May 26, 1904] 



NA TURE 



87 



intendence of Mr. F. Watts. The first part deals with the 

 cultivation of selected varieties of canes grown in the same 

 wav as the ordinary crops on the estate. The Barbados 

 seedling B. 208 again heads the list, both in the matter 

 ■of providing the heaviest canes and producing the purest 

 juice; at the same time it retains its excellent character 

 ^s a ratoon cane. Another set of experiments, continuing 

 the work of former years, deals with the question of 

 manuring. The evidence is opposed to the value of arti- 

 ficial manures for plant canes when the land has been well 

 prepared with pen manure, but for obtaining maximum 

 crops with ratoons the addition of nitrogenous salts is 

 necessary. 



The first part of vol. i. of the new series of the Trans- 

 .actions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, 

 Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne has now been issued. 

 Among other interesting contents may be noticed " Notes 

 on Entoniostraca Found at the Roots of Laminariae," by 

 Dr. G. S. Brady, F.R.S., and papers by .Mr. Clephan on 

 ancient Egypt, and by Mr. Alex. Meek on the fishes of 

 the north-east coast. 



The seventieth annual report of the Bootham .School 

 ■(York) Natural History, Literary, and Polytechnic Society, a 

 copy of which has been received, affords abundant evidence 

 •of the importance attached by the masters of this school to 

 the development in boys of an interest in practical work in 

 science and in open-air study of natural phenomena. The 

 report should be seen by science masters in secondary schools 

 where little is done to create and foster interest in personal 

 •observations of nature. 



The British Fire Prevention Committee has issued, as 

 number eighty-one in its series of publications, a descriptive 

 paper by Mr. Edwin O. Sachs on the fire at the Iroquois 

 Theatre, Chicago, on December 30, 1903. The publication 

 also contains the new theatre regulations at Chicago, and 

 notes on constructional particulars by the U.S..^. National 

 Fire Protection Association. It appears that the stage of 

 the Iroquois Theatre was of the ordinary type with the 

 lusual wood equipment. The stage accessories, scenery, 

 -properties, &c., were of the ordinary highly inflammable 

 character, and had been in use for a considerable time, which 

 involved the usual fraying and high grade of inflammability. 

 The electric arc lamps used on the stage were not properlv 

 enclosed or suitably protected, and the fire appliances and 

 ■exits were equally unsatisfactory. Mr. Sachs, after re- 

 viewing the whole circumstances of the fire, gives a number 

 •of general conclusions which deserve attention. He insists 

 •that fire prevention on the stage — where the Iroquois fire 

 •originated — can only be obtained by suitable incombustible 

 construction and equipment. The scenery, properties, and 

 furnishings of the stage must be thoroughly impregnated, so 

 ithat they do not catch or spread fire by any spark or flame. 

 When it is remembered that this Chicago fire resulted in 

 572 deaths, it is not too much to demand that city authori- 

 ties should make the best use of the means provided by 

 ■science to prevent such outbreaks of fire. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



ASTRONO.MICAL OCCURRENCES IN JUNE : — 

 June I. I2h. Jupiter in perihelion. 



5. Ceres m opposition to the Sun. Ceres mng. 7^4. 

 ,, I4h. 13m. to i6h. 30m. Transit of Jupiter's Sat. III. 

 (Ganymede). 



8. 8h. Mercury at greatest elongation, 23° 46' W. 



9. I2h. 34m. Minimum of Algol (3 Persei). 

 •12. 9h. 23m. ,, ,, „ 



NO. 1804, VOL. 70] 



June 15. Venus. Illuminated portion of disc = 0'994, of Mars 

 = 0-999. 



18. Saturn. Major axis of ring = 4i"'62. Minor axis 



= 9"73- . 



19. 5h. Uranus in opposition to the Sun. 



24. iih. 55™. to I2h. 30m. Moon occults 6 Librae 



(ma;;. 4-3). 

