JVA TURE 



[December i6, 1909 



northern limit of Cetus, and traverse Pisces. Tlv; short 

 time that the orbit plane of the comet has above the plane 

 of the ecliptic is shown by the fact that the ascending and 

 descending nodes are passed on January 179 and May 

 i8-6, 1910, respectively; on the latter date the comet 

 transits the sun. For seventy-eight days it remains inside 

 the earth's orbit, being at unit distance from the sun on 

 March ii-6 and May 28-7 respectively. At the beginning 

 of March the comet will set about three hours after the 

 sun, and will probably be unobservable from the end of 

 the first week until nearly the end of April ; then it will 

 become observable before sunrise. 



Numerous visual observations are now being recorded. 

 .■\mong others, Prof. Schorr reports that Dr. Graff saw 

 the comet, with the gj-inch equatorial of the Hamburg 

 Observatory, on November 18, as an elongated nebulous 

 mass, whilst Herr H. Thiele saw it with a 4i-inch comet- 

 seeker. A number of observations are also reported in 

 No. 4373 of the Astronomischc Nachrichten. According to 

 a Daily Mail correspondent, the Greenwich photographs 

 show curious fluctuations of brightness. On November 22 

 the comet was of the tenth magnitude, whilst on 

 November 30 it was of the twelfth, although on December i 

 it was again brighter. 



Mars. — In the December number of the Observatory the 

 Rev. T. E. R. Phillips briefly reviews the various observa- 

 tions which have been made of the Martian features during 

 the present opposition. His own observations indicate that 

 the polar cap was not symmetrical about the pole of rota- 

 tion, but was further from the south limb when the 

 •central meridian lay between longitudes 300° and 50° than 

 when the other side was presented. The canals, generally, 

 have not been well seen by Mr. Phillips, and only the 

 Euphrates has been seen duplicated. He also refers to the 

 lack of brightness in the white regions so well seen in 

 1903. .Six drawings of the planet, by Mr. Phillips, accom- 

 pany the note, and illustrate the various points to which 

 the author refers. 



Observations of Jupiter. — In No. 4372 of the Aslro- 

 fwmische Nachrichten Herren H. E. Lau and C. Luplau- 

 Jannsen describe their observations of Jupiter made during 

 the period January-May of this year. Numerous spots 

 were seen in the different bands, the activity of the southern 

 hemisphere in this respect during the recent oppositions 

 apparently exceeding that of the northern. Band iv. 

 appeared redder than hitherto, and the bright central line 

 mgre irregular. In April a remarkable projection was seen 

 on the southern edge of band v., darker than the band 

 itself, but apparently partaking of the general motion of 

 that region. Important changes took place in the visibility 

 and form of the Great Red Spot between the end of January 

 and the end of March, and on March 28 the spot itself 

 could not be seen, although its place was partially occupied 

 by a bright egg-shaped mass. A discussion of these changes 

 and a number of measures of the various features also 

 form part of the paper. 



In No. 4373 of the same journal Dr. H. H. Kritzinger 

 asks that all those observers who have unpublished 

 measures of the position of the Red Spot will kindly com- 

 municate the same to him at 7, Hindersinstrasse, Berlin 

 N.W. 



A Solar Physics Observ.'vtorv for Australia. — The 

 importance to solar physics of the installation of a properly 

 equipped observatory in Australia can scarcely be over- 

 estimated, and it is therefore with great pleasure that we 

 learn, from the Observatory, that the labours of Dr. 

 Duffield and others in this direction are likely ultimately 

 to become fruitful. 



