Ukcksibeu 7, IS,*?}. 



SCIENCE. 



747 



superphospbate gave a greatei' increase than fine. 

 Exactly the opposite result was given by Wagner's 

 experiment?, reported in Scienck, i. 310. — {lUrdrr- 

 mann.-<renli:-l't(tn..y.\i. -i'l:).) it. i>. A. [447 



Experiments on the continuous groivth of 

 vtrbeat and bcirley. — Tliese experiments by Voelclc- 

 er, on tlie plan of the well-known Kotharasted ex- 

 periments of Lawes and Gilbert, are in progress at 

 Woburn, on a light soil, and are intended to supple- 

 ment tliose at I'.othanisted, which are on aheavy clay 

 soil. The present report gives the results of the sixth 

 year, viz., 1882. The most interesting of the results 

 are those obtained on four plots, two of which had 

 received mineral manures and nitrates or ammonia 

 salts, and two stable-manure. Each plot was halved. 

 One half received the same fertilizers as in preceding 

 years; while the other remained unmaiiured (in case 

 of the stable-manure plots), or received the mineral 

 fertilizers of the preceding year, but no nitrogen. The 

 mineral fertilizers .alone gave no larger crop than was 

 obtained from plots unmanured for six years, while 

 the other half of the same plots, which received nitro- 

 gen, gave about thrice as large a crop. The evident 

 conclusion was, that the plots were deficient in nitro- 

 gen, and that the large amounts of nitrates or ammo- 

 nia salts, which they had received in previous years, 

 had left no available residue of nitrogen in the soil. 

 In the case of the plots which had received stable- 

 manure, the unmanured halves showed that a por- 

 tion of the manuring of previous years was still avail- 

 able, though the gain thus caused was small. In all 

 the experiments of this year, sulphate of ammonia 

 l>roduced better results than an equivalent quantity 

 of nitrate of soda. — {Jouni. roy. aqric. soc, xix. 209. ) 

 II. V. A. [448 



MINERALOGY. 



Cuspidine. — This coniiiaratively new mineral has 

 been crystallographically examined by G. von Kath. 

 It occurs at Vesuvius rn very characteristic spear- 

 head-shaped crystals, which are not to be confounded 

 with any other mineral. The ciystals were found to 

 be monoclinic, the apparent rhombic form being the 

 result of twinning. The axial relation is a:b:c = 

 0.7243: 1 : 1.0342. .3=.'^!)° 22'. The measurements were 

 m.ade on a single small crystal, which showed no evi- 

 dence of twinning; the symbols for seventeen differ- 

 ent forms being obtained, cleavage parallel to the 

 base, plane of twinning the orthopinnacoid. Sections 

 from the mineral gave the optical properties of mono- 

 clinic crystals. Material pure enough for analysis 

 could not be obtained, as the mineral is peculiarly 

 liable to alteration. An analysis by E. Fischer, of 

 impure material, showed that in addition to calcium 

 fluoride the mineral contains the silicate Ca,.siO,. 



A very few minute crystals of a mineral resembling 

 cuspidine were fouml at Vesuvius, occurring in or- 

 thorhombic prisms, very much striated, parallel to the 

 vertical axis, and terminated by an obtuse pyramid. 

 An approximate axial relation, a:6:c=0.5C0: 1 : 0.417, 

 was obtained; but the material did not admit of 

 further investigation. — (Zeitxchr. kryst., viii. .38.) 

 s. I.. I'. [449 



Empholite. — This new n"'neral has been described 



by L. J. Igelstrom as occurring at Ilorrsjoberg, VVerm- 

 land, Sweden, in small, well-fonned crystals and 

 fibrous aggregates. The prisms, sometimes attaining 

 a length of six millimetres, are brilliant, and resemble 

 diaspore in form, the prismatic angle being about 

 123°-1.'!0°: with cleavage parallel to the brachypin- 

 nacoiil; hardness, greater than six; color, white, 

 changing to yellow on exposure, owing to the oxida- 

 tion of the iron ; before the blow-pipe infusible, giving 

 a beautiful blue color with cobalt .solution, and, in the 

 closed lube, neutral water; scaicely attacked by acids. 

 Two analyses, after correcting for sixteen per cent of 

 gangue, yielded — 



SiO, AljOj MgO. CiiO. KiO. II.O 



1)2.3 30.5 3.4 13.8 = 100 



+8.S 33.3 3.3 14.0 = lOU 



The mineral is a hydrous silicate of alumina, and 

 the formula Al5Si..O;. 3HjO is proposed; but the 

 analyses are not correct enough to lead to any definite 

 formul.a. —{Bull. soc. min., vi. 40.) s. L. p. [450 



METEOEOLOGY. 

 Barometric maxima and minima. — The me- 

 teorological conditions which are cliar.acteristic of re- 

 gions of high and low pressure have been studied by 

 various investigators, notably by Mohn, Clement Ley, 

 and Loomis. The latest contribution to this subject 

 is made by Hildebraudsson, who bases his conclusions 

 upon observations made at Upsala and other stations 

 in northern Europe since 1873. He discusses the 

 angle of the wind with the barometric gradient, the 

 wind velocity, the direction of the upper and lower 

 clouds, the air temperature, the amount of cloudiness 

 and rainfall, the transparency of the air and fog, — 

 all with regard to their relations to areas of maximum 

 and minimum pressure. The conclusions are based 

 wholly upon tabulations of the observations, and are 

 primarily applicable to Upsala and vicinity, but are 

 in general sitnilar to those obtained for other coun- 

 tries. — {La ilixtr. i'li'm. dh'I. nnUiur min. el max. 

 bar.) w. V. [451 



ZOOLOGY. 

 Animal coloring-matters. — The apjilication of 

 the spectroscope to Ihe dclerminalion and discrimi- 

 nation of coloring-matters from living organisms has 

 ojjened an interesting field of research. Dr. C. A. 

 SlacMunii gives an extensive risnme of previous 

 work, and the results of his own studies in this field. 

 His article is a valuable presentation of our knowl- 

 edge of the subject; but it necessarily contains many 

 details, and is therefore unadaptod to a brief abstract. 

 The following points deserve special uMice. Ilae- 

 matin may be prepared V>y a new method: "Fresh 

 dcfibrinated blood is treated with a mixture of two 

 parts of strong sulphuric acid to thirty-five of alcohol, 

 aiul thrown on a filter, more alcohol being added to 

 help the filtration; the filtrate is diluted with water, 

 put into a separating funnel, and shaken up with 

 chloroform. After standing some time, the chloro- 

 form is separated off. and filtered .and evaporated. . . . 

 The residue correspoiuls to haematin as it is usually 

 described." Uv the action of strong mineral acids on 



