i8S 



NA JURE 



[June 25, 1908 



work of the Coast and Geodetic Survey. The initial point 

 on the 141st meridian, which is also being niarlied by 

 monuments, was determined by a telegraphic longitude 

 circuit extending overland from Vancouver through 

 Canadian territory, and by way of Seattle and the United 

 States (jovernment cables to Valdez, and thence overland 

 to the boundary. 



" A Living Representative of the most Primitive 

 Ancestors of the Plant Kingdom," Dr. G. T. Moore. 

 Chodat has derived the green alga; from the Palmellacea?. 

 In this family he points out that there e.\ist three principal 

 stages or conditions : — (i) the zoospore condition ; (2) the 

 sporangium condition ; and (3) the tetraspora condition. 

 'Ihe author thinks that a better starting point is found 

 in Chlamydomonas, which also shows three corresponding 

 conditions in addition to the zoospore type, namely, the 

 volvex type, the tetraspora type, and the endosphrera type. 

 The tetraspora type of Chlajiiydomonas has developed into 

 the Palmellacea;, and thence into the alga; and higher 

 green plants. Even as high as the mosses and ferns a 

 Chlamydomonas stage is to be seen in the male gamete. 



" The Explosion of the Saratoga Septic Tank," W. P. 

 Mason. The explosion of a tank used for the storage of 

 sewage, and supposed to be due to the ignition of an 

 explosive mixture of marsh gas and air, is discussed. The 

 marsh gas is derived from the fermentation of the sewage, 

 and the ignition is assigned to the generation of phosphine, 

 which is supposed to have ignited spontaneously. 



" Some Chilean Copper Minerals," Prof. H. F. Keller. 

 The author describes a number of rare minerals contain- 

 ing copper from the mines in the province of Tarapaca, 

 Chile. Among them the most interesting are pcloconite, 

 a manganese ore containing a considerable proportion of 

 copper; a new double sulphate of copper and magnesium 

 isomorphous with chalcanthite ; and a beautifully crystal- 

 lised sulphate and arsenate of copper, which could not be 

 identified with known species. 



" Absorption Spectra of Solutions," Prof. H. C. Jones. 

 The object of the present investigation was to ascertain 

 whether combinations between the solvent and dissolved 

 substance had any effect upon its power to absorb light. 

 Certain salts in the anhydrous state have very different 

 absorption than when combined with water. A solution 

 of anhydrous ncodymium chloride in absolute alcohol gives 

 absorption bands differing from those obtained when a 

 few per cent, of water is added. The application of this 

 observation to the author's theory of hydration is discussed. 

 " Effect of an .Angle in a Wire Conductor on Spark Dis- 

 charge," Prof. F. E. Nipher. The problem to be solved 

 is to determine the real current direction in a wire through 

 which a spark discharge is passing. The spark discharge 

 was that of a lojig eight-plate machine. One terminal 

 was grounded on a water pipe, the other was grounded in 

 the air. A small wire bent at a sharp right-angle was 

 placed vertically in the lines of the earth's magnetic field, 

 and so connected that the negative discharge could be sent 

 either up or down around the angle, and its effect recorded 

 on a photographic plate placed under the angle. \'ery 

 interesting photographic results were obtained, but the 

 author does not consider that the main question was con- 

 clusively answered. 



" Some Results of the Ocean Magnetic Work of the 

 Carnegie Institution of Washington," Dr. L. k. Bauer. 

 Dr. Bauer described the work of the Galilee expedition in 

 the Pacific since August, iqoj. The work accomplished, 

 briefly stated, is as follows : — (a) magnetic observations 

 have been made on the ocean areas which closely approach 

 land observations in accuracy ; (6) errors found in magnetic 

 charts of the Pacific Ocean amount to 1° to 5° in declina- 

 tion (or variation of the compass) and in dip, and about 

 004 in the horizontal magnetic force. The correction of 

 such errors, especially the error in declination, is of great 

 importance for the safe and rapid navigation of vessels. 



" The Investigation of the Personal Error in Double- 

 star Measures which Depend on the Position of the .Angle," 

 Eric Doolittlc. This paper gives the result of the deter- 

 mination of the constant personal errors, and also of the 

 probable uncertainty of the measures of double stars made 

 during the past ten years at the Flower .Astronomical 

 Observatory of the University of Pennsylvania. 



