512 



SCIENCE, 



[Vol. IV., No. 96. 



Ergot nectar. 



During the past summer I received a kind of grass 

 from several of the northern states, which was sent 

 me under the name of manna-grass. It proved to be 

 Glyceria fuitans. It was stated that the bees were 

 gathering large quantities of very delicious honey 

 from this grass. I could readily believe the report, as 

 the grass was covered with small crystals, as if it might 

 have been wet, and dipped into granulated sugar. 

 This sugar was very sweet and pleasant; and I have 

 no doubt, that, like the nectar from Aphides, it would 

 be wholesome winter food for bees, and no injury in 

 honey for the market. The bees expressed the same 

 opinion, as I learn that they would not leave this 

 grass even for clover or linden bloom. 



Upon examination, I found that the grass was 

 covered with ergot grains, and that the nectar was a 

 secretion from this poisonous fungus. 



We see, then, that even the poisonous ergot, which 

 I believe some of our best veterinary scholars think 

 caused the so-called ' foot and mouth disease ' among 

 the cattle of Kansas last winter, has its wholesome 

 uses. Why the ergot secretes this pleasant sweet, is 

 hard to answer. The nectar, doubtless, serves the 

 fungus in some way. A. J. Cook. 



Agricultural college, Michigan, 

 Nov. 25. 



used. But supposing that I ought to have 

 gone, sa} r , farther out for the outer diameter 

 (for instance, as far as the bases of the pillars 

 extend) , then I ought to have cut off the inter- 

 nal measure by the same amount ; so that the 

 mean of the two measures that I have taken is 

 almost certainly 21 of the original feet. This 

 mean is 21 feet 6 J inches, which, divided by 21, 

 gives 12.31 inches as the length of the foot 

 used. Besides the two lengths just mentioned, 

 I found no other of sufficient magnitude, 

 which I could conveniently measure, except the 

 heights of the pillars. These appear to be 

 intended to be 8 feet from the top of the base 

 to the upper side of the cap-stones. The latter 

 are 6 inches thick, as well as I could judge, 

 leaving 1\ feet for the height between the base 

 and capital. This could readily be measured 

 with a tape-line, and was measured 1 on the in- 

 sides of the pillars at two places on each pil- 

 lar, — one at the right, and the other at the 

 left. The following are the results : — 



THE < OLD STONE MILL ' A T NEWPORT. 



Finding myself in Newport lately, I took 

 occasion to make some measurements upon 

 that old circular building about whose origin 

 (whether English or Norse) there has been so 

 much dispute. I have not the slightest title 

 to an opinion upon that subject, in which I have 

 only a metrological concern. The building is 

 circular, and rests upon eight cylindrical pil- 

 lars. It is of such a size that any one would 

 sa^y, before measuring it, that the pillars would 

 be circumscribed by a circle of four yards 

 radius, and inscribed by one of three yards 

 radius. The building could not have been 

 erected without a drawing to scale, so that a 

 unit of length must have been employed, and 

 that unit (whether Norsemen or English were 

 the builders) would undoubtedly be a foot. 

 The Icelandic foot was, I take it, the same 

 as Denmark and the Scandinavian countries 

 used up to the adoption of the metric sj^stem ; 

 that is to say, it coincided with the Prussian 

 foot of 12.36 inches English. 



I found the diameters of the structure, meas- 

 ured at the pillars, as follows : — 



From outside to outside of the 

 * shafts. 



24 feet 8 inches. 

 24 " 8 " 

 24 " 9 " 

 24 " 7 " 



Between the inward sides. 

 18 feet 6 inches. 

 18 " 5 " 

 18 " 4 " 

 18 " 5 " 



Mean 



24 feet 8 inches. Mean . . 18 feet 5 inches. 



I think there can be little question that these 

 lengths were meant to be 24 and 18 of the feet 



North arch. 



East arch. 



South arch. 



West arch. 



j 7 ft. 7 in. 

 J7 " 5 " 



{ 7 ft. 8 in. 



j 8 ft. 2 in. 

 \ 8 " 2 " 



( 7 ft. 7| in, 



j 7 " 8i " 



J7 " 8 " 



North-east South-east 



arch. arch. 



j 7 it. 7h in. j 7 ft. 9 in. 



h " 81 » I 7 " 8 « 



East arch. South arch. 



South-west North-west 



arch. arch. 



( 8 ft. Oi in. I 7 ft. 6 in. 



} 8 " " ) 7 " 61 " 



West arch. North arch. 



The mean of these is 7 feet 8-J inches ; but 

 the two south-west pillars are so different from 

 the others, that I think it is more satisfactory 

 to adopt the middling heights. Excluding, 

 then, the two highest and two shortest pillars, 

 the others measure ■ 



7 feet 8 inches. 

 7 " 8i " 

 7 " 81 " 

 7 " 7f " 



Mean . . 7 feet 8£ inches. 



We have, then, 



Outer 



Inner 





diameter. 



diameter. 



Height. 



Presumed intentional ) -, -.. . 

 measure, ) 



18 ft. in. 



7 ft. 6 in. 







Same in English feet, ) 







if foot used was 12.31 [ 24 " 7.4 " 



18 " 5.6 " 



7 " 8.3 " 



English inches, ) 







Same, if foot used was i 







the Scandinavian I 9 , i( 8 R , 4 

 foot of 12.36 English f"' 4 °- D 

 inches, J 

 Observed 24 " 8 " 



18 " 6.5 " 



7 " 8.7 " 



18 " 5 " 



7 " 8.1 " 







(7 " 8.9 «) 



I made some other measures, which, though 

 I think them of no value for determining the 

 value of the foot, I proceed to give. 



1 The tape-line is believed to require about half an inch nega- 

 tive correction for all the measures. This has not been applied, 

 as I have been unable to obtain the tape to verify the correction. 

 In any case, such a correction is negligible in measuring so rough 

 a structure. 



