\0L. XXV. So. 1.] 
POPULAH SCIENCE NEWS. 
11 
however, iipplie-: only to tlie male, or staminate, 
trees, tlie female ones being somewhat shorter, in 
order that the pollen which is transferred by the 
wind may more readily reach the pistils. After 
the ovnles are fertilized, ten years are required to 
ripen the fruit. In four years they reach their 
full size, which is about eighteen inches long by 
tlie same in In-eadth, and nearly as much in thick- 
ness, but at this time the nut is soft and filled 
with a semi-transparent jelly. Tliis becomes firm 
and edible like the meat of a coconut, and is sur- 
rounded by an extremelj- hard shell, which, in 
turn, is covered by a fibrous husk. As many as 
eleven of these enormous fruits may be produced 
;it one time, thus making a cluster of between 
four and five hundred pounds weight ! 
Xow that the origin of the Lodoicea is no longer 
veiled in mystery, the l)elief in its medicinal 
virtues has largely died out. The nuts still have 
tlieir use, however, which, if more commonplace 
tlian fonnerly, is at the same time more real. 
When sawed in half the shells make excellent 
jugs, and are also commonly used for Ijailing 
boats. An entire nut will hold three or four gal- 
luns, and, being very dural)le, tliey serve well as 
water kegs. 
— »♦» 
[Specially Observed for Popular .Science News.] 
.NrETEOROLOGY FOR XOVEMBER, 18!»0. 
WITH REVIEW OF THE AUTUMX. 
TEMPERATURE. 
Average Thermometer. 
|t7A. M. . . 
|t2P. M. . . 
IP. M. . . 
! month . 
ond average 
(91 
hole I 
.3«.13° 
40.53° 
37.27* 
Sa.ilS" 
39.30° 
ftfit 20 Novembers 
ond average . 
.S8.6o° 
38.26° 
Itumn of IS'JU 
«t20 Autumn n 
50.32° 
50.10° 
Lowest. ! Highest. 
30° 
21* 
15° 
15* 
58' 
83" 
56* 
63* 
83* 
, 31.12* 
i iu 1873. 
15* 
43.62° 
in 1889. 
43.24° 
I 47.5,3° 6;j.67* ( 
I In 1878. 1 in 1881. ( 
Range. 
43° 
33* 
8.i° 
48° 
48° 
12.50° 
12.62° 
64° 
6.04° 
BThe past month was unusually pleasant for 
ovember, and quite in contrast with the preced- 
month of October. It was one degree and a 
^ird above the average of the last twenty Xovem- 
rs. The lowest point of the mercury, at the 
Durs of observation, was 15°, on the 28th, and 
is was also the coldest day, with an average of 
2.33°. Tlie highest point reached was 63^', on 
the 8th, and this was the warmest day, averaging 
53°. The range the 12th was only 4° ; that on the 
lOth was 22°, with the warmest observation in the 
morning. 
The temperature of the present autumn was a 
near average with the last twenty years, with 
extremes and range as given in the table above. 
SKY. 
The face of the sky, in 90 obseiTations, gave 56 
fair, 14 cloudy, 14 overcast, and 6 rainy, — a per- 
centage of G2.2 fair; while the average fair the 
last twenty Xovembers has been only 54.7, with 
extremes of 40 per cent, in 1885, and 74.4 in 1874. 
"Gloomy Xovcral)er" has been much brighter 
than usual, having had a more clear sky only 
three times in twenty years. We had quite a 
number of fine d,ays, and several foggy moi-nings. 
The average fair for the last autumn was 48.1, 
September and October having been unusually 
cloudy. The mean for the last twenty autumns 
has been 54.6. 
PRECIPITATION. 
The amount of precipitation the past month was 
unly 1.10 inch, and this fell on three occasions 
l)etween the 11th and 17th, with a trace on the 1st, 
leaving four-fifths of the month without rain or 
snow. There was a trace of snow on this 11th, 
the first in the season, and a beautiful exhibition 
it was of very, very large flakes, falling thick and 
fast, without the least wind, melting as it fell. 
llie average precipitation the last twenty-two 
Xovembers has been 4.03 inches, with extremes of 
1.10 in 1890 and also the same in 1882. and 7.45 
inches in 1877. The amount since January 1st has 
been 46.67 inches, while the average for these 
eleven months the last twenty-two years has been 
43.33. 
ITie amount of precipation the present autumn 
has been 15.56 inches, while the average for the 
last twenty-two autumns is only 15.32, with ex- 
tremes of 3.42 in 1874, and 21.47 in 1888. These 
figures show a wide autumnal range in this depart- 
ment. 
PRESSURE. 
The average pressure the last month was 29.974 
inches, with extremes of 29.38 on the 18th, and 
30.26 on the 16th, — a range of .88 inch. The mean 
for the last seventeen Xovembers has been 29.978, 
with extremes of 29.840 in 1878, and .30.093 in 
1880, — a range of .2.53 inch. The sum of the daily 
variations the past month was 6.34 inches, with a 
mean daily movement of .211 inch. This average 
in seventeen Xovembers has been .231, with ex- 
tremes of .127 iind .293. The largest daily move- 
ments the present Xovember were .70 inch on the 
17th. and .65 on the 18th. in connection with the 
principal rainfall .70 inch. 
The mean pressure this autumn was 29.974 
inches, — the same as that of the present Xovember. 
The mean of the last seventeen autumns 20.997. 
