July i8, 1907] 



NATURE 



281 



the result in No. 41S9 (p. 209, July 6) of thp .Isfro- 

 nomische Nachrichten. In ihe new set of elements (iv) 

 the eccentricity is given as 05057 and the period as 78-81 

 years. There are still differences between the observed 

 and calculated positions which must be accounted for 

 either by unusually large constant errors in the measures 

 or by the presence of an invisible third body, the effect of 

 which, in this case, would be enhanced on account of the 

 large eccentricity of the orbit ; an ephemeris for 1907-5- 

 1936-5 accompanies the paper. 



Comparison of the .Spectra of the Limb and Centre 

 OF THE Sun. — In No. 5, vol. x.xv. (p. 300, June), of the 

 Astrophysical Journal, Prof. Hale publishes an important 

 paper showing the results of a comparison of the spectrum 

 of the central parts of the sun's disc with that of the 

 sun's limb. In 1879-80, Prof. Hastings showed that the 

 modifications of the Fraunhofer spectrum at the limb were 

 similar to those which obtain when a spot spectrum is 

 e.vamined, but were much less in degree. Recent work at 

 Mount Wilson confirms this, and shows that the effect is 

 greater than was previously expected. 



The differences between centre and limb are plainly 

 shown in three sets of spectra which Prof. Hale repro- 

 duces. ."Ml winged lines such as H, K, H7 and the lines 

 of the b group lose, to a great extent, their hazy borders, 

 the latter, for example, appearing as comparatively hard, 

 well-defined lines. Other lines, e.g. \K 5156-823, 5219-875, 

 5426-474, which are intensified in passing from the 

 Fraunhofer to the spot spectrum, are intensified at the 

 limb, whilst still others, generally " spark " lines, are 

 W'eakened at the limb as they are in spots. 



There are, however, as shown by the preliminary examin- 

 ation, important differences in the changes undergone. 

 Perhaps the most striking Is In the winged lines the borders 

 of which, at the limb, are universally contracted, whereas | 

 in spots the wings on the strong lines in the more re- 

 frangible portion of the spectrum are intensified rather than 

 diminished. Another anomaly Is that at the limb the lines 

 of V and Ti, certainly the most affected In spots, are not 

 so strongly affected as those of Mg, Fe, Ca, &c. .'\galn, in 

 spots. Ha, like all the other H lines, is thinned, whereas 

 at the limb this line is actually widened and perhaps 

 strengthened. 



The thinning of the spark lines Is strikingly shown In a 

 table in which the behaviour at the limb of twenty-seven 

 of the more prominent enhanced lines of Fe, Ti, and V, 

 as given by Sir Norman Lockyer, -is exhibited. .\\\ these 

 lines are considerably weakened In passing from centre to 

 limb, and the majority of them have been observed 

 similarly affected in spots. 



A discussion of these results in their bearing on the 

 solar theory is promised In a later paper. 



The Orbit of t Orionts. — .\ note by Mr. Plaskott in 

 No. 3, vol. i. (p. 206, May-June), of the Journal of the 

 R..\..S. (Canada) mentions the preliminary results obtained 

 from the radial-velocity measurements of the spectrum of 

 1 Orionis. These show that the eccentricity of the orbit is 

 0-75, greater than that of any other yet known spectro- 

 scopic binary, and that the period is about 29.12 days. 



Meteor and Fireball Observ.4tions. — .istrotiomische 

 Nachrichten, No. 4187 (p. 1.83, June 29), contains an 

 account by Mr. Denning of a first-magnitude Leonid 

 observed on November 17 last. This meteor travelled 

 along a visible path more than ninety-one miles In length at a 

 velocity of thirty miles per second, a considerably lower 

 velocity than that usually attained by Leonids. The height 

 at the beginning of the flight was seventy-seven miles, at the 

 end sixty-six miles, so that the path was very long and nearly 

 horizontal, facts which may account for the low velocity, 

 as the body would thus encounter considerable atmo- 

 spheric resistance. 



.\ fireball, observed over Yorkshire on November 23, 

 8h. 5ni., was brighter than \'enus, and appears to have 

 proceeded from a radiant at 46° + 5°, a position near 

 o Ceti. From previous observations there appears to be a 

 shower of long duration, or a succession of showers, from 

 this radiant, Cetids having been observed in September, 

 October, and November, those In November furnishing the 

 most brilliant examples. The mean position of the radiant 

 's 43° + 5'- 



NO. T968 YOL 76] 



THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. 

