Vol. XXIV. No. 2.] 
POPULAE SCIEN"CE NEW?5. 
27 
much agitated in consequence of Stanley's recent 
passage with liis army. All these travellers will 
surely, Fmin Pasha being the most prominent, give 
us a large amount of information concerning the 
numerous terras incognitas of the old African conti- 
nent. All Europe is looking to this part of the 
world, and most nations are struggling to secure 
the largest and best part of the cake. Concerning 
the •' cake," we must remind our readers that a very 
successful African explorer. Captain Victor Girand 
of the French navy, has just published a book 
which is full of information as to the lake region of 
Africa. He visited the lakes in 1883-1885, and has 
summed up his experiences in a very interesting 
work, where information and adventure are mixed 
in a very palatable manner, and filled with very 
good engravings. M. Girand's (Les Lacsde I'Afrique 
Equatoriole, Hachette) meets with a large success, 
in consequence of the interest which belongs to all 
works pertaining to Africa. Concerning travels, 
we have two good works ; the one by A. Mellion, 
on the Deserts of Mongolia, Arabia, Africa, and 
South America (/,e />sert),and the other by Capus, 
on the Pamir region (/,« toU du Monde.) I merely 
mention these books, both of which are very valu- 
able to geographic and general readers. 
.\n interesting experiment has been made in 
Paris during the exhibition. It is known that a 
special pavilion was devoted to ostreiculture and 
pisciculture, and that a large number of marine 
animals were kept in life during the exhibition, not- 
withstanding the temperature. In 1878, the same 
thing had been done, but the expenses for sea-water 
brought by rail from the Channel, were enormous: 
they reached some ten thousand dollars, and in 
1S89 it was decided that unless some cheaper process 
could be invented, the marine exhibition should not 
be attempted. So experiments were maile to con- 
coct an arlifical sea-water, and they met with full 
success. The water was made as follows: In 3000 
litres of river-water, were dissolved 79 kilogrammes 
of chloride of sodium, 11 of chloride of magnesium, 
3 of chloride of potassium, 5 of sulphate of magne- 
sium, and 2 of sulphate of calcium, — sum total, 100 
kilogrammes of the different salts for 3cxx) litres of 
water. The whole expense did not exceed four 
hundred dollars, and the result was quite as satis- 
factory as if real sea-water had been used. 
The agricultural exhibit of the United States 
attracted a great deal of attention from the part of 
specialists here, and many were most enthusiastic 
over it. Among these persons, and among those 
who are most competent and well fitted for 
delivering a competent opinion, is M. Grandeau, 
whose name is certainly well known to the United 
States agricultural delegates. M. Grandeau, in his 
recently published fourth volume of the Etudea Ay- 
rononiiijues, which he regularly issues at this time 
of the year, devotes the largest part of his book to 
the agricultural exhibitions of the United States and 
of the other countries, and the American agricul- 
turists will certainly have much pleasure in reading 
M. Grandeau's papers and comments, and will de- 
rive therefrom much benefit. Being well read on 
foreign agriculture, M. Grandeau already perceives 
how much remains to be done in France to secure 
better crops, and how much must be done to teach 
the agriculturists, especially the small farmers, that 
their ways are erroneous and must be altered in 
conformity to the discoveries of science. M. Gran- 
deau has done a great deal in this useful line, and is 
now begining a series of publications on the matter; 
cheap and clearly written papers, untechnical, and 
easy of comprehension for the average, and rather 
dull brain of the small farmer and peasant. The 
I'etite Encyclopidie Agricole meets a positive demand. 
During the latter part of December, Paris, as well 
as the remainder of France and a greater part ' of the needle. The wind freshened after dark, and 
of Europe, has been visited by an epidemic of , by midnight was blowing a hurricane from the S. S. 
generally mild character, a sort of influenza, which ; E., which lasted for several hourf , the wind hauling 
spread everywhere and upon almost everybody. In from the S. S. E. to the N. W. through the W. 
some cases the disease has been fatal, when it came The squalls were fierce and incessant, striking the 
upon persons of weak disposition; in some cases it water with such fury that the whole surface of the 
has assumed a very marked malignant character, , ocean seemed to be lifted up and flung on to the 
killing generally through pneumonia. Is there 
some microbe underlying the disease? It seems 
likely enough, judging from the symptoms and ex- 
tension of the disease. At all events, the spreading 
land in clouds of spray. Houses shook, windows 
and doors were blown in, trees and plants uprooted 
and broken, and leaves torn off or left hanging in 
ribbons; and, as no rain fell to wash" away the salt. 
of the influenza — if it really is influenza — has been i every green thing was burned or scorched, and the 
much favored by the mild and unhealthy tempera- 
ture at the end of the year, which has followed the 
brisk frosts of the end of November. 
Concerning microbes, I wish to say a word of an 
interesting experiment recently conducted by M. 
Charrin. This distinguished young bacteriologist 
has shown that if blood serum of a normal animal 
whole island on the nth looked as if a fierce fire had 
swept over it in the night. 
The above account of this storm, which occurred 
at nearly the same date with similar ones all around 
the globe, was given me by Miss Alice Dabney, of 
Fayal, who witnessed it all. Rgaching Fayal Oct. 