The average daily movement the present autumn 
was .176 inch, and that of the last seventeen 
autumns .174. 
WINDS. 
The average direction the past mouth was W. 36° 
9' X. (a full X. W. by W.) The mean for the last 
twenty-one Xovembers is W. 18° 24' X., with ex- 
tremes of W. 10° 30' S. in 1879, and W. 77° 50' X. 
in 1876, — a range of 88° 20', or nearly eight points 
of the compass. It was remiirkable that in the 
90 observations the jjast month, not one occurred 
in the south, or east, or northeast, or southeast, 
but .as follows : 15 X., 31 W.. 23 X. W., and 21 
S. W. The relative progressive distance travelled 
by the wind the past month was 64.40 units, and 
the last twenty-one Xovembers 1,065, an average 
of 50.71, showing less opposing winds than usual. 
Tlie mean direction the present autumn was 
W. 41° 43' X., while the mean for twentj'-one 
autumns has been only W? 14° 58' X. 'i'lie dis- 
tance travelled was 123.2 units, while the mean in 
twenty-one autumns has been only 110, — showing 
less opposing winds the present autumn than 
usual. 
In review, we may notice that the present Xo- 
vember was warmer than usual, had a much fairer 
sky, with very small iirecipitation, a mean pres- 
sure, and no easterly, but more northerly winds 
than usual; — a fine Xovember for out-door labor. 
The present autumn, notwithstanding the favor- 
able Xovember, has had less fair sky, a larger 
rainfall, and more northerly winds' than usual. 
The springs are now full, the harvests — generally 
abundant — are s cured, and the prospect, at pres- 
ent, is favorable for a good Xew England ice 
crop. D. W. 
Xatick, Dec. 5, 1890. 
A CUBIC incli of water contains 252.286 grains. 
of which grains the English pound contains 7,000. 
(Specially Computed for Popular Sciekce News.] 
ASTROXOMICAL PllEXO.MEXA FOR 
.TAXIARY. 1891. 
ilEKCUiiV at the liegiuning of the mouth is an' 
evening star, having passed greatest eastern elon- 
gation on Dec. 27. It sets about an hour and a 
half after the sun, and may be seen on a very clear 
night near the southwestern horizon just after sun- 
set. It rapidly approaches the sun, and passes in- 
ferior conjunction oil Jan. 13, becoming a morning 
star. It moves rajjidly away from the sun, and l)y 
the end of the riionth is nearly at western elonga- 
tion, which it reaches on Feb. 6. On Jan. 31 it 
rises about an hour and a half before the sun, aud 
may be seen in the morning twilight low down in 
the southeast. Venus is also a morning star, hav- 
ing passed inferior conjunction on Dec. 3. It is a 
consideralde distance away from the sun, and 
rises two liours and a half or three hours before it. 
It is in perilielion on Jan. 8, aud also comes to its 
greatest brilliancy on that day. This last depends 
not only on its distance from the sun, but also on 
its distance from the earth ; and the period of 
greatest brilliancy occurs when the planet is about 
half way between either elongation and inferior 
conjunction. For some weeks about this time 
the planet may be seen in liroad daylight by 
the naked eye, if one onlj' knows where to look 
for it. Mars is moving rapidly eastward and 
northward, and sets at about 10 P. M. through- 
out the mouth. It is growing fainter and getting 
farther away from us, but is still rather a conspic- 
uous object. It passes from the constellation 
Aquarius into Pisces, and crosses the equator from 
the south to the north near the end of the mouth. 
Jupiter is getting quite near the sun, setting less 
than three hours after on Jan. 1, and less than one 
hour on Jan. 31. It is so near the sun at the close 
of the month that it cannot be easily seen. Xone 
of the eclipses of the satellites could be easily ob- 
served, except, perhaps, a few during the first half 
of the month. Saturn rises at half past ten on 
Jan. 1, and at about half past eight on Jan. 31. It 
is in the eastern part of the constellation Leo, and 
is moving slowly westward and northward. The 
rings of Saturn, as seen in a telescope during the 
present year, will be very narrow, owing to the 
fact that the earth is very nearly in the plane of 
the rings. The earth passes this plane about the 
middle of September, and from that time until 
about Xov. 1, the face of the rings which is turned 
toward us will be nnilluminated, as the sun does not 
cross to the northern side of the plane until the 
latter date. Uranus is in Virgo, rising at about 11 
P. M. at the end of the month. Xeptune is in 
Taurus, a little north and west of the group of the 
Ilyades. 
The Constellations. — The following positions of 
the principal constellations give their places at 10 
P. M. on January 1, 9 P. M. on January 16, and 8 
P. M. on January 31. Auriga is near the zenith, 
the principal star, Capella, being a little north. 
Orion is just coming to the meridian on the south, 
about halfway between the zenith and horizon. 
Below and a little east of Orion is Canis Major, with 
Sirius, the brightest of the fixed stars. Xearly 
on the same level, and east of Orion, is Proc- 
yon, the principal star of Canis Minor. Xear the 
eastern horizon is Eeo ; above this. Cancer, and 
above Cancer and near the zenith is Gemini. On 
the northeast is I'rsa Major, the two pointers 
being nearly as high as the pole star, and the 
handle of the dipper pointing downwards. The 
greater part of Ursa Minor is under the pole, and 
the bi-ightest stars of Draco are very close to the 
northern horizon. Perseus is near tlie zenith in 
