108 
POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 
[Jui.v, 1S90. 
flame apparently a jard long, a mile and a half dis- 
tant, moving slowly toward the southeast, perhaps 
30° to 40° high. 
The average fair for the present spring was 56 
per cent., while that of the last twenty springs has 
been 52.1. 
PRECIPITATION. 
The amount of rainfall the last month was 4.S3 
inches, while the average for the last twenty-two 
Mays has been 3 03 inches, with extremes of .55 in 
icS/S, and 4 83 in 1890. The amount has reached 4 
inches only once besides the present in the twenty- 
two Mays, showing the present to have been 
remarkable in this respect. The largest amounts 
in one storm were 1.04 inches on the 4th, and .99 on 
the 27th. The rain was frequent and well distrib- 
uted. On four days a trace only was noted. The 
amount since Jaraiary i has l)een 2439 inches — an 
excess of 2.34 above the average. 
The precipitation the present spring has been 
17 39 inches, while that of the last twenty-two 
springs has been only 12.42, with extremes of S 44 
in 1880, and 17. 39 in 1890. 
PRESSURE. 
The average pressure the last month was 29 952 
inches, with extremes of 29. 68 on the 5th and 6th, 
and 30.19 on the 22d and 23d, — a range of only .51 
inch. The average for the last seventeen Mays has 
been 29 962, with extremes of 29 868 in 1874, and 
30.03S in 1887, — a range of .170 inch. The sum 
of the daily variations was 4.13 inches, giving a 
mean daily movement of .133 inch. This average 
for the last seventeen Mays has been .123, with 
extremes of .073 and .170, — showing a quiet state 
of atmospheric pressure in May. The largest 
movements were .44 inch on the 21st, and .28 on 
the 7th. 
The average pressure the present spring has been 
29.979 inches, while that of the last seventeen 
springs has been 29917. 
WINDS. 
The average direction of the wind the last month, 
calculated as usual, was W. 24*^ 14' S., or most 
nearly W. S. W. , while the average for the last 
twenty-one Mays has been W. 1° 13' N., or very 
nearly W. The extremes have been E. 63° 45' N. 
in 1S81, and W. 57° 32' S. in 1887, or nearest N. N. 
E. and S. W. by S. , — showing a difterence of nearly 
fifteen points of the compass. 
The : verage direction of the last spring was 
W. 17° 14' N., and of the last twenty-one springs 
W. 28° 21' N. 
COMPARATIVE METEOROLOGY OP NEW ENGLAND 
FOR APRIL, 1S9O, 
gathered from the liuUttin of the New England 
Meteorological Society. The average temperature 
and precipitation are presented in the following 
table. State by State, with that of all combined, 
under the title of New England. That of Natick is 
also subjoined. 
The average temperature of New England for a 
series of years at twenty-four stations for April is 
43 7°, or 5*^ below that of i8yo. The average pre- 
cipitation at thirty-one stations for a series of years 
has been 3 31 inches, or .68 inch above that of 1890: 
The maximum and minimum standing against Na- 
tick are the extremes of twenty and twenty-two 
Aprils, of which the means are 44. 38° and 3 87 
inches. 
On examination of this table we notice the grad- 
ual rise of temperature from Maine to Rhode 
Island, and that Massachusetts stands one full 
degree abo\e the mean of New P'ngland. The pre- 
cipitation for April bears a similar comparison. 
Natick stands near the mean of Massachusetts. 
The warmest station in New England was Spring- 
field, Mass. ; the coolest, Berlin Falls, N. II. The 
extremes of precipitation were at Voluntown, 
Conn., and West Milan, N. H. 
% 
Natick, June 6, 1890. 
D. W. 
[Specially Computed for Popular Science News. I 
ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR 
JULY, 1890. 
The earth is in aphelion — that is, it attains its 
maximum distance from the sun — on July 2. Mer- 
cury is a morning star at the beginning of the 
month, but is hardly far enough away to show well, 
having passed its greatest western elongation on the 
night of June 23-24. It rapidly approaches the sun 
and is at superior conjunction on July 22. It is in 
perihelion on July 15. Venus is an evening star, 
and sets a little more than two hours after the sun. 
It is moving out toward eastern elongation, but will 
not reach that point until late in September. It is 
also gradually growing brighter, but will not reach 
its maximum brilliancy until late in October, when 
it will be nearly three times as bright as it is during 
July. On the night of July 17 there will be a near 
approach of Venus and Saturn. The nearest 
approach comes at about noon on that date, but the 
planets will still be quite near each other after 
sunset. Mars is still conspicuous in the evening, 
but has begun to lose light. It moves westward 
until July 4th, after which it moves eastward. At 
the end of the month it is not far from Beta and 
Delia Scorpii. It is on the meridian at about 9 
P. M. at the beginning of the month, and at a little 
after 7 P. M. at the end of the month. Jupiter 
comes to opposition on the morning of July 30. It 
rises a little after 9 P. M. on July i, and at about 7 
P. M. on July 31. It moves westward about 4*^ 
during the month. The following eclipses of his 
satellites may be seen from one part or another 
of the United States. The phenomena all take 
place oflF the left-hand limb of the planet, as seen in 
an inverting telescope, and are all disappearances, 
as the satellites come out of eclipse while they are 
behind the planet. Times are Eastern Standard. 
