Feb. 27, 1890] 



NATURE 



405 



white and Victoria white, also some Hungarian wheats, besides 

 Italian varieties. 



It was found that the English varieties gave very poor results ; 

 the squarehead was a very poor sample indeed, and it was un- 

 fortunate that it was used for the manuring experiments. The 

 degeneration of English wheats during the first year is probably 

 due to the great amount of transpiration taking place in this 

 climate, especially during such a hot and dry summer as that of 

 1888. Giglioli enters into an interesting discussion of this im- 

 portant physiological result. 



The most productive wheat was a variety known as Noe, from 

 the South of France, originally from Bessarabia — this yielded at 

 the rate of 3485 kilograms per hectare ; next in order were two 

 Italian varieties, Rieti and Puglia grain, yielding at the rate of 

 about 3150 kilograms per hectare. The Puglia wheat was the 

 finest in quality of grain, but its yield of straw was very lo\v. 



The great importance of a careful selection of varieties is 

 pointed out, and Giglioli is of opinion that much more good 

 will be done by improving and selecting Italian varieties than 

 by importing new varieties ; which, if from colder countries, 

 will probably not be able to stand the climate. 



Incidentally, the experiments showed the great benefit of good 

 cultivation and of surface draining, the plots being above the 

 level of the surrounding paths, for the produce of the unmanured 

 plot>< was double that of the neighbouring land under ordinary 

 cultivation. 



From the manuring experiments it was shown that farm- 

 yard manure gave fair results, but the season was un- 

 favourable to the action of artificial manures, being much too 

 dry. Of nitrogenous manures, acidified urine gave the best 

 results, but nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia were often 

 worse than useless. Phosphates had some good effect, and 

 Thomas-Gilchrist slag was useful. Potash salts had no par- 

 ticular effect ; the chloride seemed rather better than the sul- 

 phate. 



The results of the manuring experiments, considering the great 

 care and labour bestowed on them, must be disappointing ; but 

 the soil is in too high condition for manures to show great effects, 

 ai>o the variety of grain sown was unsuitable to the climate, 

 and the season was against manures, especially nitrogenous 

 manures. 



In this Report the details of the experiments are given in full, 

 with the appearance of the plots at different dates, and the whole 

 results tabulated in various ways in nearly a hundred tables. All 

 the weighings at harvest were carried out under the personal 

 ! superintendence of Prof. Giglioli, who evidently has spared 

 neither time, trouble, nor health, in conducting these important 

 researches. Already the results have yielded important infor- 

 mation, especially on the suitability or the reverse of special 

 varieties of wheat to the climate of Southern Italy, and with 

 their continuance there can be no doubt that results most 

 valuable to the Italian farmer on the cultivation and manuring 

 of wheat will be obtained. 



Whilstheartily congratulatingProf, Giglioliand the Agricultural 

 Association of Naples on having inaugurated these experiments 

 with the prospect of continuing them for some years, we cannot 

 but think that their value would be greatly increased if the plots 

 were larger ; or, if this cannot be arrans^ed with the appliances 

 at command, if the experiments were always in duplicate, or 

 preferably in triplicate, and this might be rendered possible by 

 reducing the number of experiments on manures in future seasons. 



E. K. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. 



American J oiirual of Science, February.— The magnetic field 

 in the Jefferson Physical Laboratory, by R. W. Willson. One 

 of the wings of this Laboratory in Harvard University has been 

 constructed wholly without iron for the purpose of research, and 

 the author has made a series of experiments to determine how 

 far the end sought has been gained. He has found the magnitude 

 of the disturbance which may arise in practice from such objects 

 as stoves and iron pipes, and has made the interesting discovery 

 that the brick piers of the building have a sufficient amount of 

 free magnetism to produce quite an appreciable effect. — On Cre- 

 taceous plants from Martha's Vineyard, by David White. The 

 author has studied a number of fossil plants collected at several 

 localities and horizons in the Vineyard series for the purpose of 

 solving the question as to the age of the underlying clays, 



lignites, and sands, of Martha's Vineyard. He concludes that 

 the evidence from the fossil plants bespeaks an age decidedly 

 Cretaceous, and probably Middle Cretaceous, for the terrane in 

 which they were deposited. — Review of Dr. K. W Ell's second 

 report on the geol 'gy of a portion of the Province of Quebec, 

 with additional notes on the " Quebec group," by Charles D. 

