546 
these species are undoubtedly derived from the sur- 
face of the ripe fruit, their germs are extremely rare, 
though capable of rapid multiplication when once 
introduced into the must. W. TRELEASE, 
THE VARIATION OF TEMPERATURE 
IN GERMANY. 
Dr. HELLMANN has, by this paper, added another 
to the already large list of climatological contribu- 
tions which have appeared in the German language. 
Such papers can and ought to serve as models for the 
uses to which the data secured in our own country 
should be put; and although we may have no partic- 
ular interest in the climatical relations which exist 
in a certain part of Europe, yet each paper of the 
nature of the present should be carefully examined 
as to method, if not for results. 
In 1874 there was given in this same publication an 
article on the climatology of Germany; and this con- 
tained the mean temperature for the twenty-five years 
from 1848 to 1872 of the stations connected with 
the Prussian meteorological institute. Hellmann has 
made a new discussion of these temperatures, and 
has included in this the ten years extending from 
1872 to 1882. He has chosen to put the observations 
into five-day periods; and, using these means in his 
discussion, he proceeds, by means of combining cer- 
tain stations, to show what deductions he can draw 
from the material at his disposal. The twenty-five 
stations he divides into seven districts, which have 
recognizably different meteorological conditions; and 
these stations are quite evenly distributed. Of the 
twenty-five, only ten were complete in their meteor- 
ological data; but the lacking observations have been 
filled in, and the error of this reduction will not 
exceed 0.2° C. Hellmann then proceeds to give the 
missing dates for the various stations. The observa- 
tions were made at six, two, and ten, with one excep- 
tion; and he deplores the fact that the lack of good 
hourly observations does not allow the reduction of 
these to a true daily mean. The temperatures for 
the various places are plotted, and curves drawn, on 
the same page, so that they can be easily compared 
with each other; and the curves are, in general, simi- 
lar. The author brings out the fact that ‘‘ unperiodic 
weather characteristics are not of a local nature, but 
occur at the same time over large areas.’’ He also 
shows that the yearly extremes increase as we pro- 
ceed inland. With three exceptions, the coldest 
weather occurred in the five days between Jan. 11 
and Jan. 15, but the warmest weather does not occur 
in all at the same time: this varies from July 17 to 
July 27. Hellmann goes into a detailed discussion 
of this difference and the reason. He remarks that 
Wargentin, in 1760, was the first to use the mean 
temperature for five-day periods in showing the year- 
ly rate. The temperature-curves of Breslau for nine- 
ty-two years and for thirty-five years are compared. 
1 Ueber den jahrlichen gang der temperatur in Norddeutsch- 
land. By Dr. G.HELLMANN. From the Zeitschrift der Kénig- 
lich preussischen statistischen bureau’s, jahrgang 1883. 
SCIENCE. 
[Vox. IIL, No. 65. _ 
An interesting table is given in which the probability — 
is computed that each succeeding five days will be 
colder from January to August, and warmer from 
August to January. The periodic return of colder 
weather is carefully examined and commented on in 
detail. mn 
At the end of five pages of text we find six pages 
of tables, containing the five-day means for each of 
the stations from 1848 to 1882; then comes the graphi- 
cal representation of this as already mentioned, and 
next a number of curves showing the relations of the 
air-pressure, temperature, rain, and probability of 
succeeding cold at Breslau from 1848 to 1882, and 
then curves showing the temperature for May and 
June for Breslau for each year of this same period. 
F. W. 
LOUIS PASTEUR. 
M. Pasteur. Histoire d’un savant, par un ignorant. 
Paris, Hetzel, 1883. 1443892 p. 16°. 
Ir is the fashion at present to tell the unfin- 
ished histories of living men. Noteworthy lit- 
erary characters have been of late studied, 
weighed, almost vivisected ; and now science 
pauses to listen to the life-history of one of her 
living masters. Let us be thankful, however, 
that we are not yet asked to take the measure 
of our friend before his death. On the con- 
trary, we are only invited to draw our chairs 
about the fireside, while a mutual friend dis- 
courses to us, half aloud, and half in confidence, 
about the man and the scholar, Louis Pasteur. 
The book whose title stands above has caused 
much comment on the continent and in Eng- 
land ; so much, indeed, that an English trans- 
lation is already announced, for which, rumor 
has it, we are indebted to Professor Tyndall, 
always a warm admirer of Pasteur. Some of 
the Parisian correspondents of journals pub- 
lished elsewhere have apparently been much 
impressed by the book, and have written elabo- 
rate reviews of it. 
The author of this little history modestly 
professes to be ‘ un ignorant,’ whose only merit 
is that he appreciates the master. On laying 
down the book, we cannot believe that he 
really deserves his chosen title, for he has cer- 
tainly mastered the master himself. However, 
we shall not quarrel with him, especially since 
he is now known to be the son-in-law of Pas- 
teur, but shall rather thank him for the labor 
of love and enthusiasm which he has done so 
well. As has been hinted above, the author 
has given a familiar account of the life and 
labors of Pasteur. The book is not a ‘critical 
examination :’ it is, rather, a fascinating story. 
Of course, from the rigid scientific stand-point, 
it is one-sided and partial. Objectors and ob- 
