Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-06-29
Mars.

4 ehi III ana hS tue most IhNOTaDlo NoTll lb
emIgrants from this, if so be any are think
ing Of changing their terrestrial abode fol
another world
On Mercury the brevity of the seasons ant
the extremes oil heat and cold would mate
rally affect vegetable productions such a'
are known to us, The seasons in Mercury
are only three weeks in length. The change
| from summer to winter is only SIX weeks
and the extremes of heat and cold are equal
according to DR.. Herscs !. to irozon quick,
silver and melted lead. 70 be sure the con.
ditions would be favorable for eXterminating
curculios and flat-headed apple-tree-borers;
but, between the heat and the cold, fruits like
the apple and peach, and such AS are found
in our gardens, would be utterly ruined.
Nothing of this difficulty will be expe-
rienced on Mars, and the conditions that
cause and promote pear-bhght are not sup
| posed to exist on the planet Mars. Sunshine
falls but lightly on this planet, and is not suf-
ficient to produce that rapid and succulent
growth favorable to III disease.
But shall We, rs hor ,ulturists, he happy
on Mars?
We know that, should we make our con-
sins on Venus visit, We should be very I'M
happy there, because of the very strange
manner in which the seasons progress. The
MONDAY sun on Venus in winter is below
the horizon over II large part of its surface.
The nominal midnight sun of summer. on a
large part of the surface of Venus, is above
the horizon. The exaggerated seasons on
Venus are due to the great inclination of the
axis of the daily motion of the planet.
But this difficulty is not experienced on
Mars. The inclination ef the axis of daily
motion on Mars is very nearly that of the
earth, so that tho seasons on Mars progress
ha tha aartb. and rra lao
gin to feel considerably encouraged. seeing
how strikingly Mars is like the earth.
The continents and seas are not distributed
on Mars Gs they are in this world. The con-
tinents are all connected, and not, as in this
world, entirely surrounded by water and 1t
is thought by some that the vegetation in
Mars is red and not green, us in this world.
But this is immateral
What we want to know is,
HOW PLANTS GROW On MARS,
and whether the fruits and vegetables that
flourish here would do well, or do at all, on
Mars.
Now, it is a fact that the constitution of
plant-life i'll this world is adjusted to the
length of our year, and each variety of plant
puts forth its leaf in its season. The snow
drop in March, the cowslip in April, and the
great mass of plants in May and June and
these in due time all reach maturity and are
gathered III the harvest.
Now, suppose the length of the seasons
doubled it would be fatal to plant life. The
functions of plants in such case, says
Whewell. would be entirely destroyed, and
the whole vegetable kingdom involved in in
slant decay and rapid extinction" And such
n case is the planet Mars. The length of the
Martial year is 6S7 days, which, divided into
twelve months, would give fifty-eight days to
each month; and the seasons are nearly
double our terrestrial seasons. This would
be fatal to all plants that grow in our centu-
ries.
IT WOULD BE USELESS
to carry with US seeds and nursery stock for
this world.
Equally fatal results must follow from an
other cause, to both vegetable and animal
life. Gravity on Mars cannot be what il is
on the earth, for gravity is in proportion to
quantity of matter The estimate made is,
that body weighing eighty pounds oil the
earth would weigh but thirty pounds on
Mars. Now if the earth had but the gravity
of Mars, We should presently find how un-
stable as water are all things upon this earth.
Objects would not lay where We put them
but would roll away with the slightest touch.
Oul NOuli NV bc otNutt but
would be swept away by the storms that de-
vastate the country. We should find it diff-
cult to maintain our own gravity. We could
not walk straight. In fact this state OF things
would lead TO variety of unpleasant re-
Suits
With such n decrease of gravity great
part OF the atmosphere would be released
from the earth. amd thinned out, until not
enough was l,ft !,I the purpose of respira-
ton.
The Truth IL. man could not live on the
earth II such were the conditions here. And
the fleet upon plant life would alike fatal.
But, because We could not be happy on
Mars because the flora and fauna on earth
are not adapted to the Martial year md the
constitution of thnt planet are We to con-
clnde that, therefore. no foIms OF life are
adapted to that world?
My argument only shows how admirably
adapted our earth Ii for the life that is upon
it. and how utterly unfit are other worlds for
terrestrial habitations and occupations.
| doubt not that the inhabitants of Mars
are congratulating themselves on the excel
lence OF the frame of their nature and the
OF their planet for the life that
is ON it; and possibly there are astronomers
on Mars to-day wondering how it can be pos
sible for any living forms to exist upon the
planet Earth, they Judging from their
Ms we judge from ours.
But, driven from Mars, it may lie thought
that the conditions on Jupiter are more favor
able. This magnificent planet, 300 times
larger than the earth would not afford that
calm and safe retreat for man that one might
suppose.
In fact, Jupiter has not yet cooled TO the
carthlike condition rendering human habita-
tirn possible. Jupiter is u semi-sun, half
luminous. In act,Jupiter is so tremendous
" hot that the oceans on the planets become
vast masses of vapor, and cause those royal
bands that girt the planet, t,-driven, as is
plainly seen. by hurricane storms a thousand
fold more terrible than Earth ever saw, and
lasting sometimes for two months together.
There is satisfactory evidence that Jupi
ter is
GLOBE EED-HoT,
not now tit for human habitation. buta world
possibly fitting up and being prepared for