1st, it has been exceedingly interesting to observe 
and of a vaccinated animal be used for the purpose | the results of the violent defoliation of vegetation 
of cultivating the bacillus of the disease (pyocyanic 
disease in M. Charrin's experiments) a very marked 
difference is noticed in the behavior of the two cul- 
tures. In the serum of the vaccinated animal, the 
by the salt spray. After a brief rest, most of the 
plants seemed to recover from their surprise, and 
began to push new leaves ; but they seemed unable 
to stop there, for many, forgetting it was winter. 
development of the bacillus is much more difficult went on to develop new shoots and flowers, and soon 
and slow than in the serum of the non-vaccinated 
animal. It therefore seems that vaccination exerts 
some direct influence on the blood and renders it 
unfavorable to the life and growth of the bacillus. 
This fact is a very important one, and one may 
expect that the chemical study of the serum may fur- 
nish some facts which will help to account for the 
mechanism of immunity. 
Zoologists will be much interested in learning 
that the scientific results of the campaign of Prince 
Albert of Monaco are now being published in a 
series of very handsomely printed large quarto vol- 
umes. The Prince, it is known, has been for the 
past year engaged in the study of oceanic currents in 
the Northern Atlantic, and of the marine fauna of 
this part of the world. The results now obtained 
are numerous enough, and the publication is a 
timely one. The Prince is to prosecute his re- 
searches, and a steam yacht is being built for this 
purpose. 
Anatomical work seems to meet with much favor 
in France. Two important German treatises have 
recently been translated in French : Gegenbauer's 
Human Anatomy, and Krause's Human Anatomy. 
A third work is now being published on the subject 
by a Frenchman, Prof Debierre, of Lille. 
Prof Deslougchamps, a well known geologist of 
Caen, died a few days ago. The teaching of geology 
is going to be somewhat changed in the course of 
the next few years, as many aged professors are to 
retire and be replaced by younger men. The result 
will not prove unfavorable to science generally, 
as many of the present professors are too old to give 
much of their time to orginal work, and live on 
their past reputation. H. 
Paris, Dec. 24, 1889. 
_**, 
[Oriuiual in Popular Science Xewjt.] 
INTERESTING RESULTS OF DEFOLIATION 
OF PLANTS IN THE AZORES BY A 
CYCLONE. 
BY EDWARD G. HOWE. 
On the night of September lo-ii a severe cyclone 
•truck Fayal and the other islands belonging to the 
' central part of the Azorian group. The weather on 
: the loth had been unsettled, showery, and cloudy, 
but there was no indication of the approaching 
storm, beyond the falling of the barometer. The 
mercury continued to fall steadily throughout the 
I day, and, as night set in, it fell very rapidly — in an 
hour and a half dropping 30-100, finally reaching 
i 29.19°, >>hen several persons noticed the quivering 
set fruit. The new- leaves seemed normal in shape 
and texture, but pale and small, frequently only in 
tufts at the ends of the branches. The blossoms — 
which, added to the usual blooms of the season, 
made the gardens very delightful — were often re- 
markably fine and numerous, but seemed to lack 
substance, fading soon when gathered nnd dropping 
early without setting fruit, although bees, butter- 
flies, and moths seemed numerous enough for those 
needing aid in fertilization. But while this was 
true of individual blossoms, the process seemed so 
hampered by the unprepared state of the plants, that 
new blossoms have continued to struggle along for 
sixty days. Notable examples of this have been the 
judas-tree, peach, apple, grape, eucalyptus, and 
paulownia. Should anyone desire further details, I 
shall be happy to furnish them on application. 
Fayal, Azores, Nov. 30, 1S89. 
[SpcciiiUy Observed for rnpular Science Xtwit.] 
METEOROLOGY FOR DECE.MBER, 18S9, 
WITH REVIEW OF THE YEAR. 
TB&>:'ERATUKE. 
AVBRAOE TlIEHMOMKTKR. 
-M 7 A. M 32.SI' 
At a I'. M 4' .8;" 
At 9 p. M 35.74* 
Whole Month .... 36.81* 
Lowest, I Highest. Range. 
53- 
61* 
Last 19 Decembers 
33.97* 
S 21. i9* 
j in 1S76. 
36.81* 
in iS8o. 
Year iSSy S0.4.*' 
Last ly Years .... 47.66* j 
i-H \ 89* j.io 
j 45-15 
i in 1S75. 
in 1SS9. 
S' 
'S-5»" 
9'' 
5 ■2;' 
The present December has been a remarkable 
month, being the warmest on my record for the last 
nineteen years; and the year, also, has been a 
remarkable year, being the warmest during the 
same period, as shown in the above table. The 
lowest point reached by the mercury the last month 
was lo*^ ajjove zero, on the 4th, and this was also 
the coldest day, with an average of 14°. The 14th 
and 15th were the next coldest, each averaging 22°. 
The highest point reached was 6i", on Christmas 
day, making an unusually warm Christmas, with an 
average of 51-33°. The 9th was the warmest day of 
the month, averaging 53°. Eight days toward the 
close of the month — 19th to 26th — averaged 42.33°, 
ranging from 30° to 61°, and fell below the freezing- 
point but twice, at the hours of observation, — and 
this approaching mid-winter I The entire month 
