108 



POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 



[JUI.Y, 1SS9. 



The entile spring was 4.44" above the average of 

 the last 19, and was tlie warmest during this period. 

 The extremes and range are shown in the table. 



The average temperature since January ist (five 

 months) has been 41.42°, while that of the same 

 months has averaged only 36.96° the past 19 years, 

 showing a daily excess of temperature the present 

 year of 4.46". 



SKY. 



The face of the sky, in 93 observations, gave 48 

 fair, 20 cloudy, 20 overcast, and 5 rainy — a percent- 

 age of 51.6 fair. This average the last 19 Mays has 

 been 54.7, with extremes of 29 in 1888, and 78.5 in 

 1871 — a wide range of 49.5. Omitting these two 

 extremes reduces the range of May to 30. i. Morn- 

 ings of 7th and 8th were fpggy. 



The past spring has averaged 46.7 per cent, fair, 

 while the average for the last 19 springs has been 

 51.8, with extremes of 41.7 in 1884, and 63.0 in 1872. 

 But one spring has been less fair than the present in 

 19 years. 



PRECIPITATION. 



The ainount of rainfall the past month was 3.82 

 inches, while the average for the last 21 Mays has 

 been only 2.95, with extremes of 0.55 in 1878, and 

 4.60 in 1882. Only .08 inch fell before the 20th, and 

 a severe drouth seemed imminent, when a storm for 

 two days occurred, yielding 2.59 inches, ending the 

 drouth. On the 25th, 26th, and 27th another storm 

 (the "May storm"), introduced by thunder and 

 lightning, added 1.15 inch, which, in connection 

 with several traces of rain, refreshed the vegetable 

 world abundantly. 



The rainfall the past spring was 12.77 inches, 

 while the average for the last 21 springs has been 

 12.18, with extremes of 8.44 in 1880, and 17.10 in 

 1871. 



The amount of precipitation since January i has 

 been 23.83 inches, while the average for those five 

 months, the last 21 years, has been 21.94. 

 PRESSURE. 



The average pressure the past month was 29.935 

 inches, with extremes of 29.64 on the loth and nth, 

 and 30.23 on the 19th — a range of only .59 inch. 

 The average for the last 16 Mays has been 29.944, 

 with extremes of 29.868 in 1874, and 30.030 in 1887 — 

 a range of .170 inch. The sum of daily variations 

 was 3.54 inches, giving an average daily movement 

 of .114 inch, while this average in 16 Mays has 

 been .122, with extremes of .073 and .170. The 

 largest movements the past May were only .34 on 

 the 29th, .31 on the loth, and .30 on the 20th. The 

 elevations and depressions of the atmospheric 

 waves were very gradual and somewhat uniform, 

 principally three of each; the elevations being 

 greatest on the 7th, 19th, and 30th; the depressions 

 on the 3d, nth, 22d, and 28th. 



The average pressure the last spring was 29.914 

 inches, and that of the last 16 springs 29.907, with 

 extremes of 29.805 in 1S81, and 29.996 in 1888. The 

 average daily movement the last spring was .158 

 inch, while that of the last 16 springs has been 

 .179, with extremes of .150 and .213. 



WINDS. 



The direction of the wind, in 93 observations, 

 gave 7 N., 2 S., 14 E., 16 W., 3 N. E., 14 N. W., 2 

 S. E., and 35 S. W. — an excess of 15 southerly and 

 46 westerly over the northerly and easterly, and in- 

 dicating the average direction to have been W. 18° 

 4' S. The westerly winds in May have uniformly 

 prevailed over the easterly, with a single exception 

 in 20 years, by an average of 23.85 observations ; 

 and the northerly over the southerly, with seven ex- 

 ceptions, by an average of only 195, — indicating 

 the approximate general average direction in May. 

 for the last 20 years, to have been W. 4° 41' N., 



showing that the winds have been 22^' 45' more 

 southerly the past month than usual. The relative 

 progressive distance travelled by the wind the past 

 month was 48.39 units, and, during the last 20 Mays, 

 478.6 such units, — an average of only 22.93, and 

 showing less opposing winds the past month than 

 usual. 



The average direction of the wind the last spring 

 was W. 32° 54' N., and the distance travelled by the 

 wind S0.99 units; while the average direction for 

 the last 20 springs has been W. 29° i' N., and the 

 distance travelled 1,983 units, — an average of 99.15, 

 showing more opposing winds the past spring than 

 usual. 



IN REVIEW. 



The season, thus far, has been remarkably warm, 

 unusually cloudy, with rainfall above the average, a 

 mean pressure, and winds quite southerly; all 

 uniting to give us a season about two weeks earlier 

 than usual. D. W. 



Natick, June 6, 1889. 



[Specially Computed for The Poputar Science A'ewa.l 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR JULY, 

 1889. 



The moon will be partially eclipsed on the after- 

 noon of July 12. The eclipse will not be visible in 

 the United States, as it ends just before the moon 

 rises for points along the coast. 



Mercury is a morning star, and reaches its great- 

 est western elongation on the morning of July 12. 

