﻿Astronomy. 
  391 
  

  

  11. 
  The 
  Nature 
  and 
  Work 
  of 
  Plants: 
  An 
  Introduction 
  to 
  the 
  

   Study 
  of 
  Botany 
  ; 
  by 
  Daniel 
  Trembly 
  MacDougal, 
  Ph.D., 
  

   Director 
  of 
  the 
  Laboratories, 
  New 
  York 
  Botanical 
  Garden. 
  Pp. 
  

   xvii 
  + 
  218. 
  New 
  York, 
  1900 
  (The 
  Macmillan 
  Company). 
  — 
  As 
  

   the 
  title 
  indicates, 
  the 
  book 
  before 
  ns 
  deals 
  with 
  the 
  functions 
  of 
  

   plants 
  rather 
  than 
  with 
  their 
  structure. 
  It 
  is 
  intended 
  for 
  the 
  

   use 
  of 
  beginners 
  who 
  have 
  no 
  laboratory 
  facilities 
  at 
  their 
  dis- 
  

   posal, 
  and 
  is 
  written 
  in 
  simple 
  language 
  with 
  the 
  avoidance, 
  so 
  

   far 
  as 
  possible, 
  of 
  technical 
  words. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  facts 
  brought 
  

   forward 
  are 
  illustrated 
  by 
  common 
  plants 
  and 
  by 
  experiments 
  

   which 
  can 
  easily 
  be 
  made. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  book, 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  features 
  of 
  plants, 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  work 
  which 
  they 
  perform, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  labor 
  

   resulting 
  from 
  the 
  differentiation 
  of 
  the 
  plant-body 
  int® 
  organs 
  

   and 
  tissues. 
  The 
  functions 
  of 
  roots, 
  leaves, 
  stems 
  and 
  the 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  kinds 
  of 
  reproductive 
  processes 
  are 
  then 
  taken 
  up 
  with 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  detail 
  and 
  occupy 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  volume. 
  The 
  

   last 
  chapter 
  deals 
  briefly 
  with 
  ecology 
  and 
  includes 
  descriptions 
  

   of 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  characteristic 
  plant-societies. 
  a. 
  w. 
  e. 
  

  

  III. 
  Astronomy. 
  

  

  ]. 
  The 
  Total 
  Solar 
  Eclipse 
  oj 
  ' 
  3fay 
  28th.— 
  -The 
  eclipse 
  of 
  May 
  

   28th, 
  though 
  of 
  short 
  duration, 
  is 
  so 
  convenient 
  for 
  observation 
  in 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  observers 
  will 
  take 
  the 
  

   field. 
  The 
  line 
  of 
  totality 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  is 
  1000 
  miles 
  

   long, 
  commencing 
  at 
  New 
  Orleans, 
  where 
  it 
  occurs 
  at 
  7.2*7 
  a. 
  m. 
  

   and 
  lasts 
  for 
  1 
  minute 
  13 
  seconds, 
  the 
  central 
  line 
  passing 
  through 
  

   the 
  suburbs 
  of 
  the 
  city, 
  and 
  running 
  off 
  into 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  at 
  

   Norfolk, 
  Va., 
  where 
  it 
  occurs 
  at 
  8.50 
  a. 
  m. 
  and 
  lasts 
  for 
  1 
  minute 
  

   42 
  seconds. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  extensive 
  researches 
  of 
  the 
  Weather 
  Bureau 
  it 
  appears 
  

   that 
  weather 
  conditions 
  are 
  most 
  favorable 
  in 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   track 
  through 
  North 
  and 
  South 
  Carolina 
  and 
  Georgia, 
  where 
  on 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Appalachians, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  about 
  

   1000 
  feet, 
  the 
  chances 
  are 
  six 
  to 
  one 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  clear 
  sky. 
  Near 
  

   the 
  coast 
  the 
  chances 
  are 
  four 
  to 
  one, 
  but 
  the 
  longer 
  duration 
  

   justifies 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  equally 
  with 
  the 
  inland 
  sites. 
  Thus 
  

   the 
  Naval 
  Observatory 
  will 
  send 
  one 
  party 
  to 
  Virginia 
  Beach 
  and 
  

   another 
  to 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  while 
  the 
  party 
  from 
  Yerkes 
  Observa- 
  

   tory, 
  consisting 
  of 
  Professors 
  Hale, 
  Barnard 
  and 
  Frost, 
  will 
  by 
  

   invitation 
  go 
  also 
  to 
  Virginia 
  Beach 
  and 
  work 
  in 
  cooperation 
  

   with 
  the 
  Naval 
  Observatory. 
  For 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  however, 
  sta- 
  

   tions 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  definitely 
  selected. 
  

  

  Both 
  of. 
  these 
  parties 
  and 
  also 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  Lick 
  Observatory 
  

   under 
  Campbell 
  and 
  the 
  Charbo 
  Observatory 
  under 
  Burckhalter, 
  

   will 
  use 
  photographic 
  lenses 
  of 
  40-foot 
  focus 
  for 
  taking 
  plates 
  

   about 
  14X17 
  inches, 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  corona 
  can 
  be 
  

   presented 
  on 
  so 
  large 
  a 
  scale 
  as 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  further 
  

   enlargement 
  of 
  the 
  negative 
  with 
  the 
  consequent 
  loss 
  of 
  definition. 
  

  

  