144 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
shell, as shown in Fig. 2. I sawed off 
one end of the cocoanut, cleaning out 
the meat thoroughly; then scraped off 
the rough fibres with a piece of window 
glass, and after this I sandpapered it down 
smooth and varnished it. To the cocoanut 
I fastened the burrs of the liquid amber 
tree with a cement of hard asphalt, thick- 
ened with lampblack, first grinding the 
lampblack in asphalt varnish to cause it to 
mix more readily with the hard asphalt 
when heated. Around the centre of the 
nut I fastened a band of pine cones. The 
bottom I finished off with cones of the fir 
tree. Along the rim of the nut I bored 
holes, and into the holes I inserted branches 
of black alder with the burrs on. I also 
bored a hole at the bottom for drainage, 
otherwise the earth in the pot would sour, 
and the plants die. In this hanging pot I 
planted young plants of Maurandya, which 
twined amongst the alder branches. I also 
planted slips of the so-called German ivy, 
to twine up the nickel wires. 
What Can be Done with a Cheap Micro- 
scope. 
SO much has been published of late about 
the great superiority of the micro- 
scopes made by first-class opticians, and the 
comparative inferiority of the cheaper 
forms, that there is danger that the owners 
of the latter may get discouraged, and 
abandon altogether the use of the micro- 
scope, because they cannot afford a Zent- 
mayer Centennial Stand and first-class ob- 
jectives by ToUes or Spencer. Now, while 
we yield to none in our appreciation of the 
work of great microscope makers, and would 
earnestly advise every one to get as good an 
instrument as circumstances will allow, we 
think it may be well to give the owners of 
cheap instruments a word of advice and 
encouragement. 
By a cheap microscope is meant one cost- 
ing less than $30. For any sum less than 
this it is impossible to procure, in the pres- 'j 
ent state of the market, an instrument 
possessing the qualities and appliances j 
necessary for the performance of any- 
thing except the most elementary worky 
but then, on the other hand, it is astonish- 
ing what a wide range of ground is covered j 
by the term "elementary work." If we- 
take the cheapest form, say a common lens- i 
of a quarter-inch focus, we will be able to 
see a great deal that is utterly invisible to? 
the unassisted eye; with a $20 microscope, 
judiciously selected, we can follow almost 
all the descriptions and explanations found 
in the ordinary text books. Let us take a, 
middle ground, and consider the capabili- 
ties of such an instrument as may be had f oit 
from $10 to $20. 
Such a microscope will not enable us to^ 
determine disputed points in histology, or 
to investigate the structure of test objects j 
like the Podura scale, or P. angulatum^ j 
But it will show us clearly and well the 
various kinds of tissues, and even the cyclo- 
sis or so-called circulation of the sap in 
plants; it will show us the forms of tha 
various kinds of pollen, and the number, 
situation and form of the stomata or breath- 
ing pores of plants; it will even show the- 
more minute forms of plant life^those- 
beautiful desmids and diatoms, which have 
always been the delight and the admiration^ 
of those who use the microscope, and al- 
though it will not enable us to see the 
markings on the more minute diatoms, it- 
will show us their general forms and out- 
lines, and reveal to a diligent and careful' 
observer much of their life-history. 
In animal physiology it will show us the- 
peculiar forms of the blood of different ani- 
mals, and it will show readily that mosi 
wonderful and beautiful of all microscopical 
objects, the circulation of the blood in the- 
foot of the living f rc ?. It will show us the 
structure of muscu ar fibre, and the peculi- 
arities of the epithelium which lines the 
various internal organs. By it we can trace- 
clearly the outlines and structure of many^ 
of the lower forms of animal life which 
