22,2 



NATURE 



[November 21, 191S 



ceutical Works, now a flourishing concern. It is well 

 that these two men of science arc at hand, qualified to 

 assist in the industrial developmenl of India, which 

 cannot now be long postponed. 



Some interesting note-- l>\ Mr. E. C. Chubb on the 

 whales landed at the whaling station at Durban 

 tppear in the Annals of the Durban Museum (vol. ii., 

 part -'). These were taken during the whaling season 

 of i'ii|, since when, unfortunately, the "fishing" has 

 been suspended, though it will be resumed, no doubt, 

 at nu distant date. A female oi the blue whale 

 (Balacnoptcr 1 nni*i ii/ii.v| is recorded here which was 

 no ft. in length, and it is evident that, for the- present, 

 some uncertainty must obtain in regard to records of 

 the capture of (lie "seihval" (B. borealis), since this 

 species is not readily distinguished from the South 

 African B. brydei. From the stomach of a sperm 

 whale, obtained off Durban in 1913, a shark, 10 ft. in 

 length, was taken. A number of excellent photo- 

 graphs add much to the value of this paper. 



THE Monilia diseases of fruit-trees are some of the 

 most serious of those with which present-day fruit- 

 growers have to contend. In spite of the consider- 

 able amount of work which has been done on them, 

 our knowledge of their specific symptoms and detailed 

 etiology has remained to a considerable extent incom- 

 plete. During recent years, however, thanks to the 

 careful work carried out at Wye College by Mr. E. S. 

 Salmon and Mr. H. Wormald, important advances 

 have been made in the elucidation of these diseases. 

 In the Annals of Applied Biology (vol. iii., No. 4) Mr. 

 Wormald published the results of a very thorough 

 studv of a blossom-wilt and canker of apple-trees due 

 to a species of Monilia clearly different from M. fritrti- 

 gena (the cause of the well-known rot of apples), 

 which he refers to M. cinerea, Bon. More recently 

 Mr. Wormald has published in the same journal 

 (vol. v., No. 1) an equally illuminating account of a 

 " wither-tip " disease of plum-trees which occurs in 

 Kent, and probably elsewhere. This disease is also 

 caused by M. cinerea. The interesting point is that, 

 although the two fungi which attack apple- and plum- 

 trees respectively are morphologically indistinguish- 

 able, vet their pathogenic characters are dissimilar. 

 Hence it is now proved that amongst the Monilias, 

 just as amongst the "rusts" and the "mildews," 

 biologic forms or physiological strains exist. In the 

 case of the two Monilias referred to, these strains 

 can be distinguished, not only by their behaviour 

 with regard to specific hosts, but also by means of 

 cultural and biochemical methods. 



Tin regulations for the supply of spectacles to 

 thi 1. rman Army have given a great impetus to the 

 sire to carrv standardisation of spectacle 

 puis still further. According to the Central-Zeitung 

 fur Optik und Mechanik (August 20), military spec- 

 tacles must have lenses of 38-2 mm. diameter and be 

 interchangeable. Only ten types are permitted. 

 Standardisation is still desirable in frames, screws, 

 etc., of which only one size should be permitted. 



A writer in L'Elettroteenica for September 25 

 pleads for an intensive system of re-afforestation in 

 Italy in view of the future industrial requirements of 

 that country. It is suggested thai suitable tree-, be 

 planted in the neighbourhood of watersheds for the 

 production of charcoal by 1 lectric power, as Italy may 

 be obliged to have recourse to charcoal in place of 

 coke for steel-making. Some figures are given showing 

 the power required and the vield of charcoal and by. 

 products possible. 



NO. 2560, VOL. I02] 



I'n 1 1 'in of from 1 to 5 mm. diameter is in usi 

 in Germain as a substitute for jute. Paper yarn from 



pai 1 Ime in pane, is woven into belts for driving light 

 machinery. According to Zeitschrift filr angewandte 

 Chemie F01 August 2, when treated with 1 per cent, 

 solution of tannin the yarn is rendered soft and flexible 

 in thi touch and its strength increased l>\ .)m pei 



Tbi' addition of gelatine gives a hard, firm tOUi 

 the yarn and an increased strength of 25 p. 1 . 

 When wet its strength is reduced by only 15 per C< ill. 



Neutralised aluminium acetate added to tie tannin 

 solution gives the yarn a strong, elastic touch 

 increases its strength 44 per rent. The average water- 

 contenl of the yarn is about 38 per cent. 



Elektrotechnischi Zeitschrift for August 20 gives 

 particulars of a number of new scientific institutions 

 in Germany to improve the methods of using raw 

 materials for industrial .and war purposes. The Kaisei 

 Wilhelm Institute for Research on Iron will deal with 

 scientific .research on iron. An institute bearing a 

 similar title will deal with the selection of suitabli 

 research workers and the provision of grants to en- 

 able them to carry on their work'. There is a further 

 institute for biological science. A research institution 

 for lignite and mineral oil is attached to the Tech- 

 nische Hochschule, Berlin, towards the cost of which 

 750,000 marks have been subscribed; while a parallel 

 instituti lias been affiliated with the Royal Mining 

 Academy of Saxony, the work at which will ini 

 research on ferro-alloys and calcium carbide. The 

 Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Military Science will 

 work in conjunction with the best scientific and mili- 

 tate experts to promote the development of science 

 and technology for war purposes. There w ill I" -i 1 - 

 tions for chemical raw materials for munitions, 

 chemical war materials (powder, explosives, gases, 

 etc.), phvsirs (which will include ballistics), technical 

 methods of transportation, aeronautics, etc. South 

 German textile manufacturers have founded an in- 

 stitution for textile research. Present investigations 

 at this institution are concerned with all kinds of 

 paper, cellulose, and fibres for textile purposes. 



The September issue of the Proceedings of the Tokyo 

 Mathematico-Physical Society contains a paper by Mr. 

 M. So on some interesting observation- be has made 

 in the physical laboratory of the Tokyo Electric ( 'o. 

 on the annealing of glass. In the first instance a 

 newly drawn glass fibre is heated slowh in an electrii 

 furnace and its length observed. It increases a- the 

 temperature rises, but at a temperature in the neigh- 

 bourhood of 400 C. it begins to contract, and at about 

 500 ('. becomes plastic. Next, when a short cylinder 

 of the glass between crossed Nicols is heated, t !i< 



interference rings show little change until a tempera- 

 ture of 400° C. is reached, and then widen and dis- 

 appear at about 500 C. Lastly, when the glass is 

 slowly heated or cooled, the curve of temperature ch 

 shows thai over the plastic range of temperature there 

 are absorption and liberation of heat, proving thai 

 change of state of a constituent of the glass takes 

 place at that temperature. The first two effects vary 

 with the nature of tin- glass, and are not exhibited by 

 annealed specimens. The third effect is found in both 

 annealed and unannealed glass. 



It is well known that the change - 1 ffi ted in the 

 surface of glass thai can !»■ revealed by the deposition 



of moisture or by using the glass as the basis of a 

 photograph, and in other ways, are sometimes very 

 persistent. Mr. J. II. M. Davidson, of Adelaide, 

 records in the British journal of Photography 

 for November 1 a "To Let" notice originalK 



