140 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL. No. 1021 



becoming replaced by metals in tbe state in 

 which they are observed in the laboratory, 

 when the most powerful jar spark is em- 

 ployed. At a lower temperature, the gases dis- 

 appear almost entirely, and the metals occur 

 in the state produced by the electric arc. 

 These changes are simply and sufficiently ex- 

 plained on the hjrpothesis of dissociation. 



The final chapter on the birth and death 

 of worlds is based on Arrhenius's book en- 

 titled " Worlds in the Making." Arrhenius 

 takes up the questions of the creation and of 

 the eventual destruction of the stars and of 

 worlds like our own, and gives reasons for 

 believing that both operations are simultane- 

 ously occurring in cosmos, or, so to speak, a 

 " winding up " and a " running down " of the 

 machinery of the universe; the two chief 

 forces at work being the mechanical pressure 

 of light, or simply the " radiation pressure," 

 on the one hand, and gravitation on the other. 

 Wilder D. Bancroft 



PSOPOSED INTEBNATIONAL MAGNETIC 



AND ALLIED OBSERVATIONS DUB- 



ING TEE TOTAL SOLAB ECLIPSE 



OF AUGUST 21, 19U (CIVIL 



DATE) 



In response to an appeal for simultaneous 

 magnetic and allied observations during the 

 coming total solar eclipse, cooperative work 

 will be conducted at stations along the belt of 

 totality in various countries and also at some 

 outside stations. 



The general scheme of work proposed by 

 the Carnegie Department of Terrestrial Mag- 

 netism embraces the following: 



1. Simultaneous magnetic observations of 

 any or all of the elements according to the in- 

 struments at the observer's disposal, every 

 minute from August 21, 1914, 10" a.m. to 3" 

 P.M. Greenwich civil mean time, or from Au- 

 gust 20, 22" to August 21, 3" Greenwich astro- 

 nomical mean time. 



(To insure the highest degree of accuracy, 

 the observer should begin work early enough 

 to have everything in complete readiness in 

 proper time. See precautions taken in previ- 

 ous eclipse work as described in the journal 



Terrestrial Magnetism, Vol. V., page 146, and 

 Vol. VH., page 16. Past experience has shown 

 it to he essential that the same observer make 

 the readings throughout the entire interval.) 



2. At magnetic observatories, all necessary 

 precautions should be taken to insure that the 

 self-recording instruments will be in good 

 operation not only during the proposed inter- 

 val but also for some time before and after, 

 and eye-readings should be taken in addition 

 wherever it is possible and convenient. {It is 

 recommended that, in general, the magneto- 

 graph he run on the usual speed throughout 

 the interval, and that, if a change in record- 

 ing speed he made, every precaution possihle he 

 taken to guard against instrumental changes 

 likely to affect the continuity of the hose line.') 



3. Atmospheric-electric observations should 

 be made to the extent possible with the ob- 

 server's equipment and personnel at his dis- 



4. Meteorological observations in accordance 

 with the observer's equipment should be made 

 at convenient periods (as short as possible) 

 throughout the interval. It is suggested that, 

 at least, temperature be read every fifth min- 

 ute (directly after the magnetic reading for 

 that minute). 



5. Observers in the belt of totality are re- 

 quested to take the magnetic reading every 

 thirty seconds during the interval, 10 minutes 

 before and 10 minutes after the time of total- 

 ity, and to read temperature also every thirty 

 seconds, between the magnetic readings. 



It is hoped that full reports wiU be for- 

 warded as soon as possible for publication in 

 the journal of Terrestrial Magnetism and 

 Atmospheric Electricity. 



L. A. Bauer 

 Washington, 

 June 23, 1914 



SPECIAL ARTICLES 

 AMMONIFYING POWER OF SOIL-INHABITINQ FUNGI 



A COMPAEATIVELT large amount of work has 

 been done on the power of soil bacteria to pro- 

 duce ammonia from the nitrogenous materials 

 found in the soil, or from organic materials 

 such as dried blood or cotton seed meal added 



