452 



NATURE 



[August 2, 191 7 



pfeliminan- treatment was to expose the plums to the 

 vapour of chloroform, whereby the rate of drying was 

 appreciably reduced and a somewhat superior product 

 oibtained. A substantial improvement in the quality 

 of the product was obtained by heating the dried 

 plums in a limited quantity of steam in a closed vessel 

 for a few hours. Further articles of interest in the 

 same issue of the Journal are an accovmt, by Mr. 

 G. P. Berry, of studies of pollination problems carried 

 on in cherry orchards in Kent, and a summary by 

 Miss W. Brenchley of observations nvade at Rotham- 

 sted on the viability of buried weed seeds. 



Mr. S. HiBlNO, in vol. xxxix. of the Journal of the 

 'College of Science, Tokio, has made some observations 

 on the effect of "ringing" the stem of Cornus con- 

 troversa. In these experiments either the cortex alone, 

 or the cortex together w-ith the outer layer 

 of wood, was removed. One of the effects of ringing 

 is to cause a development of anthocyan in the leaves, 

 not only above, but also below, the seat of injury. 

 The leaves also, especially if the wood is injured, 

 gradually lose their colour and fall earlier than normal 

 ones. The water content of the leaves of a "ringed" 

 tree graduallv decreases, the uppermost leaves being 

 the first to be affected. The leaves above the position 

 of ringing contain more starch and show a much 

 greater diastase activity and a larger content of re- 

 ducing sugar, also an excess of oxydase and peroxy- 

 dase. The buds of ringed trees unfold their leaves 

 much later the next spring than do those of normal 

 trees ; on the other hand, the ringed plants flower 

 ■eaTfier and more freely than normal ones, and produce 

 a bigger crop of fruit. Immediately below the seat 

 of injury there is a marked development of adventi- 

 tious shoots. 



In the July issue of Man Sir D. Prain endeavours 

 to decide the geographical diffusion of kava and betel. 

 The former, an infusion of Piper methysticum, is said 

 by Drake del Castillo to occur spontaneously and as 

 a cultivated plant in the Society and Marquesas 

 Islands. But it has to be kept in mind that such a 

 plant may be spontaneous without being necessarily 

 native, and we have no record save that of Drake as 

 to its having been found in a wild state. It is not wild 

 in the Sandwich Islands, and it seems to be only a 

 cultivated plant in Fiji, while it is said not to be 

 known in those islands which are inhabited by 

 Papuans. The case of betel {Piper heteJ) is not so 

 uncertain. It clearly came to India from the Malay 

 Peninsula, but it is 'doubtful if it is a true native of 

 Java. It is said to be wild in Celebes and probably 

 in the Moluccas — an interesting point, because these 

 islands lie east of the -'Wallace Line," and from the 

 botanical point of view all east of the "Wallace Line" 

 is Papuasia, though it is more usual to consider 

 Celebes and the Moluccas as integral portions of 

 Malaysia. The result of the inquiry is that betel is of 

 Papuasian origin, and that its use spread thence west- 

 ward to Malaya proper, and from there to India ; 

 while kava is of extra-Papuasian origin, though where 

 that origin is to be sought is far from certain.^ All 

 that can be said with safety is that the probabilities 

 point to Polynesia. 



In the Meteorological Office Circular, No. 13, atten- 

 tion is directed to the official substitution of the names 

 "Richmond" and " Cahirciveen " for Kew and Valen- 

 cia Observatories respectively. The auxiliax}' sunshine 

 station which has been called Richmond in the 

 Monthly Weather Report will be known as Richmond 

 Hill, it is of interest to note that Valencia Observa- 

 tory was originally on Valencia Island, but was tnoved 

 to Cahirciveen in iSgi. 



NO. 2492, VOL. 99I 



The Jahrbt:ch des Norwegischen Meteorologischcu 

 Instituts for igi6 has been published. This useful 

 volume contains detailed observations at the observa- 

 tories of Christiania and Aas, a summary of the year's 

 observations at twelve stations, and the yearly and 

 monthly means of all the stations in Norway. In 

 addition there is an appendix giving the detailed pres- 

 sure, temperature, and other readings at Green Har-: 

 hour, Spitsbergen (lat. 78° 2' N., long. 14° 14' E.), 

 from September, 1915, to June, 1916. 



Recent monthly and annual results of magnetical, 

 meteorological, and seismological observations, made 

 at the Royal Alfred Observatory, Mauritius, under 

 the directorship of A. Walter, give valuable data for 

 the several elements of specified branches of work. 

 Observations are brought into line with the change 

 of units now generally adopted in this and other 

 European countries, except that for meteorological 

 results the temperatures are given in degrees Centi- 

 grade, and to obtain temperatures in Absolute scale 

 273° have to be added. This method of giving tem- 

 perature results has much in its favour, and little 

 exception can be found provided that the method 

 adopted is always clearly stated. The magnetical and 

 meteorological observations In the monthly results 

 are given for each hour, and the range in the various 

 elements affords material of value for the inquirer. 

 A table of monthly rainfall is given for about 150 

 stations in the island. As 1915 closes the eighth 

 ■quinquennial period of observations, the annual report 

 gives the monthly and yearly normals of the meteoro- 

 logical elements far forty years. Modern units are 

 employed. Attention is directed to .a marked 

 periodicity with an interval of about eighteen and a 

 quarter years between successive maxima in certain 

 elements, smS. a more detailed discussion of the forty j 

 years' records is promised. More information on I 

 methods employed would enhance the value of results j 

 and would prevent possible misunderstanding; for 

 instance, the table of results for forty years bears noj 

 evidence that the atmospheric pressure observations 1 

 are uncorrected for height above sea-level, 181 ft., 

 or that aH other corrections have been applied, but I 

 the system generally adopted can be culled from parts i 

 of the monthly publications. 



At the meeting of the conference of delegates of tl 

 Corresponding Societies of the British Association he! 

 in London on July 5 Mr. T. Sheppard was asked 

 to open a discussion on the metric system, as showing, 

 the need for some such scheme in the interests of the! 

 advancement of science. Mr. Sheppard gave an! 

 account of the various specimens of money scales an^ 

 weights in use from earlv Greek and Roman to Vii 

 torian times. By far the finest collection of the- 

 money scales in the country, consisting of more tha 

 200 varieties of boxes, now in the Hull Museum, w; 

 brought together by Mr. Sheppard, with the help 

 Mr. J. F. Musham, of Selby. The lecturer dealt wii 

 the absurdities of the system of weights and measure? 

 illustrated, as regards money weights, by a series o 

 specimens from the Hull collection. A long discu- 

 sion ensued, which was continued on the followin. 

 day. Mr. Sheppard 's paper will be printed in extens 

 in flie annual report of the British Association. 



The Canadian Department of Mines has issued th 

 annual report on the mineral production of Canad 

 for the year 191:;. and it is satisfactory to note tha 

 in spite of the adverse conditions necessarily create 

 by the war, the mineral industry is in a flourishing 

 condition. Although the value -of the production hf; 

 not reached the high record of 1913, it neverthelef 

 shows an increase of 6-4 per cent, over that of 191 



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