IV. D. July 3, 4h. im. A. M. 
III. D; July 4, oh. i6m. A. M. 
I. I). July 8, 2h. 2im. A. M. 
I. I). July 9, 8h. ^om. P. M. 
11. 1). July 10, 9h. 14m. P. M. 
III. I). July II, 4h. 15m. A. M. 
I. I). July 15, 4h. ii;m. A. M. 
I. D. July 16, loh. 44m. P. M. 
II. D. July 17, iih. 4Sm. P. M. 
IV. 1). July 19, loh. 7m. P. M.' 
I. I). July 22, 6h. lom. A. M. 
I. 1). July 24, oh. 39m. A. M. 
II. D. July 25, 2h. 23m. A. M. 
Saturn is still to be seen in the western sky, but 
sets not long after the sun — about three hours after 
on July I, and only about one hour after on July 31. 
It is still in the constellation Leo, and is moving 
slowly eastward. Uranus is in the western sky in 
the evening, in the constellation Virgo, 3- north 
and east of Spica (Alpha Virginis.) Neptune is in 
Taurus, and is a morning star. 
The Constellations. — The positions given hold 
good for latitudes differing not many degrees from 
40'' north, and for 10 P. M. on July i, 9 P. M. on 
July 16, and S P. M. on July 31. On the southern 
meridian are Corona Borcalis, near the zenith, and 
Scorpiiis, down near the horizon. Sagittarius is 
just rising in the southeast. Hercules is east of the 
zenith. Aquila is about halfway up, a little south 
of east. Lyra is a little north of east, somewhat 
higher than Aquila, and Cygnus is below* Lvra. 
Dolpliinus is near the eastern horizon. Draco lies 
on both sides of the meridian, between the zenith 
and pole. Cepheus is to the right of the pole star; 
Cassiopeia near the horizon, a little east of thf 
meridian. The principal stars of Ursa Minor lie 
near the meridian, above the pole. I'rsa Major is 
to the left, with the pointers at about the same 
altitude as the pole star. Bootes is just west of the 
zenith, and Leo is near the western horizon. Virgo 
follows Leo, low down in the southwest, and Libra 
lies between Virgo and Scorpius. M. 
Lake Forest, III., June 5, 1890. 
Corresponderjce. 
lirie/ commnnii-ationa upon sulijertA of ncientijic interest 
will he welcomed frum <uiy <iiiartcr.' The eilihira iln tint necci- 
aarilii indorse till views and stattments presented Im their 
correttpondenis. 
Editor of Popular Science A'ews : 
In your April number of Popular Science 
News an article by C. £. Washburne, M. I)., 
describes an "Operation Under Hypnotism." The 
interesting point to me is, to know by what nietliod 
hypnotism was produced. The reading of this arti- 
cle brought to my mind some experiments made 
nearly fifty years ago by Dr. Butler Wilmarth, then 
of Leverett, Mass., in so-called animal magnetism, 
to which I was a witness. The doctor, in his prac- 
tice, found himself possessed of a power over cer- 
tain individuals, whereby he could induce hypno- 
tism, subdue pain, control the actions of the 
subjects, and limit or extend the.se conditions bv 
hours, at his will, without the use of drugs. In at 
least one case he did successfully command his 
patient to wake up at a specified moment, and 
return to sleep five minutes later. During the five 
minutes' wakefulness pain was intense, but the 
sleep before and after was quiet, restful, and pain- 
less. Being wholly averse to quackery, he made no 
pretentions to having mysterious power to perlbrm 
wonderful cures, but simply used the gift in a 
limited way upon a few chronic cases. The burden 
of his experiments was more in line of mind- 
reading of affairs in other and distant localities, 
some of which were at least astonishing. 
Jerome Wilmarth, M. D. 
MiLFORD, Mass., April 7, 1S90. 
-<♦>_ 
Editor of Popular Science News: 
In your issue of May an experiment in magnetism 
is described, and the statement made that the cause 
of the phenomenon is not clear. An cxplauali<ui. 
which goes as far as that of any of the plienomen.i 
of magnetism, may be given. The tongs in stand- 
ing become magnetized by induction from the 
earth, with the north-seeking pole downward. 
When this pole is rubbed over the knife-blade in 
the manner described, its action is like that of any 