At a meeting held on October 26 a number of prominent 

 Australian officials discussed the m,atter, and His Excel- 

 lency the Governor-General, Lord Dudley, in a carefully 

 reasoned speech, pointed out the urgent necessity for the 

 establishment of such an institution. He pointed out th,at 

 a capital expenditure of at least 10,000/., and an annual 

 expenditure of about 1500/., would be necessary, but if 

 Australia is to use the exceptional advantages of position 

 and climate which it possesses, and to take her place 

 ainong the other nations in the progress of science, this 

 opportunity should not be neglected. After discussing the 

 matter at length, the meeting agreed to the following 

 NO. 2094, VOL. 82] 



motion : — " That the establishment of a solar observatory 

 is desirable, and that the Federal Government be strongly 

 urged to assume the responsibility of carrying it into 

 effect." Already some loool. has been raised among 

 private donors, and it has been oflicially suggested that 

 the Commonwealth Government will materially help the 

 fund, and, in the event of the effort being successful, 

 provide for the maintenance of the observatory. From the 

 opinions expressed by several influential Australian papers 

 it appears very probable that this much needed institution 

 will ere long become established. 



The Hamburg Observatory. — We have received from 

 the director, Prof. Schorr, the reports of the Hamburg 

 Observatory for the years 1907 and 1908. In the latter is 

 an account of the removal of the observatory to Bergesdorf 

 and of the new instruments installed therein. 



Ephemerides for Perrine's and Winnecke's Comets, 

 19096 AND igogd. — Ephemerides for comets 1909b and 

 iqoqd are published in No. 4374 of the Astronomische 

 Nachrichten by Dr. Ebell and Prof. Hillebrand respectively. 

 .As both these objects are faint, and south of the equator, 

 it is not worth while reproducing the ephemerides here. 



A CONTRIBUTION TO APPLIED BOTANY.' 



^^WING, it seems, to the dilatoriness of some of the 

 contributors, the annual report of the German 

 Society of Applied Botany for 1908 has only lately appeared. 

 The society, now numbering 260 members, held its sixth 

 meeting at Strassburg early in August, and ought not to 

 require twelve months for the publication of its report. 

 .\ curious feature in it is the separation of the account of 

 the discussion of the contents of a paper from the report 

 of the paper itself. It would be more convenient if the 

 two were combined, and the paper followed by the 

 speakers' observations in each case. Thus " Diskussion 

 zur Appel," early in the volume, refers to a paper by 

 .•\ppel at the end. 



Wittmack directs attention to the confusion caused by 

 the want of uniformity in the views expressed by experts 

 on botanical matters, affecting especially the German 

 Customs' Department. He recommended the appointment 

 of a technical committee and the publication of its decision^ 

 in a special bulletin. This was subsequently found 

 impracticable, and the society decided to utilise its annua! 

 report for such purposes as far as possible. As Witt- 

 mack's article itself indicates, the expert forces of Germany 

 are so systematised In the various industries that there is 

 little need for a new organisation. 



In this report the amusing case of the " everlasting 

 plant," Selaginclla lepidophylla, is described in detail. 

 Wittmack reported that the plant, as imported for sale 

 as a curio, is dead. Brick, of the Hamburg Plant-protec- 

 tion Station, however, reported that the imported plants 

 are often, as several botanists have shown, living. Any 

 such living plant imported into Germany must pay a tax 

 and be examined for freedom from vine-louse and the St. 

 Jos^ scale-insect. Fortunately, common sense prevailed, 

 and the plants are now allowed into Germany as curios. 



Mez contparcs Merulius lacrymans with other forms of 

 dry-rot, and shows that it, unlike, e.g., Polyportis vapor- 

 arius, prepares its way by moistening the timber with the 

 " tears " it produces by its respiration, from the carbo- 

 hydrates derived from the timber destroyed by it. The 

 practical importance of this is great. 



Klebahn describes experiments on the solvent action of 

 root-secretions on " agriculture " and other phosphates. 

 Wittmack defines the term " bulbs " as used horti- 

 culturally. 



Voigt shows how seriously the contract cereal trade 

 through Hamburg is affected by a correct application of 

 the term " wild oats " in grain analysis, Hamburg and 

 Berlin differing in their interpretation of it. 



Muth contributes a comprehensive account of the varied 

 part botany should play in the experimental work of agri- 

 cultural stations, and shows that neither botany nor 

 botanists occupy their rightful position at present in 



1 Jahresbe'icht der Wreinijune fiir sneewandle Botanilc. Sechster 

 Tahrgang, 1908. Fp. xlii+?94. (Berlin." Gcbriider Borntraeger, 1909.) 