 "T^HE annual sessions of this society, the premier scien- 

 tific society in Canada, were held, as usual, in the 

 capital city of Ottawa on May 13-16. The society, which 

 was founded twenty-five years ago by the Duke and 

 Duchess of Argyll (the Princess Louise and the then 

 Marquis of Lome), combines the features of the Royal 

 Society of London and the French Academy. The number 

 of fellows is very limited, and there are four sections, viz. 

 French literature and history, English literature, &c., 

 physics and chemistry, and biology and geology. There 

 was an unusually large attendance from all parts of the 

 vast Canadian dominion, and in Sections ill. and iv. the 

 meetings were regarded as the best ever held. 



Dr. VVm. Saunders, C.M.G., president of the society 

 for 1906-7, and head of the Government Experimental 

 Farms, gave his presidential address on the evening of 

 Mav 14 In the presence of a distinguished audience. In- 

 cluding Sir Sandford Fleming, Sir James Grant, Profs. 

 Ramsay Wright, Penhallow, Prince, and Clark Murray, 

 and representatives from most of the universities of 

 Canada. The subject was " The Development of Agri- 

 cultural Science," and it consisted of a masterly review 

 of the history of farming from classical times to our own 

 day. 



Ihe ancient Hebrews and Egyptians were the most 

 proficient tillers of the soil In those distant ages, and the 

 latter race was the first to raise domestic cattle. .Amcngst 

 the Romans, agriculture was highly esteemed, and when 

 luxurv brought demoralisation, the noblest minds reverted 

 to farming. " The earth," said one of these old Romans, 

 " gives back what it receives with usury, and nothing 

 can be more profitable or beautiful than a well-kept farm." 



During the Middle .^ges, only the wealthy ate wheaten 

 food ; the poorer classes used rye, barley, and oats. But 

 In the sixteenth century Raleigh introduced the potato Into 

 Ireland. However, when the Queen of England wanted 

 a salad for luncheon, she had still to despatch a messenger 

 to Holland. 



Up to the eighteenth century land was sown until ex- 

 hausted. By that time farmers had learned the alternate 

 crop plan of conserving the strength of the soil, and at 

 the opening of the nineteenth century they understood the 

 value of manure as a fertiliser. 



"It is highly probable," declared Dr. Saunders, "that 

 the plant-life will always supply enough food for mankind, 

 and the supposition sometimes advanced, that the rapidly 

 increasing population will not find sufficient nourishment, 

 seems far remote from probability." 



Twentv-three years ago farming was in a very de- 

 pressed condition' in Canada. In 1884 a select committee 

 of the Canadian House of Commons Investigated the causes 

 of this depression, and found it was due, not to poor soil 

 or idleness, but to a lack of knowledge and skill in the 

 farmers, and the committee recommended the establishment 

 of experimental farms to promote agriculture and instruct 

 the farmers. Accordingly, in 1S86 a central farm was 

 started near Ottawa, with four other branch farms in other 

 parts of Canada. In agriculture, Canada Is now pre- 

 eminent among the nations, and even Egypt, the ancient 

 farming land. Is asking for samples of Canadian products 

 that she may emulate this country in the pursuit of the 

 farming Industrv. 



Prof. Rutherford, F.R.S., was president of Section iii. 

 (Physics), and gave an address on the life-history of 

 radium, and other fellows of the society presented twenty- 

 five original communications, while Prof. Edward E. 

 Prince, Chief Commissioner of Fisheries, delivered an 

 address, as president of Section Iv. (Biology and Geology), 

 on marine biology in Canada. Prof. Prince is the head 

 of the three biological stations carried on by the Govern- 

 ment on the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Great Lakes 

 shores, and his account of the progress of zoological re- 

 search and of the Investigations af the stations proved 

 exceptionally Interesting. Twenty-seven papers were read 

 and discussed, including one, the first ever presented to the 

 society by a lady, the subject being " The Islets of 

 Langcrhan's In the' Pancreas of Certain Fishes," by Prof. 

 Swale and Mrs. Thompson, of Winnipeg. Prof. Adami, 

 McGill University, gave a paper upon certain curious cases 



