36o 



NATURE 



[January i j. 1912 



(1500 francd), for a work on zoological paUeontology, com- 

 parative anatomy, or zoology. 



Medicine and SMrji<.ry. -Montyon prizes (prize of 3500 



francs, mentions of iS(X) francs), for work contributing to 



ihf progri-RS of m«Hlicm«-' ; the Barbicr prize (2000 francn), 



liir a valiinbic discovery in surgical, medical, pharma- 



( <uti«'nl «ici«'nci', or in botany in its relation to niedicinr- ; 



'Iw Hreant prize {100,000 francs), for a discovery eradicating 



\-iatic cholera; the (icxlard prize (1000 francs), for the 



• <.t memoir on the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of 



ihf urino-g»'nitary organs; the Haron Larrey prize (750 



francs), to a physician or surgeon belonging to the Army 



■ I Navy for a work treating a subject of military medicine, 



iirgery, or hygiene ; th*- Million prize (1400 francs), for 



iluable discoveries in medicine or hygiene; the ^I^ge prize 



in.cHH) francs), to an author who will continue and com- 



I'te the founder's essay on the causes which have retarded 



favoured the progress of medicine ; the- Argut prize 



I -'<H> francs), for a discovery of a cure for a disease at 



■ •sfHt incapable of treatment by surgery. 



I'hysiolofiy. — -^ Montyon prize (750 francs), for work in 



\|»erimental physiology ; the Philipeaux prize (900 francs), 



as a recompense for researches in experimental physiology ; 



the Lallemand prize (1800 francs), for works relating to the 



iii-rvous system ; the Pourat prize (1000 francs), for re- 



^larches on the actions exerted by the X-rays and radium 



rays ufwn the development and nutrition of living cells. 



Statistics. — .\ Montyon prize (one prize of 1000 francs 

 and two mentions of 500 francs). 



History of Science. — The Binoux prize (2000 francs). 

 General Prizes. — The Arago, Lavoisier, and Berthelot 

 ini.'dals ; the Henri Becquerel prize (3000 francs) ; the 

 < iegner prize (3800 francs), for researches or work con- 

 tributing to the progress of science ; the I.annelongue prize 

 (2000 francs), for the assistance of scientific workers or 

 their relations in distress; the Gustave Roux prize (tooo 

 francs); the Tr^mont prize (iioo francs); the Wilde prize 

 (one of 4000 francs and two of 2000 francs), for discoveries 

 in astronomy, physics, chemistry, mineralogy, geology, or 

 experimental mechanics ; the Lonchampt prize (4000 francs), 

 for a memoir on the diseases of man, animals, or plants 

 from the special point of view of the introduction of mineral 

 substances in e.xcess as the cause of these diseases ; the 

 Saintour prize (3000 francs), for work in mathematics; the 

 Fanny Kmden prize (3000 francs), for a work treating of 

 hypriotism, suggestion, or phy.sriological actions exerted at 

 .1 distance on the animal organism ; the Petit d'Ormoy 

 prize (two prizes of 10,000 francs), for work in pure or 

 applied mathematics or natural science ; the Pierson-Perrin 

 prize i^ooo francs), for an important discovery in mechanics 

 or physics; the I'arkin prize (3400 francs), for work on the 

 therapeutic effects of carbon dioxide or on the effects of 

 volcanic action in the production of epidemic diseases ; the 

 Estrade-Delcros prize (8000 francs) ; the Danton prize 

 (1500 francs), for researches relating to radiant pheno- 

 mena ; the prize founded by Mme. la Marquise de Laplace ; 

 thi" F«^li\ Rivot prize (2500 francs). 



T 



FORESTRY IN NORWAY. 



HK progress of scientific forestry in Norway forms the 

 subject of an interesting article, bv Mr. S. Burtt 

 Meyer, in No. 5 of the Journal of the Board of Agriculture. 

 No less than 21-4 per cent, of the total area of Norwav 

 is under forest, as against 30 per cent, in the United 

 Kingdom. The most abundant forest tree is the Scots pine 

 [Ptntts Sylvesiris), followed by the birch and the spruce 

 (P. exceha). The alder, aspen, and rowan are distributed 

 pretty generally, while the oak, ash, elm. and beech are 

 also found in fa\oured areas. The commercial timbers, 

 however, are the Scots pine and the spruce, the latter being 

 of great importance since the introduction of the wood-pulp 

 trade. Spruce forms much the best material for wood pulp. 

