184 
NATURE 
[ DECEMBER 24, 1903 
the medicinal properties and uses of the waters. Mr. 
Blatchley deals also with the gold and diamonds of the 
State. Gold is widely disseminated in the Glacial Drift, 
but the occurrence of diamonds, which have been found 
while panning gold, is only of scientific interest. Mr. 
G. H. Ashley writes on the Lower Carboniferous area of 
southern Indiana, and directs attention to the economic 
products of the rocks, which comprise materials for good 
building stone, for the manufacture of Portland cement, 
and glass sands. There are also articles on the Orthoptera 
and Mollusca, and reports on the petroleum industry. 
At the present time, when the British Cotton-growing 
Association is fostering the experiments which are being 
made to grow cotton in various parts of British Africa and 
in some of the West Indian islands, an account by the 
principal of the School of Agriculture in Cairo of the im- 
pressions gained during a visit to the cotton-growing States 
in America is particularly opportune. From a consider- 
ation of the principal characters of different cottons, and 
of the exclusive position which is held by Egyptian and 
South Sea island cotton, the writer shows that it is a matter 
of considerable importance to improve the quality as far 
as possible by taking advantage of selection and hybrid- 
isation. Practical suggestions are made with regard to the 
cultivation on the subjects of soil, planting, maturation of 
the seed, and rotation of crops. 
Dr. Dixon has added to his contributions towards the 
elucidation of the mode of ascent of water in tall trees by 
suggesting a transpiration model, which is described in 
the Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society. 
Over the top of a thistle funnel are fixed two parchment 
diaphragms converted into semipermeable membranes by 
soaking first in gelatin and then in tannin. These are 
arranged so as to leave a small space in which sugar is 
placed before closing up. A continuous column of water is 
established from the membranes through the funnel and 
connections, to a supply of water below. The water enters 
the artificial cell, fills it, and finally water and sugar soak 
through the outer membrane. The vapour tension of the 
water below the lower membrane is greater than that of 
the liquid in the cell, and the latter is greater than the 
vapour tension of the liquid above the upper membrane, so 
that a flow of water takes place from the reservoir upwards. 
Tue Transvaal Agricultural Journal, which is issued 
quarterly, and has now reached its fifth number, serves to 
show with how much energy the Agricultural Department 
of the new colony, under the direction of Mr. F. B. Smith, is 
attacking the many problems of farming in that country. 
A more difficult task cannot well be imagined; the disasters 
of the war, which has denuded the country of its stock, have 
been accompanied by repeated attacks of epizootic diseases 
of all kinds, to which new importations of cattle succumb 
at once; at the same time the greatest drought since 1862 
has occurred, and even Kafir labour has been forced up to 
a price prohibitive to the farmer. The numbers of the 
Journal bear evidence of the diversity and virulence of the 
diseases of stock that prevail; fortunately they show also 
that the Agricultural Department is busy with investigations 
on the origin of the diseases and the best preventive 
measures against them. The most dreaded diseases seem 
to be ‘‘red water’’ and the more recently discovered 
“* Rhodesian red water ”’ or “‘ African coast fever,’? both of 
which are propagated by ticks as an intermediate host, but 
though animals get immunised or “ salted’’ against the 
fc1mer, the latter seems invariably fatal. 
NO. 1782, VOL. 69| 
Messrs. Macmittan anp Co., Lrp., have published part 
v. of ‘© A School Geometry,’? by Messrs. H. S. Hall and 
F. H. Stevens. This section contains the substance of 
Euclid Book vi., with additional theorems and examples. 
Messrs. DAWBARN AND Warp, Ltp., have added to their 
series of useful little ‘‘ Rural Handbooks’ a volume by 
Mr. H. Francklin on incubating and rearing utility fowls. 
The principles on which incubators and rearers are con- 
structed are explained, and the advantages of artificial as 
compared with natural incubation are made clear. 
A copy of the sixth edition of Strasburger’s ‘‘ Lehrbuch 
der Botanik ’? has been received from the publisher, Herr 
Gustav Fischer, Jena. The work has been completely re- 
vised, and many sections have been altered in order to adapt 
them to the present state of knowledge, especially in con- 
nection with plant physiology and morphology. 
We have received the year-book of meteorological 
observations at the station of the First Order belonging to 
the, Magdeburg Journal for the year 1900. This is the 
twentieth volume of the series, and contains, in addition to 
observations and results recorded in accordance with the 
international scheme, complete hourly readings and means, 
observations of earth temperature, evaporation, &c. As 
regards tabular statements of the results of a well equipped 
observatory, nothing better could be desired. The auto- 
graphic registrations of a Campbell-Stokes sunshine re- 
corder have been photochemically reproduced; the cards 
ranged side by side have a very neat appearance, and give 
a clear view of the amount of bright sunshine in the different 
months. During the seven months of April to October 
there were only thirteen sunless days. 
Tue Christmas number of Photography (London: Iliffe 
and Sons, Ltd., price rs.) is a production which will be 
heartily welcomed by those interested in the artistic side 
of photography. No pains seem to have been spared to 
render the book high class in every respect, and the thirty 
or more full-page and smaller half-tone reproductions from 
photographs printed on glazed art paper, and the letter- 
press and line drawings on rough antique paper, are 
sufficient proof of this statement. The contents of the 
letterpress consist of six articles on topics of widely different 
interest. Mr. F. H. Evans, on ‘‘ The Characteristic Use 
of the Hands in Portraiture,’’ gives some valuable hints on 
the conspicuous part played by the hands of sitters, and 
illustrates his remarks by photographs taken by himself. 
“Landscape in Pictorial Photography ’’ is contributed by 
“ Fecit,’? who in this delightful essay uses numerous illus- 
trations of prominent photographers to elucidate his points. 
Other articles are ‘‘ Photography in a Wood,’’ by Mr. 
Will. A. Cadley; ‘‘W. Rawlings—a Photographer of 
Winter,”” by Monochrome; and, in a lighter vein, the 
““ Walrus’? gives an account of the weird inventions of 
‘“My Friend Choggles,’’ and ‘‘ Pettifer ’’ prattles about his 
experiences of winter photography. 
Tue report of the ninth meeting of the Australasia 
Association for the Advancement of Science, held at Hobart, 
Tasmania, in 1902, has now been published. The volume 
is edited by Mr. Alex. Morton, the secretary of the Royal 
Society of Tasmania, and runs to nearly nine hundred pages. 
The contents of the report, including as they do detailed 
accounts of the ten sections into which for working pur- 
poses the Association is divided, and reports of eight 
research committees, show conclusively that the Austral- 
asian men of science are following very  success- 
fully the example set by the parent association. The presi- 