 The conditions are not very favorable for visibility, 

 as the planet is then only about 21 degrees from the 

 sun, but it may possibly be seen on a very clear 

 morning about that time. It will be in conjunction 

 with Mars on the morning of July 28, and at perihe- 

 lion on the same day. It will be occulted by the 

 moon on the afternoon of July 26; occultation visi- 

 ble in the United States, if one has a telescope pow- 

 erful enough to show Mercury by daylight. Three 

 other planets — Venus, Mars, and Jupiter — will also 

 be occulted by the moon. None of the three are 

 visible in the eastern part of the United States. 

 That of Venus may possibly be seen in the west, 

 like that of Mercury, by daylight. It occurs on the 

 afternoon of July 23. Venus reaches its greatest 

 western elongation, not quite 46 degrees, on the 

 morning of July 10, when it rises about three hours 

 before the sun. Mars has just passed conjunction 

 with the sun, and is a morning star, but too near 

 the sun to be seen. Jupiter is in the western end of 

 the constellation Sagittarius, and during the month 

 moves about 3.5 degrees westward. It is on the me- 

 ridian at about 11.30 P. M. on July i, and at a little 

 after 9 P. M. on July 31. It has now almost reached 

 the extreme southern limit of its motion, and will 

 soon begin to move northward. The following 

 eclipses of his satellites may be seen at some point 

 or other in the United States. The shadow is now 

 on the eastern side of the planet, and only the reap- 

 pearances of the two inner satellites can be seen, the 

 disappearances taking place behind the planet. For 

 the third and fourth both disappearance and reap- 

 pearance can be seen. The phenomena all take 

 place near the upper right-hand quadrant, as seen 

 in an inverting telescope. Times are Eastern 

 Standard. 



July 3, 6h. 57m. A. M. 

 July 5, ih. 26ni. A. M. 

 July 9, 9h. 59m. P. M. 

 July 12, 3h. 2oni. A. M. 

 July 13, 9h. 49m. P. M. 

 July 17, I2h. 35m. A. M. 

 July 17, iih. 36m. P. M. 

 July 19, 5h. 15m. A. M. 

 July 20, iih. 44m. P. M. 

 July 24, 3h. 12m. A. M. 

 July 25, I2h. 47m. A. M. 



III. R. July 25, 3h. 36m. A. M. 

 I. R. July 28, ih. 38m. A. M. 

 I. R. JulV 29, 8h. 7m. P. M. 



Saturn is in the western sky in the evening, and 

 is rapidly approaching the sun ; by the end of the 

 month it is less than 15 degrees distant, and sets less 

 than an hour after, so that it cannot then be seen, 

 except in very clear weather. On July i it is about 

 three hours distant from the sun. During the month 

 it moves eastward among the stars and toward the 

 first magnitude star Regains {Alpha Leonis), and is 

 about 6 degrees west of it at the end of the month. 

 Uranus is in quadrature with the sun on July 10, 

 and is in the constellation Virgo, several degrees 

 north and west of Spica (Alpha Virginis.) Neptune 

 is a morning star, in the constellation Taurus, but 

 is too small to be seen without a telescope. 



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 8 P. M. on July 31. On the southern 

 meridian are Corona Borealis, near the zenith, and 

 Scorpiiis, down near the horizon. Sagittarius is 

 just rising in the south-east. 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 Lyra. 

 Delphinus 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 the me- 

 ridian. The principal stars of Ursa Minor lie near 

 the meridian, above the pole. Ursa 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 south-west, and Libra lies between 

 Virgo and Scorpius. M. 



Lake Forest, III., June 4, i8Sy. 



LITERARY NOTES. 



The Hygiene of the Nursery, by Louis Starr, M. D. 

 P. Blakiston, Son & Co., Philadelphia. Price, 

 $1.00. 



There is scarcely any department of domestic 

 economy in which so many erroneous and even 

 superstitious notions generally prevail, and upon 

 which so much nonsense and' general foolishness 

 has been written, as the care of infants and children, 

 and it is refreshing to find such a sensible and valu- 

 able work as that of Dr. Starr, which tells the inex- 

 perienced mother or nurse just what ought to be 

 done and how to do it. By following its directions 

 one can hardly fail to maintain a child in good 

 health, give vigor to the frame, and so lessen sus- 

 ceptibility to disease. These are so plainly, sensi- 

 bly, and, we may add, attractively given, that anv 

 woman of ordinary brain-power should be able to 

 understand them, and, by following them, to keep 

 her baby w-ell. We can heartily recommend the 

 book to all. 



The same firm have also published the Medical 

 Directory of 2'hiladelphia and Camden, 1889, con- 

 taining lists of physicians of all schools of practice, 

 dentists, druggists, veterinarians, and chemists, with 

 information concerning medical societies, colleges, 

 and associations, hospitals, asylums, charities, etc. ; 

 and A Manual of Chemistry, for the use of medical 

 students, by Brandreth S^'monds, A. M., M. D., as- 

 sistant physician Roo.sevelt Ho.spital, out-patient 

 department. New York. 



The Strength of Beams and Columns, hy Robert H. 

 Cousins. E. Si. F. N. Spon, New York. Price, 



$5.00. 



This treatise discusses, in a manner both practical 

 and scientific, the factors entering into the service 

 which may be expected from beams and columns of 

 various kinds and materials. The subject has hith- 

 erto been treated largely in an empirical manner, 

 and engineers will find Professor Cousins' work a 

 valuable and useful contribution to the literature 

 bearing upon it. 



