258 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[JUNE, 
Some Very Fine Lines: Nobert's “Plate” 
or “Lines.” 
One of my young friends, “M. M.,” lias been 
reading about the Microscope, and has found a 
reference to “Nobert’s Plate,” or “Nobert’s 
Lines,” and would like to know what they are. 
I think that these lines of Nobert are among the 
most wonderful productions of human skill, and 
i.n the hope that they may interest other young¬ 
glass, so close together that the most powerful 
microscope can not “resolve them,” as the micro- 
scopists say, that is, allow them to be seen distinctly 
and be counted. The glass is ruled by a fine dia¬ 
mond point, moved by machinery, in lines side by 
side. We find a great deal is written on the “ Won¬ 
ders of the Microscope,” but I do not know of 
anything more wonderful than the fact, that glass 
has been ruled with lines so fine, so close together, 
that the rifost powerful microscope has not been 
able to show them, that is has not been able to 
sters, 1 will try and explain them. Formerly, in 
testing the magnifying power of a microscope, cer¬ 
tain minute natural objects were used. There are 
some creatures found in fresh water, the shells, or 
what answers to shells, the solid parts of which 
have lines and markings which only microscopes of 
the highest power would show. Within a few 
years, Mr. Nobert has come with his “lines,” and 
has shown that he can make lines, or rulings, upon 
Mr. Webb, of England, who has written the Lord’s 
Prayer on glass, in letters so small that more than 
eight Bibles could be written, in the same hand, in 
the space of a square inch ! It almost makes one’s 
head dizzy to think of it, so much being put in so 
small a space ! The Doctob. 
The Fisherman’s Daughter 
show the lines distinct. Nobert’s “ plate,” as it is 
called, is ruled in bands of lines, the lines in each 
band being nearer together than the previous ones. 
There are, I think, nineteen such bands in all, some 
of which no microscope has yet been able to make 
out; but it is hoped that as improvements are made 
in microscopes they will be seen some day. Some 
wonderfully fine writing has been done upon glass. 
A good illustration of this delicate work is that by 
Nettie was the daughter of a fisherman, who 
every morning started out in his boat, and Nettie 
would sit upon a rock and watch 
until the white sail was a mere 
speck in the distance, and soon 
could be seen no more. She knew 
that late in the afternoon she 
would see the white speck again, 
that it would come nearer and 
nearer, when she could wave her 
handkerchief, a signal which her 
father would answer, and shortly 
he would come to the shore with 
his boat-load of fish. But between 
the starting out in the morning 
and the return towards night was 
a very long day to Nettie. She 
was an only child, and as there 
were no other houses very near, 
she had no children playmates. 
Her mother was busy all day, and 
Nettie w r as left to amuse herself. 
She was very fond of the water ; 
there was a little stream not far 
from the house, which in some 
places noisily rushed over the 
stones, and in others made deep 
still pools, and finally went on its 
way to the sea. It was the child’s 
great delight to follow up this 
stream, and she could always find 
amusement upon its banks. At 
times she would pick the Butter¬ 
cups and other wild flowers, and 
throw them into a rapid part of 
the stream, and see them chase 
one another down. Again she 
would bring a bit of bread in her 
pocket and throw the crumbs into 
some of the deep places. It was 
great fun to see the little fishes 
snap at these crumbs, and catch 
them before they had fairly struck 
the water. If Nettie was without 
any other children as playmates, 
she was not alone ; the big New¬ 
foundland dog “Rover” always 
went with her; were it not for 
this, her mother would certainly 
not have trusted her so long away. 
“Rover” and Nettie were great 
friends, and he never let her go 
out of his sight. One afternoon, 
as the fisherman came towards the 
shore, there was no little girl with 
a signal of welcome ; this surprised 
the father, who hastened to make 
a landing, and rushed to the house. 
Nettie was not there ; father and 
mother were now both alarmed, 
and started for the banks of the 
stream. After a few calls there 
was a bark from “ Rover ” ; Nettie 
was upon the grass, weak and 
faint, and the faithful Rover was 
near her and licking her face. The 
little girl, in feeding her favorite 
fishes, had fallen into a pool where 
the water v'as deep, and the dog- 
had plunged in and caught and 
saved her. These Newfoundland dogs are famous 
for their intelligence and for their ability to swim, 
and the instances in which they have saved the 
lives, not only of children, but of grown persons, 
are very numerous. It is not necessary to say that 
Nettie thought all the more of her strong and 
watchful playmate and guardian, and of course 
“Rover,” if he could think, feltan increased interest 
in the child, which he had rescued from the water. 