 29. I7h. Venus m conjunction with Neptune, 9'°24'N. 



Comet 1904 a. — In No. 3947 of the Asiroiiomische Nach- 

 richtcn. Prof. Stromgren publishes a new set of parabolic 

 elements, and a daily ephemeris extending from May 18 to 

 June 19, for comet 1904 a. The following is taken from 

 his ephemeris : — 



12/1. QLT. Bcrliti). 

 1904 a 5 log r log A Brightness 



May 26 ... 14 17 17 4-58 9 0-4534 0-4033 0-72 



„ 30 ... 14 o 55 +sS 4 0-4554 0-4136 0-6S 



June 3 ... 13 45 51 +57 48 0-4576 0-4241 0-64 



,, 7 ... 13 32 15 -1-5722 0459S 0-4349 0-61 



,, II ... 13 20 8 -1-56 49 0-4621 0-4457 0-57 



,, 15 ... 13 927 •fsa II 04644 0-4564 0-54 



,, 19 ... 13 o 10 -i-55 29 0-4668 04671 0-51 



In No. 3946 of the same journal. Prof. Pickering reports 

 that on a spectrogram taken with an objective prism at the 

 Harvard College Observatory on April 16, the nearly con- 

 tinuous spectrum shows a slight increase of intensity at 

 two points, the distribution of the light being the same as 

 that recorded on a similar spectrogram of comet 1898 VII. 



The comet was independently discovered by M. Lucien 

 Rudaux at his private observatory at Donville (Manche) on 

 .■\pril 16. L'sing a portrait lens of 4 cm. aperture, he 

 photographed the region about the nebula M92 with an 

 exposure lasting from loh. 15m. to loh. 45m. (Paris M.T.), 

 about 4 hours before Mr. Brooks discovered the comet at 

 Cieneva (U.S..\.). On developing the plate he discovered 

 an unknown nebulous patch to the north of the nebula, but 

 cloudy weather prevented him from confirming his discovery 

 (Astronomische Nachrichten, No. 3946). 



The Stability of .Solar Spectrum Wave-Lengths. — In 

 a paper published in No. iq (1904) of the Comptes rendiis, 

 M. Hamv again refers to the apparent change of wave- 

 length of the green cadmium line at \ 508, with the con- 

 ditions under which the radiation is produced. He states 

 that on increasing the temperature surrounding the vacuum 

 tube from 295° to 310° C, the relative intensities of the 

 single line and the doublet, referred to by Prof. Fabry 

 {Comptes rendus, cxxxviii. p. S54), are considerably modified, 

 so much so that the mean wave-length is appreciably altered. 



He then suggests that a change of mean wave-length of 

 this character may largely affect the stability of the wave- 

 lengths of lines in the solar spectrum, because the conditions 

 of radiation in the solar atmosphere are probably consider- 

 ably modified during the various epochs of solar disturb- 

 ance. 



Variable Star Observations. — The variable star observ- 

 ations made at Rousdon by the late Sir Cuthbert Peek have 

 been edited by Prof. H. H. Turner, and the work is now 

 ready for press. At the meeting of the Royal Astronomical 

 .Society held on .^pril 8, Prof. Turner stated that on subject- 

 ing the few available light curves to harmonic analysis, he 

 found that the different harmonics appear to form a regular 

 series, .\nother point of interest discovered was that on 

 subjecting the sun-spot activity curve, obtained by plotting 

 Wolf's numbers, to similar analysis, the coefficients fitted 

 fairly well into the formula? obtained from the Rousdon 

 star variations if the .sun-spot maxima be taken as corre- 

 sponding to the variable star maxima {Ohscrvatorv, No. 

 344)- 



Provisional Results of the International Latitude 

 Service. — Prof. Albrecht publishes in No. 3945 of the 

 Astronomische Nachrichten the provisional results obtained 

 by the International Latitude Service during 1903-4. From 

 a diagram and a table, which show the variation of the 

 momentary pole from the position of the mean pole, it is 

 seen that the amount of this variation increased during 

 1903, and is now probably near its maximum value. 



