314 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. I., No. 11. 



and, under very favorable circumstances, to give as 

 many as six crops per year. Experiments by Weislsie 

 confirm the fact of a large yield, and show that it is 

 also fully as digestible as good hay, and contains a 

 large proportion of nitrogenous nutrients. It is not 

 always eaten freely, especially in the form of hay, 

 and appears to be best adapted for soiling, or for the 

 preparation of ensilage. — (Journ. landw., xxx. .381.) 

 H. P. A. [651 



Fattening different breeds of sheep. — It is a 

 well-known fact, that, in different breeds of the same 

 species, the same fodder may produce very different 

 effects. All experiments hitherto, however, have 

 failed to show any notable differences of digestive 

 power in such cases ; and it would thus appear that 

 the observed differences are due to the varying energy 

 with which the constituents of the body are oxidized. 

 In an experiment with two mature sheep, a southdown 

 and a merino, on identical rations, from which iden- 

 tical amounts of the several nutrients were digested, 

 Weiske found that the apparent gain of 'flesh' (ni- 

 trogenous matters) was greatest in the merino sheep; 

 but this difference was somewhat more than covered 

 by the greater growth of wool. So fay as this single 

 experiment proves any thing, it shows that not only 

 the digestive powers, but also the proteid metabolism, 

 of different breeds of sheep, are essentially the same, 

 and indicates that the differences in the ease of fat- 

 tening are due to differences in the rapidity with 

 which non-nitrogenous substances are oxidized in the 

 body. — {Journ. landw., nxx. 'i%b.) H. p. a. [652 



Valuation of fodders. — The commission ap- 

 pointed in Germany in 1878, to devise a uniform 

 method for calculating the money-value of fodders 

 from their chemical composition, held its fourth meet- 

 ing at Eisenach, Sept. IT, 1882, a report of which is 

 presented by Prof. J. Konig. An abstract was pre- 

 sented of papers published on the subject since the 

 last meeting of the commission ; and this was followed 

 by a discussion of the results thus far attained. No 

 final conclusions were arrived at; but it was recom- 

 mended, that, in such computations, the same price 

 be assumed for crude proteine and crude fat, and that 

 the carbhydrates be estimated at one-fifth the price of 

 proteine. It is expressly set forth that this is only a 

 provisional decision, and further investigations and 

 computations are called for. — (Landw. jahrb., x\. 

 849.) H. p. A. [653 



Testing milk. — Jorgensen proposes to use the 

 index of refraction of milk, or of whey prepared from 

 the milk, as a test of purity, and asserts tliat it shows 

 comparatively small variations, while even a small 

 addition of water is plainly indicated. Chludsinski 

 considers it necessary to determine the specific gravity 

 of the whole milk and of the skim-milk, and the per- 

 centage of cream, in order to judge of the purity of 

 a sample, and describes an instrument for this pur- 

 pose, the specific gravity being determined by weigh- 

 ing a measured quantity of the fluid. — (Landio. jahrb., 

 xi. 701, 835.) H. p. A.' [654 



GEOLOGY. 



Meteorites. 

 The Bishopville meteorite. — Dr. M. E. Wads- 

 worth stated that a microscopic e.xamination showed 

 that the Bishopville meteorite, which fell in March, 

 1843, was composed of cnstatite, fel^par, augite, 

 olivine, pyrrhotite, and nickeliferous iron. The en- 

 statite contained many glass inclusions of similar 

 form to the enclosing mineral. Numerous glass 

 inclusions were also seen in the felspar, and many 

 in both minerals were bubble-bearing. Most of the 



felspar showed the twinning of plagioclase. Glass 

 inclusions have always been regarded, when found in 

 terrestrial rocks, as indicating igneous origin. The 

 composition and structure of this crystalline stone is 

 like that of the gabbro (norite) variety of basalt. 

 While, according to common custom, the speaker 

 might have proposed a new name for this, he pre- 

 ferred to call it a gabbro or basalt, in accordance with 

 the principles announced in Science of March 9. 

 Chladnite, he said, was not a pure enstatite, but a 

 crystalline aggregate of enstatite, felspar, augite, 

 and olivine. The well-marked glass inclusions and 

 the structure of this stone liad, according to the 

 speaker, an important bearing upon the question of 

 tlie origin of meteorites, and were in accord with his 

 previously published views. — (Bost. soe. nat. hist; 

 meeting April 4. ) " [655 



METEOROLO G Y . 



Aurora borealis. — Herr H. Hansen's observa- 

 tions of the November (1882) auroral displays in 

 Trondhjem, Norway, show that each continued an 

 extraordinary length of time, especially during the 

 week Nov. 12-18. Every night of this week the 

 heavens were illuminated with the auroral light, 

 while it was seen from 8 p.m. on the 17th till 6 a.m. 

 of 18th. The most striking display occurred on the 

 18th, at 4.30 a.m., when a brilliant corona appeared 

 in the zenith, from which vivid streams of light 

 stretched to the horizon; while luminous waves flowed 

 uninterruptedly from the latter towards the corona, 

 diffusing so strong a light as to enable one with ease 

 to read moderately clear print. — {Nature, Feb. S. ) 

 11. A. H. [656 



Polar research. — The French magnetic and me- 

 teorologic expedition to Cape Horn has taken up 

 quarters at Orange Bay, Terra del Fuego, east side, 

 lat. 5.5° 31' S. Observations began Sept. 26, 1882. 

 The party found the climate mild, the temperature, 

 up to the time of the report, ranging fi-om freezing 

 to 61°. — {Nature, Feb. 8. ) h. a. h. [657 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 

 Granular structure of glaciers. — E. Hagen- 

 bach-Bischoff reviews the previous study of this ques- 

 tion from Hugi to Klocke {Neues jahrb. miner., 1881, 

 i. 23) and Forel {Arch. sc. phys. nat., 1882, vii. 329), 

 and shows by optical and physical characters that 

 each grain of a glacier is a single crystal of ice. The 

 crystals stand with their axes in all positions, so 

 that their contact surfaces form a very irregular net- 

 work of polygonal planes. When the ice is broken 

 at a temperature below its freezing-point, the sub- 

 conchoidal fracture is independent of the crystals; 

 but on melting, the crystals separate along their con- 

 tact surfaces, as is shown by the planes of penetra- 

 tion of a colored liquid (soluble aniline blue is best). 

 As lias long been known, the grains are smallest in 

 the neve, and largest at the end and bottom of the 

 glacier, where one was found measuring 14, 12, and 

 9 cm. Forel has thought that this growth comes by 

 the addition of infiltrating water, and that the mo- 

 tion of the glacier is thus aided ; but this supposes 

 tliat the ice is porous enough to allow water to enter, 

 and requires a low internal temperature (for an an- 

 nual increase of 0.043 cubic or 0.014 linear measure, 

 the ice must average —7° C). Hagenbach-Bischoff 

 contends that certain crystals grow at the expense of 

 their neighbors: as the expansion of a freezing ice- 

 crystal is greater along one axis than another, it fol- 

 lows that pressure will lower the melting-point by 

 the greatest amount when directed along the axis of 

 greatest expansion ; consequently those crystals whose 



