SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



251 



CONTRIBUTED BY FLORA WINSTONE. 



Science (New York, November 18th) contains 

 some interesting notes on " Yeast Fermentation." 

 One by Catherine E. Golden and Carleton G. 

 Ferris deals with fermentation without the action 

 of live yeast-cells, being an analysis of the state- 

 ment made by E. Buchner in 1897, i n which he 

 claimed to have induced active fermentation of 

 various sugars with a sterile extract obtained from 

 dried yeast by filtration. Miss Golden further 

 writes on the deterrent action of salt in yeast 

 fermentation. She states she has found by experi- 

 ments that sodium chloride in any but minute 

 quantities retards fermentation. " A Bacterio- 

 logical Study of Pear Blight," by L. Synder, 

 describes a non-parasitic organism that was found 

 with Bacillus amylovorus on trees which were blighted. 

 The organism is white, and its colonies closely 

 resemble pear blight. It is also morphologically 

 similar to the latter. Unlike pear blight it 

 ferments potato broth, pear broth and cane sugar 

 solution, with a copious evolution of gas. 



Comptes Rendus (Paris, November 21st). 

 M. M. J. Janssen communicates the results of his 

 observations, taken from a balloon, of the Leonids 

 on the night of November 13th to 14th. The 

 departure took place from the gas-works at 

 Villette at 2 am, He was accompanied by MM. 

 Dumuntet and Hansky. The balloon was kept at 

 an elevation of from 150 m. to 200 m., and the 

 view of the sky obtained was admirable. M. 

 Hansky devoted his attention especially to the 

 constellation of Leo. The other observers dealt 

 with the rest of the sky. From 2.45 a.m. to 

 4.30 a.m., M. Hansky registered over fourteen 

 stars, of which thirteen were radiant ; the others 

 saw from ten to twelve Leonids and as many 

 more sporadic meteorites. M. Janssen strongly 

 impresses upon astronomers and observatories the 

 advisability of turning their attention to this 

 method of obtaining observations when weather is 

 unfavourable for investigations from the earth. 

 M. Charles Andree also has a note on the 

 Leonids, as seen from the observatory at Lyons 

 on November 14th : these are referred to in our 

 astronomical column. M. Th. Schlcesing writes 

 on the utilization by plants of phosphoric acid 

 dissolved in the water in the soil. It is usually 

 thought, he says, that the phosphoric acid con- 

 tained in the soil is so small a quantity as to be 

 of little or no use in the growth of vegetation. 

 He was himself of the same opinion until lately, 

 when he came to the conclusion after careful inves- 

 tigation, that in spite of its scarcity, it ought to 

 be taken into serious consideration as a source of 

 phosphorus in plants. This scarcity M. Schcesing 

 points out is really only in appearance, as the 

 phosphoric acid is continually renewed from the 

 various solutions in the soil, as the roots of the 

 plants suck it up. He gives a tabular series of the 

 results obtained by him in some experiments on 

 the amount of phosphoric acid in the soil and in 

 the plants during consecutive days and under 



varying conditions. — The number of November 28th 

 contains a note, by M. L. Matruchot, upon the 

 coloration of protoplasm by the pigments of 

 fungi. He gives an account of some experiments- 

 made by himself, proving, in his opinion, that 

 certain fungi have pigments which, when thrown 

 off from the cells, are capable of fixing themselves 

 upon the protoplasms of other living organisms,, 

 and of partially altering their structure. This- 

 process of coloration has produced the same 

 results as the use of bacterian pigments. MM. 

 E. C. Teodoresco and Henri Coupin unite in a 

 short account of the influence of anaesthetics upon 

 the formation of chlorophyll. They commenced 

 their experiments upon plants that had been reared 

 in more or less darkness, and were somewhat 

 weakened in consequence. They placed them under 

 bell-glasses, tightly fitting, and of a good size. The 

 first bell-glasses were charged with a liquid anaes- 

 thetic, which quickly evaporated. Having been left 

 for a day, the plants were compared with those 

 that had been put under a glass in the sunlight 

 without an anaesthetic, and it was found that the 

 formation of chlorophyll in the former was greatly 

 impeded. There are a few more notes on the 

 Green Ray (Science-Gossip, ante p. 189) by M. 

 Piot-Bey, in which he confirms M. de Maubege's 

 account of this phenomenon seen in Egypt at the 

 rising of the sun, and adds that when the ray is seen 

 at sunset it is not uncommon for it to become 

 ultimately of a blue colour. — December 5th. M. 

 Berthelot contributes a very interesting note on the 

 synthesis of phenol with acetylene. The combina- 

 tion, though interesting chemically, does not appear 

 likely to be of much commercial value. M. Henri 

 Moissan writes on the action of acetylene on the 

 ammonium metals. In reactions of alkaline metals 

 with carburetted hydrogen, decomposition is often 

 very violent, the temperature also is high ; but the 

 ease with which ammonium metals combine at a 

 low temperature makes it possible to cbtain a new 

 method of reaction slower and more manageable. 

 M. Moissan details various experiments made by 

 himself, of the action of acetylene on ammonium 

 metals — calcium-ammonium, potass ammonium, 

 and sodammonium. The resulting combinations of 

 acetylenics and carburets are soluble in ammonia, 

 and this property renders it possible to obtain at a 

 low temperature new reactions, for instance, with 

 metallic chlorides and iodides. It is recommended 

 that in all experiments with acetylene only that 

 made from calcium carbide should be used. 



Natur uxd Haus (Berlin, vol. vii. No. 5). 

 This illustrated magazine, suitable for all lovers 

 of nature, has greatly improved since it was last 

 noticed in these columns. Herr D. F. Werner 

 contributes an article on " The Praying Mantis " 

 {Mantis religiosa), accompanied by six figures of the 

 male and female, and some varieties drawn by the 

 author from nature. There is also a note, with 

 illustration, of Galago galago Schreb., now in the 

 Zoological Gardens at Berlin. Vol. vii. No. 6 

 contains an article by Herr C. Langheinz on the 

 Tuvnix nigricollis Gml., from Madagascar. A plate 

 is given showing the male and female of these 

 birds. Dr. Ernest Kiister contributes an article 

 on "The Algae of the Adriatic," accompanied by 

 three illustrations of Padina pavonia, Amphiroa and 

 Haiimeda. There are among the illustrations some 

 reproductions of fine photographs of palms, includ- 

 ing Sabal palmetto, Corpha umbraculifera and Caryota 

 itrens, all from Ceylon. They are good examples 

 of the rich tropical flora of that island. There are 

 many other articles and notes of interest. 