 Walcott. The geological systems recognized in the area re- 

 ported upon include ti.e Devonian, Silurian, Cambro-Silurian 

 (Ordovician), Cambrian, and preCambrian. — Measurement by 

 light- waves, by Albert A. Michelson. The telescope and 

 microscope are compared with the refractometer, some remark- 

 able analogies in their fundamental properties are pointed 

 out, and a few cases in which the . last-named instrument 

 appears to possess a very important advantage over the others 

 illustrated. Previous experiments have shown that the utmost 

 attainable limit of accuracy of a setting of the cross-hair of a 

 microscope on a fine ruled line was about two-millionths of an 

 inch, whereas direct measurements of the length of a wave of 

 green light emitted by incandescent mercury vapour, show that 

 the average error in a setting was only about one ten-millionth of 

 an inch. The method is also extended to angular and spectro- 

 meter measurements. — On lansfordite, nesquehonite, a new 

 mineral, and pseudomorphs of nesquehonite after lansfordite, by 

 F. A. Genth and S. L. Penfield. The authors have examined 

 the crystallization of lansfordite (3MgCO:,.Mg(OH)j,2lH20), 

 and another new mineral having the composition MgCO3.3H.jO, 

 which has been named nesquehonite. A crystallized artificial' 

 salt of the same composition is also described. — Weber's law 

 of thermal radiation, by William Ferrel. An examination of 

 Weber's new law, and a test of liis formula by means of experi- 

 mental results, in which the absolute rate of losing heat is deter- 

 mined from the observed rate of cooling of heated bodies of 

 known thermal capacity, and the relative rate from the galvano- 

 meter needle of the thermopile. — Tracks of organic origin in rocks 

 of the Animikie Group, by A. R. C. Selwyn. Traces of fossils,. 

 or what are supposed to be such, have been discovered in the 

 Animikie rocks of Lake Superior. The fact is interesting and 

 important, for, if the black Animikie shales represent the Lower 

 Cambrian of the Atlantic border, the Paradoxides and Olenellus 

 fauna will probably be found in them sooner or later. 



In the numbers of the yournal of Botafiy for January and 

 February, two important monographs are commenced — by Mr. 

 E. G. Baker, a synopsis of genera and species of Malveae ; and 

 by Mr. G. Massee, a monograph of the genus Podaxis. This 

 last genus of Fun>^i, Mr. Massee proposes to transfer, in con- 

 sequence of the mode of formation of the spores, from the 

 Gastromycetes, where it has hitherto been placed, to the 

 Ascomycetes. 



The Botanical Gazette for October 1889 contains an in- 

 teresting summary of our present knowledge of protoplasm, by 

 Prof. Goodale, in the form of an address to the Botanical 

 Section of the meeting of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science held at Toronto. 



With the exception of an interesting paper by Prof. Mas' 

 salongo, descriptive of some curious instances of teratology in the 

 floral and foliar organs, the number of the Nuovo GiornaU 

 Botanico Italiano for January is chiefly occupied by a report of 

 the proceedings of the Italian Botanical Society. Among a 

 number of short papers, is one on the fertilization ol Draciinctiltis 

 vulgaris, the most important insect agent in which is stated by 

 Prof. Arcangell to be Sapriniis siibnitidns ; one on the fertiliza- 

 tion of Arum pictum, by Prof. Martelli ; and one on the 

 development of the picnids of Fungi, by Prof. Baccarini. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



London, 



Linnean Society, February 6. — Mr. Carruthers, F.R.S., 

 President, in the chair.— Referring to an exhibition at a previous 

 meeting, Prof. Stewart communicated some interesting observa- 

 tions on the habits of certain seaweed-covered crabs. He also 

 made some remarks on the " pitchers " oi Nepenthes Mastersiana, 

 upon which criticism was offered by Mr. Thomas Christy, Prof. 

 Howes, and Mr. J. Murray. — Prof. G. E. Boulger exhibited a 

 series of original water-colour drawings of animals and plants of 

 the Falkland islands. — Mr. W. H. Beeby exhibited some forms 

 new to Britain of plants from Shetland. — Mr. C. B. Clarke, 