 A certain amount of pine can be added, but more than 

 about 15 per cent, tends to spoil the colour. Spruce grows 

 at a lower altitude than pine, and, generally speaking, in 

 a more southern latitude. South of Trondhjem the pine 

 usually ceases at about 2600 feet above sea-level, where it 

 IS replaced by the birch ; above 3500 feet onlv dwarf birch 

 and willow occur, while at some 4000 feet 'the snow-line 

 stops all vegetation. The best forest land is that Iving in 

 NO. 2202, VOL. 88] 



the neighbourhood of Chrictiania extendint; nr.ni, nnd 

 north-ea*t over the fJlommen watershed. Th- ,> nt 



of the fore*t i« on the whole good, and well ;■■ the 



l<Kal conditions. The work of felling and rtnioving the 

 timlx-r commmcet in autumn and rontinuet throughout the 

 wintt-r. Ix'ing greatly facilitated by the snow which covert 

 the ground from .\ovember until March or April. 



One common system consists in clearing a circl'» until its 

 diameter equals the height of the surrounding tree«. 

 Labour is obtained largely from the small p«;asant pro- 

 prietors, who prcrponderate so largely in the country. Much 

 attention is devoted to afforestation, two societies, the 

 Royal Society for the Welfare of Norway, and the 

 Norwegian Forestry Society, interesting themselves con- 

 siderably in this question, .\fforestation has naturally re- 

 ceived most attention in the coast provinces, but prepara- 

 tory schemes for land drainage and improvement have also 

 been made for districts in the interior, while planting has 

 been widely carried on over the high-lying Crown lands of 

 eastern Norway. On account of the snowfall, planting is 

 only possible in early summer or early autumn. 



Shifting sands on the coast are planted up in the same 

 manner as on the northern shores of Jylland, in Denmark. 

 Irregularities in the surface are filled in, the ground is 

 then covered with moss, heather, or any kind of loose 

 material, pegged down when necessary, seed of Elymus or 

 Arundo arenaria is sown, and lastly broad strips are planted 

 with Pintis maritima. 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRYSTAL FACES. 

 T N a memoir by M. P. Gaubert entitled " Recherches 

 ■*■ r^centes sur le Facies des Cristaux," published by the 

 Soci^td de Chimie physique, some remarkable new facts 

 are described regarding the influence of foreign substances 

 on the development of crystal faces. The most interesting 

 relate to the influence of colouring matters, such as 

 methylene blue, eosine, fuchsine, and picric acid, which are 

 shown to be capab'.e of passing into the crystal substance 

 in two different ways. According to one, the colouring 

 matter is deposited on the crystal in the course of growth ; 

 this occurs when the solution is saturated with the colour- 

 xnsi matter, which thus deposit crystals. An excellent 

 example is atTorded by lead nitrate, which when pure 

 usually deposits colourless octahedral crystals. When the 

 mother liquor is saturated with methylene blue, the crystals 

 first deposited exhibit cube faces modifying those of the 

 octahedra, and these cube faces alone are coloured blue ; 

 they also exhibit striations like pyrites, corresponding to 

 the faces of the pentagonal dodecahedron. The colour thus 

 not only attaches itself to the faces of a particular form, 

 but indicates the true class of symmetry of the system, in 

 this case a class lower than the holohedral. Similar pheno- 

 mena are described with gypsum, copper sulphate, thallium 

 sulphate, and morphine, all of which develop specific un- 

 usual forms and faces, coloured by the dye. when the latter 

 is methylene blue. Strong polychroism is also introduced 

 in the case of copper sulphate. 



The second nio<ie of coloration occurs when a dye stains the 

 crystals grown whatever be the state of dilution of 1 he dye. Nitrate 

 of urea is a oood example. The ordinary crystals are mono- 

 clinic tables parallel to the basal plane looil, bounded by 

 the prism [no! ^nd pinakoids Iiool and loioj. But when 

 methylene blue is present the two latter forms are sup- 

 pressed, and the plates are coloured blue and elongated 

 along the axis of the prism jlio'. If, however, picric 

 acid be used as the colouring matter, the facial disposi- 

 tion is entirely altered, the pinakoids being developed, but 

 not the prism. More remarkable still, when both 

 methylene blue and picric acid are present, the crystals of 

 urea nitrate show all four forms, and the plate shows eight 

 sectors, four coloured blue, corresponding to the prism 

 faces, and four yellow opposite the pinakoid faces. 

 Phthalic acid exhibits analogous phenomena with methylene 

 blue, malachite green, and scarlet of Biebrich, specific 

 forms staining with each dye, and the crystal showing 

 differently coloured sectors when the dyes are simul- 

 taneously present. The reasons for these remarkable 

 phenomena are not convincingly brought out in the 

 memoir, and it is obvious that an interesting new field of 

 work is opened up, in which much will have to be done 

 before the solution of the problem is satisfactorily achieved. 



i 



