and that lost in transit to it. 

 subject of astrophysics is further treated by Mes 

 Curtiss, Deslandres, and Bosler in three articles. 



What Constitutes the Earth? _ 



Under the title "What is Terra Firma?" Mr. BaU 

 Willis, of the U.S. Geological Survey, attacks the old, 

 modern, problem of the construction and balance of 

 globe in a review of current research in isostasy. In 

 discussion of this puzzling question Mr. Willis advt 

 the theory that the foundation of all the continents 

 composed of solid rock which is self-crushed to a 

 of about 120 kilometres, but rendered sufficiently rigid 

 pressure to maintain its form during prolonged geologic 

 periods with but slight change. 



The Future Habitability of the Earth. 

 In line with the construction and condition of the glot 

 another author, Prof. T. C. Chamberlin, brings up 

 further vital question " The Future Habitability of 

 Earth " in an article in which he reviews the past, an 

 considers the future, of the world as a dwelling-place f<l 

 the human race. Many branches of science enter into 

 discussion ; but upon geology, physics, chemistry, 

 nomy, and astrophysics rests the burden of the arguir 

 Prof. Chamberlin thinks that the earth will remain 

 able for tens of millions of years, but concedes that 

 close approach of a celestial body to the sun would prol 

 ably result in the disruption of the solar system and brio 

 disaster to the earth. He further states, in regard to til 

 future possibilities of scientific research, that " when mon 

 purpose and research come to be the pre-eminent charactef 

 istics of our race by voluntary adoption and by the selectil 

 action of the survival of the fittest, and when these 

 potent attributes join in an unflagging endeavour to cc 

 pass the highest development and the greatest perpetuity 

 the race, the true era of humanit>' will really have beei 

 begun." 



Botany and Forestry. 



Several papers come under the head of botany, amo 

 them an interesting sketch of the sacred ear-flower of 

 .Aztecs, a plant the identity of which has been a mys 

 for years, and only recently rediscovered by the au^ 

 Mr. W. E. Safford, of the Bureau of Plant Industrj-. 

 little flower, resembling the human ear, has a remark 

 history, and dates back to the early explorations of Mex 

 It was first described in 1569 by Padre Bernardino ' 

 Sahagun, w'ho states that it was much used owing to ;i 

 delicious fragrance and its flavour when used as a sp 

 Despite the formidable name (Xochinacaztli) whicl 

 bears, the author suggests its cultivation on account of 

 unusual fragrance and pleasant spicy flavour. 



Mr. Henry S. Graves, chief of the Forest Service, c 

 tributes a well-illustrated and original article on fc 

 preservation, in which he carefully considers all point- 

 the great problem, making many things clear which ! 

 long been obscure. 



Medicine and Medical Researches. 



Those interested in medical research and allied suhj 

 will find matter of concern in the following paper- 

 manifested life of tissues outside of the organism, by 

 Alexis Carrel and Mr. Montrose T. Burrows ; epidemic! 

 of tuberculosis, by Prof. Robert Koch ; the significanr 

 the pulse-rate in vertebrate animals, by Dr. Flor^ 

 Buchanan ; and sanitation on farms, by Dr. .Allen ^\ 

 Freeman. 



mon 

 >f tl 



NO. 2196, VOL. 88] 



