Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-03-29


Heath R-Roys of tie Sun ichich Cause no
Light or Heat-Pear-tree Blight aszI5ed 70
the Chemical -Daguereotgpe Process
Moonlight has no Beat-E.5eet Of TIE Moon
Oh he Reatber
The intelligent cultivator should have
knowledge Of various other laws Of nature
besides those which are properly classed as
strictly chemical forces.
Some Of the phenomena Of the acton Of
light on vegetation, are not only subjects OF
curious investigation but Of practical import
ance. Any lady who cultivates flowers in her
parlor, who has watched and tended them,
giving them air and water, and more than all
some portion of hen love, has been struck with
then manifest ingratitude, in persisting always
in averting their radiant faces from their kind
benefactress, and bestowing their favors upon
every strolling passenger in the street.
Flowers are attracted towards the light
In the same way, vines, which are growing in
dark places, like pOtato-sprouts in cellar,
invariably seek every opening where the light
is seen, as if they felt the damp chill of their
prison house, aud pinned for the refreshing
beams Of the glorious sun. From the white
sprouts of the potato, grown in darkness, a
deadly poison, called Soldnino, is extracted,
and yet the effect of light upon the potato it.
self as every farmer knows, is to render it
disagreeable in taste, and unfit for food.
The plant called Portulacarid it is said, is
daily changed, by the influence Of light 50
that to the taste, in the morning, at noon and
at evening, il changes from being psrceptbly
sweet, TO being tasteless, and then bitter.
The question is often asked, whether plants
in the house are injurious TO health. This
question IS readily answered. Carbonic acid
gas, which is unsuited to respiration, and
which Is generated by the breathing Of AMI
mails, is the appropriate nourishment for plants.
In the light they absorb it from the atmos-
phere, and give out oxygen, which is regard
ed as the vital part of the air. In the absence
of light the reverse takes place. Plants OK
hale earbonie acid, and absorb oxygen. And
so we find that plants. if properly aired in the
morning, purify the air of our rooms by day.
but deterorate it at night We commonly
regard the sun as merely the source of dolf
and heat, but it has been ascertained that he
exerts influences on vegetation which seem 10
be reterabe TO neither Besides the rays of
light aud heat the sunbeam contains what
has been called chemical rays, not distinguish
able by our senses, but recognized by their
effects. 1t is" saws learned writer. " 10 the
action of these chemical rays on the leaf and
especially to those which are associated with
the blue light in the solar BEAM that the in
1uence OF the sun, on the functions of the leaf
is principally to be ascribed."
To the effect of the chemical rays Of the
sun horticulmrist of high authority. has as
cnbed the blight of the pear tree, which Is
known as the frozen sap blight, although the
opinion is from Its nature hardly susceptible
of contradiction or support
lnthe Dagllereotype process also, the prin-
cipal effect Is attril uIed, not to the red RAYS
which afford most light and heat, but to the
violet rays which give least of both, and TO
the clinical or invisible rays. Dr. Lardnerss
conclusion on this subject, is THAT the solar
rays possess, at least three distinct powers.
those of heating, Wuminatias, and affecting
Chemical combinations and decompositons,
and these powers are distributed among the
different refrangible rays, in such manner as
10 show their complete independence of each
other"
As TO the light of the moon-humah beings
Of all ages of the world and all classes too,
have had strange propensity to ascribe to il
all influences which connot be traced 10 orher
sources.
The light ofthe sun is estimated TO be three
hundred thousand times greater than that of the
moon, and no Thermometer has ever been
found so delicate, as to be effected in the least
by its rays, concentrated by the most powerful
glass. Yet the mos remarkable affects are at
tributed 10 il, either by way OF signs and prog
nostics of weather, or some less ineligible
mode
Virgil SAYS if the horns of the new moon
GA the fourth day are sharply defined, the
weather will be fair during the remainder OF
the month. II was thought, in ancient times
that the moon in some way produced de-
angement of the mind, and hence the word
lunatie. There are many persons who would
not dare 10 sleep with the moon shining on
their faces. Many farmers sow their turnips
on the July f,a Of the moon and others new
er Kill pig or OK on the wane Of the moon,
because they say meat viii shrink in boiling.
Half the people in this country believe that
changes Of the weather accompany or follow
what we set down Ia the almanacs, as changes
of the moon, though astronomers find it diff
ficult 10 point ont how the moon changes anv
more on the days set down as quarters and
faN, than on Others, and philosophers who
have compared records kept for long terms of
years, can find no evidence in support Of these
popular notions
Still, if we cannot, in our utilitarian age.
degrade the fair goddess Of nj sht to any use
full labor for us, we will at least be grateful to
her for pleasant "reminiscences for merry,
mirthful scenes by the music Of sleigh bells
in winter, and now and then a pensive walk.
in summer evenings, not quite alone. We will
not quite agree with our brother man from
Ireland, who declared the moon was of no
use 10 any body, because she never shone in
dark nights when she was most needed.-By
/ HENRY F. FEEScH, in Country Gentleman.