398 



NA TURE 



[Feb. 27, 1890 



altogether wanting ; but another very interesting order, 

 the Tilopterideas, is well represented. In green Algae, 

 the large Siphoneae of the Mediterranean and other 

 warmer seas are represented only by Bryopsis. Of red 

 Algae, the number of species and genera is inferior to 

 that found in the Mediterranean or on the coasts of Eng- 

 land and France ; but almost all the different types of 

 growth are well represented. Although the Baltic has, 

 like the Mediterranean, no tides, the sea-level of Kiel 

 harbour falls so considerably with a south wind, that 

 many littoral Algas are then completely exposed. 



The growing-houses consist of a horse-shoe-shaped 

 block of buildings, on one side of which is a long low 

 house, and of a detached underground house. In design- 

 ing the plan, the object specially kept in view was to 

 furnish favourable conditions for the cultivation of 

 all the important types of warmer climates ; and the 

 houses were therefore not built higher than seemed abso- 

 lutely necessary. The chief part of the block consists 

 of a higher and a lower cool-house, a higher and a 

 lower hot-house, and a propagating-house. The higher 

 houses are eight, the lower four metres in height, 

 and the propagating-house still lower. Each of the lower 

 houses is again divided into two, for different tempera- 

 tures. The warmer division of the lower hot-house 

 contains three basins for the culture of tropical fresh- 

 water plants. The propagating-house is, in the same 

 way, divided into two. The underground house is a long 

 building entirely buried, the glass roof alone projecting 

 above the surface of the ground. The heating is effected 

 by hot-water pipes. 



The various study-rooms are devoted partly to morpho- 

 logical and systematic, partly to physiological work. The 

 former comprise a large herbarium in the top story, and 

 four roomy work-rooms on the ground floor, in which 

 are also kept those portions of the herbarium which are 

 required for reference for the work in hand, and the whole 

 of the dried Algae. The first story is devoted to the 

 residence of the Director. One of the work-rooms is 

 devoted entirely to marine Algaj ; each is fitted up with 

 microscopical apparatus, and they are furnished with a 

 very extensive reference-library. The second portion 

 comprises a room with a small chamber opening out of it 

 for chemico-physiological work ; a room with stone floor, 

 facing the north, for physico-physiological work ; and a 

 dark chamber with a balcony in the top story. Before 

 the balcony a large sandstone slab is let into the wall of 

 the building for the erection of a heliostat. In the base- 

 ment story is a dynamo-machine. 



For the collection of the seaweeds both row-boats and 

 steamers are employed. For scraping the larger species 

 off the rocks. Dr. Reinke has contrived a special drag- 

 net, of which a drawing is appended, furnished with a row 

 of sharp teeth at the mouth. 



The culture of seaweeds presents greater difficulties 

 in summer than in winter. They continue to grow in the 

 Baltic at any temperature above zero C. ; and, in cultiva- 

 tion, a low temperature is much more favourable to their 

 growth than a high one. In the Institute they continue 

 to fructify through the winter in the cool houses if pro- 

 tected from actual frost, the smaller species going through 

 their complete cycle of development from the germinat- 

 ing spore ; but a frequent change of the sea-water, or 

 the addition of nutrient substances, is desirable. In 

 summer the incidence of direct sunlight must be carefully 

 avoided, and the temperature of the air must be kept as 

 low as possible. For this purpose ice-cupboards have 

 been built. Prof. Reinke has contrived a special arrange- 

 ment for the cultivation of seaweeds in their native 

 habitat. In the harbour near to the Botanic Garden, a 

 wooden buoy is anchored, from which is suspended a 

 wire basket by chains from 3 to 4 metres in length. In 

 this floating aquarium the seaweeds grow exposed to 

 their most favourable natural conditions of currents and 



variations of temperature in the water during the^^summer 

 months. Next spring it is proposed to build an aquarium 

 for seaweeds for public exhibition in connection with^the 

 Institute. ^^ 



The Government of Prussia has rendered great assist- 

 ance in the establishment of the Botanical Institute and 



Marine Station at Kiel through its Minister for Educa- 

 tion. The Director is very anxious that, especially in 

 the department of marine Alga;, the herbarium and 

 library, already so rich, should be rendered still more 

 complete, by the addition of specimens or of treatises 

 published in journals in which it may still be deficient. 



SIR ROBERT KANE, LL.D., F.R.S. 



CIR ROBERT KANE was born on September 24, 

 *^ 1 8 10, in Dublin. This was the fiftieth year of King 

 George III. and the tenth of the Union. Shortly after- 

 wards his father established chemical works on the North 

 Wall, by the side of the River Liffey, which in time 

 developed into important and well-known sulphuric acid 

 and alkali works. His mother was Ellen Troy, of whose 

 family Dr. Troy, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, 

 was a member. Sir Robert Kane very early in his life 

 developed a taste for chemical knowledge, and in 1828 

 his first paper, " On the Existence of Chlorine in the 

 Native Peroxide of Manganese," was published, and fol- 

 lowed by a series of contributions on kindred themes. 

 He entered Trinity College, Dublin, in 1829, and pro- 



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