Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1877-03-15

=
1885, ~6en.-.PieasonfOu published .
.t,0elx onsthe subject, tbs yolame being
spvroE,riately bound in blue and print
ed in, blue ink. Recently public atten.
aiun has again been called 10 the sub
isct by New York daily journal. The
peculiar kind Of glass iu question Il
known o. pot metal blue, that is, II II
stained . blush violet throughout, and
10 not clear glass covered ith t1ashtngs
Of blue glass. II Is used in greenhous-
es, etc., in connection with dear glass;
and la Gen. Pleasonton's grapery j,
appears that only every eighth row OF
paI,es was blue. Some OF the results
alleged to have been obtained by ex-
posing animals and plants are as fol-
lows: Twenty grape vines. IN their
second year, after being set, out under
the blue glass, bore 1900 lbs. 0f splen.
did fruit. "A very weak Alderney bull
calf wxs in four months developed into
q strong and vigorous bull, Heifers
when kept under blus glass may safe
.ly bear young when Is months old. A
weak child, weighing bat 81 pounds al
birth, weighed at the end OF 4 months
% pOunds light in this instance
having come through blue curtains.
Two maiQr-generals with rheumatisn,
we're cured in three days. A young
lady whose hair had come out regain
ed her tresses; and to these must De
added various other cures OF severe all
,ments " hich we have not space here TO
recapituiats. The above are the. al
legged facts, and we propose to consider
the supposed discovery in the light OF
previous investigations.
= With references to the theories Of
electricity, ETC., advanced by General
Pleasontun; to account for it's phenome-
us, their absurdity is 80 complete thai
Wa shall waste no time over them.
The impcrtant question 10 the matter,
and fhe only one in which the public
ID interested, Is whether or not blue
glass h capable Of producing ali OF any
sf the results Imputed 70 ~ -. =
order 10 clear the way for the exami-
nations, the records Of which We have
carefully collected, let Us consider first
these which Gen. Pieasonton. quotes IN
support of his views. These are ID
Ssunehier's, researches, which 60 tU
show that the blue and violet rays are
the most active in determining the de
composition OF carbonic acid in plants,
and (2) experiments OF DR.. Morichini,
repeated by Carpa and Ridoifi, pro-
wing that violet rays magnetized
small needle. The first statement has
been totally disproved. DIR. Won Be-
zoid, In his recent work on color, states
that '.the chemical processes In plants,
rs far ss they are dependent upon
light, are principally caused by the rays
uf medium and of lower, refrangibility.
The development OF the green color OF
the chlorpbyll, the decomposition OF
carbenic acid. as well as the formation
of starch, etc, i'm the grains OF the
chiorophyll, are induced by the red,
green and orange rays" The blue,
violet. and ultra violet rays, the same
Authority goes on to explain, influence
.sthe rspidity Of growth, compel the
so-cAlIed zoespOres to move IN certain
directions, aud alter the position OF
leaves, etc. In confirmation OF this,
we have Sach's experiments In 1872,
which show that light, transmitted
through the yellow solution Of potas-
sium chromate, enai.les green leaves to
decomposs oyer S8 per cent OF carbonie
acid, while that passed through blue
ammonia copper oxide decompoees
less that 8 per cent, This proves the
superiority of the yellow ray to decom-
pose carbonic acid; and this fact Prof.
J w. Draper discovered q long time
ago by the direct use of the spectrum.
In still further confirmation, we may
cite the Investigations of V0gel, Pfeif.
fer, Selim. and Placentim. The last
~ "A faA
full knowledge of those OF Gen. Pleas
ontOn, and their experiments show
that yellow rays are more promotive
of the evolution Of Carbon tn animals
and its absorption In plants than any
o. b (. in the spectrum, the violet rays
having least power in these respects,
with the exception of the red rays In
the & ase Of animals. The absorption
of carbonic acid by plants, and its evo-
luton by animals, we hardly need add,
are prime essentials to the growth and
health OF each. Tho notion that light
possesses q magnetizing power on steel
was upset by Niepce de 81. Victor In
1861. After removing every source oil
error, he found It impossible to make
one sewing needle, solarized for q very
long time under the rays OF light con-
centrated by strong lens, attract an
other suspended by Q hair, whether
the light was white or colored by being
made tn pass through Q vi0let'colored
glass." 4. t,.it
. We can proceed further and even
show that violet light is in some re-
spects hurtful 10 plants. Cailletet, for
says in 1855 that 'Hight which
passed throRgh solution Of iodine in
csrbonic disulphite prevents decOmpo-
sitiup altogether" .Bsudrimont says
that .no eolored light permits vegeta-
bies to 20 through all the phases Of
their evolutions. Vioiet-col0red light
is positively Injurious TO piants; they
absolutely require white light" This
scientist Instituted the most elaborate
expefiments on the subject, ranging
over eleven years, from 1850 to 1861;
and the result Of all his labor may be
summed up In the simple statement
that no illumination which human iu-
genuity can devise Is 30 web ada pied
Tor promctiug natural processes ~ the
pure white light provided BY the Crea-
tor So much by way Of general deni-
al of the claims OF superior efficacy re-
siding blue light Of any kind. haa
Now we have yet 10 examine the
peculiar variety Of blue light mere used.
Sunlight cau, by means Of the prism.
be spils inta colored rayss any one OF
which We may isyiate.l and, 20 obtain
q certain c0lvSsd bght Similarly we
may obtain light OF desired color by
the use Of q col0red glass which will
stop out the rays not OF the hue re-
quired. 30 that We may obtain violet
light from the spectrum or by tiltering