5io 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Feb. r, 1895. 
a calm night, when so near the full as to appear 
round to the eye." Arago says, "Lalune mange les 
nuages." If these opinions are founded on fact, then 
the mcon must have a very great "id decided inAuew.e in 
clearing ths sky of clouds. William Ellis has ex- 
amined the Greenwich meteorological records from 
1841 to 1847, and shown from these seven years' 
observations that such a peculiar and striking effect 
does not exist.* The popular opinion probably 
arisesfrom the circumstance that the clearingof the sky 
near the time of full moon arrests the attention, 
whereas the clearing of the sky when the moon is 
not present is less likely to be noticed. 
From a most laborious investigation, which meteor- 
ologists alone can adequately appreciate, Park Har- 
rison has shown that shortly after full moon there 
ii a tendency to dispersion of cloud, which, though 
not very marked, is yet appreciable ; and he has 
further shown, from the observations of temperature 
at Greenwich for 1841-47 and 1856-64, at Oxford for 
1856-64, and at Berlin for 1820-35, that a maximum 
mean temperature occurs on the average at each of 
these places on the 6th and 7th day of the lunation, 
when the moon's crust turned towards the earth is 
coldest ; and a minimum mean temperature shortly 
after full moon, when the moon's crust having been 
exposed for some days to the sun's heat is warmest. 
The conclusion has been drawn that the lowering of 
the temperature immediately after full moon, is 
caused by the partial clearing of the sky of cloud by the 
higher temperature caused by the full moon, by means 
of which terrestrial radiation is less impeded, and 
the temperature consequently falls. Now, it is neces- 
sary to distinguish here between the facts of observa- 
tion and the conclusions drawn from them. The lower 
averages of cloud and of temperature after full moon, 
and the higher averages in the moon's first quarter, 
are interesting facts in the meteorology of the places 
for which the auerages were taken ; and they are 
also valuable as suggesting further inquiry ; but they 
do not warrant the broad conclusion which has been 
deduced from them. 
Schiibler has examined sixteen years' observations 
of the wind, and has found that the S. and W. winds 
increase in frequency from new moon to the second 
octant, whilst in the last qurter the same winds are 
at a minimum, and N. and E. winds reach their maxi- 
mum. Glaisher has generally confirmed these results, 
from a discussion of the Greenwich observations of 
the wind from 1841 to 1847.f Let it be supposed that 
this relation of the winds to the phases of the moon 
were established, it would then be unnecessary to 
resort to dispersion of cloud and increased ter- 
restrial radiation in order to account for the lower 
average temperature, seeing that the greater pre- 
valence of northerly and esterly winds would be 
amply sufficient to bring about these results. 
If it be the case that there is an immediate 
connection between the phases of the moon and 
these changes of temperature, then it necessarily fol- 
lows that the same relation may be observed any- 
where over the world. It is self-evident, espcially to 
those who have charted the weather for consider- 
able portions of the earth's surface, that if Schiibler's 
and Glaisher's conclutions regirding the wind hold 
good for Prance and the south of England, the same 
winds will not prevail at the same time over even 
so small a portion of the earth's surface as Europe. 
These winds, it will be observed, possess different 
qualities, the one being moist and warm, and the 
other dry and cold ; hence they point to a different 
distribution of the barometric pressure. The proving 
of the monthly recurrence of such distributions of 
pressure affecting the winds, and, through them, 
the temperature at Greenwich ; the tracing of these 
perpetually recurring changes to lunar influence ; and 
the extention of the inquiry into other parts of the 
world which would be necessary before any general 
result could be arrivsi at, present a problem so vast 
and so laborious that few would care to encounter it. 
* ' Philosophical Magazine ' for July 1868. 
f 'Proceedings of Meteorological Society ofEng- 
and,' March 1867. 
Joseph Baxendell* has examined the St. Petersburg 
observations for the years 1856-64, the years for which 
Mr. Harrison examined the Greenwich and the Ox- 
ford temperature. There were 111 lunations during 
these nine years, and the mean temperatures were 
found to be as follows : — 
Day after Mean Dav after Mean 
New Moon. Temp. Full Moon. Temp. 
5th day, 38.32 3rd dav, 38.H8 
6th „ 38.30 4th „ 38.79 
7th „ 38.57 5th „ 39.29 
8th „ 38.16 6th „ 39.62 
9th „ 37.65 7th ,, 39.96 
Mean, 38.20 
Mean, 39.31 
Hence, instead of the highest temperatures occurring 
after new moon, and the luw< st niter full rooou. as at 
Greenwich and Oxford, all the highest occurred at St. 
Petersburg after full moon, and all the lowest 
after new moon. This result confirms what has 
been stated, and proves that the moon has no im- 
mediate sensible effect on the temperature of the an 
near the surface of the earth. Whether it has anv 
disturbing influence on the barometric pressure, and 
thence on the winds and the temperature, has not 
yet been even attempted to be proved. 
INDIAN PATENTS. 
Calcutta, ISth to 20th December, 1894. 
Applications in respect of the undermentioned in- 
ventions have been filed, during the 8th Meek end- 
ing December 1894, under the provisions of Act 
V. of 1888, in the Office of the Secretary appointed 
under the Inventions and Designs Act, 1888 : — 
Improvements in Retting Fibrous Plants.— No. 
343 of 1894.— John Colt Pennington, of Paterson, 
New Jersey, Chemist, and William Outis Allison, 
Publisher, of 72, William Street, in the City, o. and 
State of New York, United States of America, for 
improvements in retting fibrous plants. 
Extracting India-Rubber from Juice of Plants 
Growing in India.— No. 346 of 1894.— Sadhoo Muljee 
Cursundas and Khoja Allarakhya Rahimtulla, con- 
tractor, of extracting gold and other metals from 
various dusts, and stones, residing in Cutch, Bhuj, 
for extracting India-rubber from juice of plants grow- 
ing in India. 
Apparatus for Exposing Tea, etc. — No. 354 of 
1894. — Samuel Cleland Davidson, of "Sirocco," En- 
gineering Works, Belfast, Ireland, Merchant for im- 
provements in apparatus for exposing tea, coffee, 
cocoa, grain and other substances to the drying or 
other action of air, vapour or gases. 
Improved Manual Power Paddy Husking Machine. 
— No. 356 of 1894. — Maung Thein, Maung Myook, 
at present residing in Wakenma Myaungmya District, 
Burma, for the improved manual "power paddy husk- 
ing machine. 
Machinery or Apparatus for Reducing or Breaking 
Tea.— No. 52 of 1838.— William Jackson, of Thorn 
Grove, Mannofield, Aberdeen, Scotland. Engineer, 
for improvements in machinery or apparatus for re- 
ducing or breaking tea. (From 4th January 1895 to 
3rd January 1896. 
Apparatus for Drying Tea Leaves.— No. 30 of 1890. 
— William Jackson, of Thorn Grove, Mannofield, 
Aberdeen, North Britain, Gentleman, for improvements 
in apparatus for drying tea leaves, coffee, grain oi 
other produce. (From 26th May 1835 to 25th tfay 
1896.) — Indian Engineer. 
NATAL TEA REPORT. 
Mr. G. W. Drummond, of Eearsney, reports: — "There 
was little to note during October of special interest, 
but November has proved itself quite an exceptional 
month. The weather in the Stanger district, for tea. 
has been very favour able, and the outturn in both 
quantity and quality has been far ahead of any other 
previous November. Every single outgarden supplying 
the Kaarsney facto-y with green leaf made their 
* ' Proceedings of Lit. and Phil. Society of M 
Chester,' 1867-68. 
