86 



NA TURE 



[May 24, 1906 



Mr. E. R. Pratt, of Ryston Hall, Norfolk, writes an 

 interesting article on the East Anglian timber willow in 

 the recently published Journal of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society. The supply of timber suitable for their trade has 

 in recent years caused manufacturers of cricket-bats some 

 anxiety. In East Anglia, and apparently in other parts 

 •of England, all large willows have been felled, except those 

 l<epl by landowners for ornamental purposes, and the price 

 of timber good enough for bat-making has risen to 5s. 

 per foot. Two varieties of willow are purchased, the " close- 

 l^ark," which is considered much the best, and the "open- 

 bark," Growers of willows have found it a difficult matter 

 to ascertain what variety the bat-maker wants, as his 

 descriptions of the tree have been very vague. Mr. Pratt 

 has gone carefully into the question of variety, and has 

 examined a great many willows in the eastern counties. 

 On the authority of a botanist who has given special atten- 

 tion to the genus (Rev. E. F. Linton, of Edmondsham, 

 .Salisbury), he states that the " close-bark willow " is 

 not Salix alba, but S. viridis, a variable hybrid between 

 S. alba and S. fragilis. Many of Mr. Pratt's specimens 

 closely approached the former species, but could always be 

 distinguished by the bronze-red winter shoots. He believes 

 that the genuine 5. alba, of which he has cultivated speci- 

 mens obtained from Kew, is very rare in the eastern 

 counties. Mr. Pratt further states that the " open-bark 

 willow " of the bat-maker is S. fragilis, the crack willow, 

 or its variety, S. Russelliana, the Bedford willow. In his 

 experience 5. viriilis is much more common in East Anglia 

 than 5. fragilis. 



Is the Eitgiiiccring Rcvic-d.' (vol. xiv., No. 5) illustrations 

 are given of the works at Notodden where the synthesis 

 of nitrates from the air has been found commercially 

 practicable. 



Some very useful hints for horseback travel and transport 

 are given in an article by Mr. F. L. Waldo on outfitting 

 for the prospecting trail in northern Mexico in the 

 Engineering Magazine (vol. xxxi., No. i). During a ten 

 years' residence in Mexico the author's attention has 

 many times been directed to the incongruity of the outfits 

 prepared and brought into that country by those whose 

 business or pleasure call them into the Sierras. While 

 the suggestions given refer specifically to a certain region, 

 many of them will be of value elsewhere. 



A Bulletin (vol. iii., No. 54) has been issued by the 

 Department of .Agriculture, Madras, describing experiments 

 on well irrigation made by Prof. A. Chatterton at Metro- 

 sapuram in 1902-5. The results show that with adequate 

 pumping power it is possible to improve the water supply 

 and to cultivate a very considerable tract of land from 

 a single well. If in the future oil engines and pumps 

 are extensively used for well irrigation in India, it appears 

 certain that the 3-inch centrifugal pump will be most 

 largely employed, and that such a pump will water six 

 acres per day of twelve hours, and will be suitable for 

 areas ranging from thirty to fifty acres. 



The annual progress report of the Geological Survey of 

 Western Australia for 1905 (Perth, 1906) shows that much 

 valuable work has been done. The Wodgina tinfield has 

 been carefully examined, and it is believed that it will 

 prove an important tin and tantalite producer. About 

 I cwt. of tantalite specimens have been presented to the 

 Survey museum. During the year there was a sudden 

 demand for tantalum ores which had hitherto been con- 

 sidered useless. Considerable interest has been taken 

 locally in deposits of graphite, and those on the Donnelly 

 NO. 1908, VOL. 74] 



River have been worked to a slight extent. A sample of 

 laterite iron ore from Comet Vale, North Coolgardie, 

 proved of great interest on account of the occurrence in 

 it of a notable proportion of chromium, mostly in the form 

 of a hydrate. A large portion of the report is devoted to 

 the results of examinations of the various goldfields, full 

 reports of which will be published in due course. 



The weather report of the Meteorological Office for the 

 week ending Saturday, May 19, shows that the recent rains 

 were excessive in places, while in other parts of the United 

 Kingdom the rainfall was below the average. In the east 

 of Scotland and in the north-east of England the aggregate 

 fall was at least four times the average. The measure- 

 ments due to the exceptionally heavy rains of Saturday, 

 May 19, were : — 2-53 inches at North Shields, 2-40 inches 

 at .'\lnwick Castle, and 223 inches at Seaham. Both 

 France and the .Spanish Peninsula participated in the heavy 

 rains of Saturday, the measurement for the twenty-four 

 hours at Lyons being 2-25 inches, and at Corunna 2-40 

 inches. 



We have received copies of the Boletim mensal of the 

 Observatory of Rio de Janeiro, issued under the auspices 

 of the Ministry of Industry. Anyone wishing to study the 

 climate of that part of the Atlantic shore lying between 

 the mouth of the -Amazons and Rio de Janeiro will find 

 trustworthy statistics for several of the coastal stations. 

 The data are chiefly for ten-day means, with monthly 

 means and extremes, but for Rio de Janeiro the actual 

 ! observations for three-hourly periods are given in addition, 

 and furnish most valuable details for all meteorological 

 elements. 



The Republic of L'ruguay has recently established a 

 National Institute for Weather Prediction, with its central 

 observatory at Monte N'ideo ; the meteorological observatory 

 at that place was founded by the municipal authorities in 

 1895. Observations have been made at several stations for 

 some years, and the new institution has commenced its 

 operations by the collation and discussion of the means 

 and e.xtremes already available, and by the investigation 

 of the characteristics of the severe storms which affect the 

 navigation of the estuary of the Rio de La Plata. The 

 most dangerous storms are those from the south-east, as 

 they usually occur with a rising barometer, in connection 

 with anticyclonic conditions over the .Atlantic, and are fre- 

 quently accompanied by thick fog on the coast. The first 

 number of the bulletin of the institute contains an exposi- 

 tion of the hydrography of the estuary, and tables show- 

 ing, inter alia, the effect of the various winds upon the 

 tides of the river. 



Two reports have recently been issued on rates of deck 

 watches and of box and pocket chronometers on trial for 

 purchase by the Board of Admiralty at the Royal Observ- 

 atory, Greenwich, in the latter half of last year. The 

 number of deck watches on trial from August 5 to 

 November 25, 1905, was 125, and the makers of the first 

 five in the list, in which the watches are arranged in order 

 of merit, are: — (i) W. Potts and Son, Leeds; (2) L. Hall, 

 Louth, Lines ; (3) S. D. Neill, Belfast ; (4) and (5) 

 J. Player and Son, Coventry. The makers of the first five 

 box chronometers of those on trial from June 17, 1905, to 

 January 6, 1906, are : — (i) Kullberg, London ; (2) and (3) 

 Johannsen, London ; (4) Lilley and Son, London ; (5) M. F. 

 Dent, London. In the same period the makers of the 

 leading five pocket chronometers are ; — (i) Newsome and 

 Co., Coventry; (2) and (3) Kullberg, London; (4) Lindqvist, 

 London ; (5) Newsome and Co., Coventry. 



