NA TURE 



[July 4, 1907 



on the evidence of an American ranchman, who offers 

 the explanation that at the time of the full moon the 

 bamboos are full of sap, and that the sap rises and falls 

 with the waxing and waning of the moon. As mentioned 

 in a paragraph in Nature of February 14 (p. 377), Mr. 



E. P. Stebbing has met with the same belief in India, and 

 refers to experiments made in southern India, but these 

 were inconclusive. Seeing how widely the conviction is 

 spread through the tropics, it would be interesting to obtain 

 more evidence, but such evidence should be based on a 

 systematic and carefully planned series of experiments. 



From the Agricultural News we learn that the cultiva- 

 tion of new seedling sugar canes, as compared with the 

 Bourbon and other varieties hitherto grown in British 

 Guiana and elsewhere in the West Indies, shows consider- 

 able progress in recent years. From returns to hand, it 

 appears that 28,801 acres were planted in British Guiana 

 in seedling canes in 1906-7. The area in 1905-6 was 

 14.743 acres, and in 1904-1; 9518 acres. Among the more 

 important seedling varieties are the Demerara seedlings 

 D. 109 and D. 625, while two Barbados seedlings, B. 208 

 and B. 147, are also largely cultivated. It is pointed out 

 that an editorial note which appeared in the International 

 Sugar Journal in May last (pp. 219-220) discussing, the 

 " Identity of Seedling Canes in Demerara," and stating 

 that the seedling cane B. 20S cultivated on the well-known 

 Diamond Plantation in Demerara " was not the original 

 .seedling of that variety," is without foundation. Samples 

 of B. 208 from Diamond Plantation have since been sub- 

 mitted to a critical examination by the Imperial Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture for the West Indies, and it is' stated 

 that they are identical with the original seedlings of that 

 variety raised at Barbados. 



T«E Engineering Standards Committee has issued a new 

 edition of the British Standard Specification for Portland 

 Cement (report No. 12, price 2s. 6d.). Several alterations 

 have been made with the view of extending the useful- 

 ness of the specification. The percentage of sulphuric 

 anhydride has been slightly extended, the expansion under 

 the Le Chatelier test has been reduced, and the maximum 

 final settling time for the slow-setting cement has been 

 increased. Other alterations have been made in the direc- 

 tion of rendering the meaning of the specification more 

 clear. 



One of the most interesting phases of the development 

 of copper mines caused by the recent great demand for 

 the metal and by the use of electric power has been the 

 profitable mining of ores so poor that formerly they would 

 have been regarded as valueless. A striking example of 

 this is afforded by the mines of the Boundary District, 

 British Columbia, which are described in detail by Mr. 



F. Kefller in a copiously illustrated article in the Engineer- 

 ing Review (vol. xxxiii.. No. 3). In the same issue there 

 are well-considered articles on efficiency in the burning of 

 fuel under the steam boiler, by Mr. W. D. Ennis, and on 

 the design of modern producers and gas engines, by Mr. 

 R. E. Mathot. 



With the Engineer of June 21 is issued a special supple- 

 ment devoted to auxiliary machinery on merchant steamers. 

 It contains seventy illustrations, and shows in a striking 

 manner the remarkable changes that have been effected 

 within recent years. The development of electricity on 

 board ship for power purposes, as well as for lighting ; the 

 adoption of the turbine principle of propulsion for cross- 

 Channel and ocean-going passenger steamers ; the increase 

 m the number .and size of dead-meat carrying steamers ; 



NO. 1966, VOL. 76J 



and the radical modifications in the general design and! 

 equipment of ships engaged in bulk-cargo carrying, with! 

 the view of extreme despatch in loading and discharging- 

 all these are matters which have had distinct influence of 

 late in modifying conventional and standard facilities and 

 practice in respect of steamship auxiliary machinery. 



The Mittcihingen of the Berne Philosophical Society for 

 1906 contain observations of twilight phenomena and of 

 the intensity of the magnificent Alpine glows at that place 

 during the year, by P. Gruner. The glows were more 

 frequent than usual, owing probably to the abnormally fine 

 weather, but the cases of great intensity of colour were 

 below the average. In " The Glaciers of the Alps " 

 Tyndall pointed out that " the colouring must, in a great 

 measure, be due to some variable constituent of the atmo- 

 sphere " ; we are glad, therefore, to learn that the author 

 proposes to discuss the observations published since 1903, 

 after at least a five years' series is available. 



The Egyptian .Survey Department has decided to separate 

 the meteorological work into two parts, the first dealing 

 with the observations at Helwan Observatory and the 

 second with the climatological stations, rainfall, and river 

 data. These observations have now been published for 

 1904, and the reports for 1905-6 are promised shortly. 

 Part ii. contains, in addition to th?. results of observations 

 at the various stations in Egypt and the Soudan, a sketch 

 of the climate of Egypt condensed from the discussion in 

 " Physiography of the River Nile and its Basin," by 

 Captain H. G. Lyons (see Nature, vol. Ix.xv., p. 17). The 

 chief climatological feature of the year 1904 is said to 

 have been the failure of the north-east African monsoon, 

 which was both late and weak. In Egypt itself the note- 

 worthy features were the abnormally cool weather of spring 

 and warm spell in October. 



Dr. G. Panconcelli Calzia, of Marburg, is publishing 

 in the Medizinisch-pddagogische Monatsschrift a summary 

 of current literature on phonetics under the title " Biblio- 

 graphia Phonetica." As the author points out, it has 

 been necessary for specialists in this subject to consult 

 literature extending over a wide range of other sciences 

 in order to find the papers they want, the only guide in 

 existence being the somewhat incomplete summary of the 

 period i876-iSc)6 by Breymann. Dr. Calzia desires to 

 receive copies of all papers or books bearing on phonetics 

 for the purpose of abstracting, and rare and valuable 

 books will be returned if desired. 



A very suggestive article on the progress of our know- 

 ledge of the flora of North America is contributed to the 

 Popular Science Monthly for June by Prof. L. M. Under- 

 wood. It is illustrated by figures reproduced from the 

 early works of Porta (1591), Bock (1587), Cornut (1635), 

 Plukenet, Micheli (1729), and Linnaeus (1753). Perhaps 

 the most noteworthy point emphasised in the article is the 

 comparatively recent development of botany as a subject 

 of university study. The late Prof. .Asa Gray appears 

 to have maintained a conservative spirit in regard to the 

 study of systematic botany, and to have shown opposition 

 to those who might have helped in the vast field of work 

 required to be done. Thirty years ago America possessed 

 only three professors of botany, and one Government 

 botanist at Washington ; now, both in the universities and 

 in the Government stations, the botanists can be counted 

 by hundreds. 



Under the title " Tablettes des Cotes," M. Gaston 

 Tarry publishes a triple entry table for the purpose of 

 finding the prime factors of large numbers which are not 



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