580 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



common to these lists, the number of fungi thus far determined in Kansas is about 

 four hundred, a considerable number among them new to science. The number 

 of perishable fungi collected but not determined would doubtless double this 

 number ; and the number of fungi that occur in the State is probably not short of 

 two thousand. 



Such are some of the results that up to this time have been gained toward 

 the development of the knowledge of the botany and zoology of Kansas. Much 

 remains to be done and -it is hoped that the aid of every observer in Kansas will 

 be heartily extended to the survey so that the results, based upon an abundance 

 of material, may be full and conclusive ; a credit alike to the collaborators and 

 to the State. 



ASTRONOMY. 



VELOCITY.— HI. 



EDGAR L. LARKIN. 



Motion in the Sidereal Structure. — In (I), this Review, Volume VII, 

 page 764, we presented the fact that a body falling on a straight line from an 

 infinite distance to the Sun, not meeting resisting medium, will strike with a 

 velocity of 382.956 miles per second. This is the maximum velocity that can 

 be imparted to a falling mass by the attraction of the Sun and in these notes is 

 termed G. It is the most valuable constant in nature yet detected by mathe- 

 maticians. By its use, rates of motion generated by solar gravity in the remotest 

 solitudes of space can be computed with little work. 



Since G^velocity of impact or the Sun from infinite distance, terminal mo- 

 tion from any finite distance can be determined with ease by means of G in sim- 

 ple formulas. On page 766 we made calculation of velocities of collision from 

 several finite distances ranging between i and 20,000,000 solar radii. Because 

 it is difficult for cosmic masses to strike the Sun, few collide while many dash 

 around it on orbits, we gave (Volume VIII, page 188,) velocities of bodies that 

 escape collision and retreat to interstellar voids. These discussions relate to 

 motion displayed near the Sun; but we desire to make research on velocities 

 observed in that small part of the sidereal edifice visible in telescope. 



Assume a stone at rest at an infinite distance from the Sun, and let it fall on 

 a straight line, then since we know G, the velocity of the falling body while pass- 

 ing a point at any finite distance can be determined by making G a factor. 



Thus : — if a mass from infinite distance approach the Sun, its velocity at any 

 finite distance expressed in solar radii is equal to G multiplied by the square 

 xoot of the quotient obtained by dividing the distance by its square. If we call 