" Relative Advantages of Various Forms of Telescopes 



KG. 2017, A'GL. 78] 



for Solar Research," Prof. G. E. Hale. Prof. Hale dis- 

 cussed different types of telescopes for solar research, 

 describing particularly the equipment at the solar observa- ' 

 tory of the Carnegie Institution at Mount Wilson, Cali- 

 fornia. The advantages of the fixed horizontal telescope 

 with heliostat were pointed out. The author also described 

 the large spectroheliograph of this observatory, and 

 exhibited a number of examples of photographs taken by 

 means of this instrument, including solar prominences, 

 facula;, and sun-spots. 



" Photographs of Daniel's Comet," Prof. E. C. Barnard. 

 The comet was photographed on thirty-eight nights with 

 the Bruce photographic telescope of the ^'erkes Observa- 

 tory. The photographs showed that the most active period 

 in the comet's history occurred nearly a month before 

 perihelion, at which time changes occurred so rapidly that 

 Ihe appearance of the comet changed from night to night. 

 Indeed, on comparing the Yerkes Observatory photographs 

 with photographs made at M. Flammarion's observatory 

 in France and at the Lick Observatory on the same nignt, 

 marked differences in the photographs could be seen. 



SOME RECENT AGRICULTUKAL 

 PVBLICATIONS.' 



(I) 



A CONSIDER.ABLE change has come over the 

 "^ Journal of the Royal .Agricultural Society during 

 the last few years. Founded in 1839, its earlier numbers 

 contained many papers of great scientific and practical 

 interest, and the student of agricultural science frequently 

 has occasion to refer back to tliem for the writings of 

 Daubcny, Pusey, Way, Lawes and Gilbert. A. Voelcker, 

 and others of the great masters who contributed some of 

 their best work to its pages. It cannot be said that recent 

 numbers are up to the high standard of the older ones. 

 Several causes have contributed to bring about this result. 

 The journal only appears once a year, and men arc often 

 unwilling to hold back their papers from publication for 

 so long a period. Much of the work done at the various 

 colleges is directly or indirectly financed by county 

 councils, who like to see something for their money ; the 

 results are therefore issued as separate bulletins by the 

 councils or colleges concerned, and distributed among the 

 farming community. Recently, too, some very vigorous 

 competitors, including the Journal of the Board of Agri- 

 culture and the Journal of .Agricultural Science, have 

 arisen, and these publish much of what would, in the 

 past, have found its way to the Royal Agricultural 

 Society's Journal. The present volume is smaller in size 

 even than the first one issued nearly seventy years ago ! 

 There has been a considerable change in the character of 

 the papers. The original paper has almost disappeared ; 

 there is, for instance, in this volume not a single con- 

 tribution from the various teaching centres, if we exclude 

 the report of the zoologist and Mr. -Archibald's notes on 

 certain birds, while Rothamstcd only contributes a short 

 note. Instead, the papers are of a " practical " or a text- 

 book nature ; they describe accepted good practice on 

 certain matters, or give information which could be found 

 elsewhere if the reader knew where to look for it. There 

 is much to be said for this, and the utility of some of the 

 papers in the present volume is beyond question, but it 

 is doubtful whether this is quite the best line to take up. 

 The journal would almost certainly be more valuable to 

 the practical man if it aimed at furnishing him with a 

 record of the progress of agricultural knowledge in its 

 various branches so that he could apply the newly dis- 

 covered facts to his own methods, if he thought he would 

 gain thereby, and be in possession of definitely established 

 principles to guide him whenever it became necessary pro- 

 foundly to modify his practice, as happened to many of 

 the wheat-growers a generation ago, and is happening to 

 the hop-growers now. Such a record would include a 

 critical survey of the numerous county council feeding and 



1 (i) The Journ.il of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, vol. 

 Ixviii. (1Q07. ) 



(2) Bulletins I to 8 of the Midland Agricultural and Dairy College (Field 

 trials in 1907). 



(^) Results of Experiments at the College Farm, 1907, University College, 

 Readina. 



(4) Piull'-tin No. 7 -\rmstrontr CoHeee, Ne\vi-a=tle-t'pnn-Tyne. 



(5) Field F.xperiments in Staffordshire and Shropshire for 1907. 



