THE AMERICAN 



MONTHLY 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



YoL. X. MARCH, 1889. No. 3. 



All coinmiinications for this Journal, whether relating to business or to editorial 

 matters, and all books, pamphlets, exchanges, etc., should be addressed to Ameri- 

 can Alonthly Microscopical Joit7-nal, Box 6jo, Washington, D. C. 



European subscriptions may be sent directly to the above address accompanied 

 by International Postal Order for $i.t^ per anmim, or they may be sent to Messrs. 

 Trilbner &= Co., j/ Ludgate Hill, London, or to Mr. W. P. Collins, i^j Great 

 Portland street, London, accompanied by the yearly price of five shillings. 



The Making of Apochiomatics. 



By ROMYN HITCHCOCK. 



Jena is situated about three hours by rail from Leipzig, but to get 

 there one must change cars twice. We arrived there at S o'clock on 

 the 13th of December, and were most cordially welcomed by Professor 

 Dr. Abbe, whom we found awaiting us at the station. In a few min- 

 utes we were in very comfortable quarters at the Hotel zum schwartzen 

 Baren, on Luther Place, where Luther was several times a guests We 

 visited many places of interest in the old town with Dr. and Mrs. Abbe, 

 among others the houses once occupied by Schiller and Gothe. Li the 

 garden of the Schiller house, until lately Dr. x\bbe's home, a stone slab 

 marks the spot where stood a summer-house in which the poet wrote 

 his Wallenstein. and near by a stone table over wliich he and Gcithe en- 

 jo} cd man}- a talk. The town has many old monuments of the past, 

 but it has lost much of its former importance. It dates from the twelfth 

 century. The University was founded in the time of the Reformation, 

 and during the last century it had a large number of students. The 

 average number now is about six hundred. 



On Monday morning I went to Mr. Zeiss' establishment, and Dr. R. 

 Zeiss, who succeeds his father in the business, conducted me through 

 the works. Although some of the methods in use at this place diHer 

 from those employed elsewhere, and although the excellence and accu- 

 racy of the work is rendered possible only by the application of such 

 methods, nothing is concealed from the visitor. As Dr. Zeiss says, they 

 have no secrets. The brass work is done by machinery of the best kind, 

 much of it specially made for the purpose, as, for instance, the ingenious 

 deyice for cutting the diagonal rack-work for moving the body-tube. 

 The rack is of brass, but tiie pinion wheel is steel. Brass polishing is 

 done, as usual, with French emery, but I was much interested to learn 

 that the dead black portions, such as the stages and other parts, are 

 made black by grinding with emer}- powder. This may be the usual, 

 or. at least, a very common method, but I have always been under the 



Copyright, 1889, by C. W. Smiiey. 



