402 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Monday, April 2, 1860. 

 Present 56 members. Robert L. Pell, of Pelham, in the chair. 



INFLUENCE OP ELECTRICITY ON VEGETATION. 



By H. Meigs. — The earth is dependent upon the heavens in all its animal 

 and vegetable forms. A farmer studies the weather as much as a seaman. 

 Deeply interested are both of them relative to their vocations. 



We deem it proper to note the extraordinary display of Aurora Borealis 

 on the 28th of August, 1859. 



I observed the whole of it, and marked the peculiarity of its center of 

 ra:diation and its heighth. The center I remarked in the celebrated mete- 

 oric shower many years ago, was about 10 or 15 degrees southeasterly of our 

 zenith. I computed its height after receiving accounts of its apparent 

 altitude, as far south as latitude 30 degrees, and was enabled to estimate 

 approximately its altitude to be about four hiindred miles. Various cal- 

 culations have been made ; Marian made it 565 miles ; Bergman, 460 ; 

 Euler, several thousand; Dalton, 100. It has been commonly believed to 

 be confined to our atmosphere, or less than 50 miles altitude. 



Modern science connects light with magnetism, &c., &c. Light is usu- 

 ally with heat, latent, but penetrates all space ; friction shows it. The solid 

 bodies of the universe intercept its action and show light. The comets 

 project great masses from their nuclei into void space. Our earth occasion- 

 ally projects polar lights into space short distances. Our aurora of last 

 August would be visible to nearest planets. 



What influence these exert, if any, upon our vegetable and animal world, 

 either for good or evil, deserves scientific examination. I differ with our 

 ancient forefathers, who always assigned evil effects to these extraordinary 

 celestial phenomena. I see no reason either in science or religion for evil 

 instead of good to them. During the visit of the last great comet, I ad- 

 dressed large audiences at the saloon in Niblo's garden. And assured them 

 on one night that I believed we had just been enveloped in a portion of its 

 tail, because the air seemed so unusually purified, and its velocity in 

 passing over us must have been forty times greater than that of a cannon 

 ball. Almost all our meteorological phenomena are blessings ; thunder 

 storms, and gales, and hurricanes, heats and colds, are so many curatives 

 of evils of stagnation. They are to our earth what perfect exercise, change 

 of air, &c., are to each man, good ! 



The Farmer and Gardener, of Philadelphia, Vol. 1, No. 8, quarto, 

 monthly, speaks of the superiority of roofs of slate for farm houses. Can 

 be made for $7.75 per 100 square feet, where shingles cost $9.90 — with 

 safety from fire, and with great duration. 



Peter G. Bergen. — I would recommend a new kind of iron for roofs. 

 It is coated with a composition paint, and the plates are made so as to be 

 put together without solder. It is much cheaper than tin. There is no 

 difficulty about expansion and contraction. 



