New-York tribune., 1886-11-12
WIND AS A SEED CARRIER.
PAPERS READ BEFORE THE SCIENTISTS.
PROGRESS OF STELLAR PHoTOGRAPHY-ExPL0RA-
TIoNs IN THE LITTLp MIAMI VALLEY
TBr TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUSE.l

| PROGRESS OF STELLAR PHoTOGRAPHY-ExPLORA-
TIoSs IN THE LITTLp MIAMI VALLEY.
TBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUSEl
| BosrOx, Nov H. At the meeting Of the National
Academy of Sciences to-day DIR. Asa Gray presented
Professor Farlow. new ly-elected member, who at
tended the meeting to-day for the first time
| Professor Alfred Russell Wallace. the visiting Eng
lsh naturalist read the most generally popular paper
winch has vet been presented, the subject beng The
Wind as "a Seed Carrier in Relation to one OF the Dil-
cult Problems in Geographical Distribution" prob
lem which has greatly Interested botsnsts IL that
some species o. oants which have wide distribution
IN the Southern hemisp phere also common plants In
the North many OF them being Of the Arctic hora said
the speaker. This fact considered as remarkaoic
bv Sir Joseph Hooker and has been 80 considered oy
other na,urals's. The number OF plants so disrib-
uted is considerable, there being from nifty TO sixty
sp. C ca in New Zealand and about the same number
each Australia and Patagonia all OF which are den-
tilted with those OF Northern lattu1es. many being
British plants. Darwin proposed as the cause
the temperature due to the extension OF the glaciers
to the Equator but this Is now found to dis
agree with known fact. FIVE causes OF distribution
OF seeds are prominent: /, sea currents z, orus
ea.ing fruits the seeds of which after digestion, are
found TO be widely distributed 3, seeds OF marsh
plants being in the mud which adheres TO the ieet OF
waU.ng birds, are carried Iong distances =, S s'IAS
seeds which attach hemseves to the feathers oil Dds
and G the agency of the wind Another TACT whch
must be taken in connection with The htth cause IS
that seeds must needs ind comparatively bare areas
OF earth in which gerfninae. In England on the
bare earth OF railway cuts, the nora wnich grew aer
ward was found TO be slway' different IRON that OF
the ad accent country on high mountains ana pare
areas over the earth the fields TOR introduced
flowers While the power OF the WIN" Z" transport
seeds is not yet determined, sil the weight o. e',
dence ia that il is ample tor tie transportation Oh
small light seeds through considerable dlStance.
Duss particles from the Java eruption, OF greater
woght than manv eeds were round on the decks OF
vessel, at from 900 o 900 miles distancr at sea.
Taken in connection with the act tha, these lntto,
duced plants are mostly hGht-seeded ones Ihe wind
without question is most important factor IN tner
dsiribntion Professor Wallace es'imlted that II q
single seed per square mile of territory we're deposlted
hundred years 1t would be suihc,ent 70 Keep
I'd the stock aud TO mliuan the purity OF tine species
In his book the Azores he had called attention TO
the fact that neither ocean currents nor Oirds WOuiu
explain the occurrence Of certain European plants
there which can only be explained ss having been
wind borne 1t is not even the usual atmospheric
currents which transport the SEEDS since preVa"ing
winds as we'll as currents are from the west Dut
il is the occasional tempestuOus outhursts OF atmos
pberic enoroy coroborative proof of the efficacy OF
the winds in distribution is found in The TACT hat the
species found on mountains IN lower iatl'u es arc
mostly Arctic for the that seeds IRON the tenn,
perate zone when blown up to high attitudes would
fail to germnate.
Ibe ensuing discussion showed general acceptance
of the opinion that the OF air currents entrey
adequate to the accomplishment OF the results atto
uted to them 10 the paper Fonowing this was
paper by Professor Edward c. Pickering OF Harvard
ODsery atory on the " DraDer Memorial Photographic
This work of stellar photography was Deguh WIN INC
aid OF the National Academy, winch appropriated
portion of the Bates Fund the work Dnt II DecOn-
ing too extensive, tue widow OF Professor uenry
Draoer has continued it a memorial OF her husband
The work is of three classes IL the genera steila
ppectra; each star with Photographic exposure OF
five m nutes a work which udes from 6,OOO TO
7 900 sDectra 2. series OF exposures oil one hour
and 3. sgations with the aid OF professor
Draper's eeven-lnch rejecting telescope, wncn mas
been loaned to Professor Pickering for this work
The mounting OF this large mirror, with ITS atendant
prism was described, and the progress Of the WORK
flt,af tod with
projections The work with the new instrument Is
only just begun. photographs having been .aken iof
TIVE tho or dcny is to secure sucent dsper
sion of the spectra There are two classes OF stars
with distinct specira The hrst class has numerous
bright lines faint continuous specra III the seconu
class which includes of the variable stars the
lines are much FAINTER Professor Young stated that
progress during the year had been so marked as to
lead To the hope that the study OF the approach ana
recession of could soon be studied with satsfac-
tory results.
lo deal xpol ations in the Little Miami Valley, Ohio
conducted by himself and G. l.. Metz showec. that
people since tho people who lost the implements now
found in the gravel The differences between the two
were pointed out, attention being directed to the dif
ference crania characters in the burial costumes, In
the character of the implements and ornaments and IN
artistic expressions OF the two peoples. lie alluded
TO the fact that the illusions he thus so briefly
pIaced before the Academy were not simpv theories
formed on a few isolated observations but were
based upon the almost constant work OF hvt years Dy
Dr. Metz and bimse In the valley In question: during
which time thousands of graves had been searched,
many old village sites explored and many MOUNDS
thoroughly examined, In conclusion ne stated mat
there was now considerable evidence showing that
there had been migration OF shortbeaded people
from the southwest and OF long g-headed from the
North to the Ohio Valley where the two peoples had
mingled In that valley were to be found the remains
OF these two peoples while distinct, and also after
they had mixed -,
Wedge Photometer" by c. A. Young, was ready; " On
the Construction OF New Tables OF Saturn. by J: w.
HILL gave careful computation OF Saturn's position
tor 800 years before and as many after the year looO
Professor Pumpellys paper on The Relation OF the
Green Mountain Rocks to tho Laconc," gave the re-
suits of several years observation the Hoosac
Tunnel and elsewhere. The geological age OF these
rocks is debatabe question which it is hoped will
be settled by observations under direction OF the
Professor Cleveland Abbey presented the subject of
q Barometer Exposure" Barometric readings during
the prevalence OF high winds do not give tne true
light of the atmosphere, said he. To estimate the
effect OF atmospheric currents from the barometer he
proposes to two anerods incosed IN tube below
n reyo wing sphere, adjusted to keep an opening
constantly turned TOWARD the point from which the
WIND blows and another opening opposite one aneroid
thus being exposed to the pressure of the wind and
another to the effect Of the exhaust the mean OF the
two readings gives the true result.
In a paper on HARDNESS and Chemical Indifference
in SDds Professor T. Sterry Hunt gave further illus
raons of his theory of the nature OF chemical action
which he believes will lead to the estab shment OF
natural system of mineralogy. His theory is tiat
deuscr substances have molecules OF much greater
alto mic weigh. thau has hitherto been admitted.
Professor Davis of Harvard gave a paper on The
Mechanical Origin of the Friassic Monocinsl In the
Connecticut Valley" ingeniously accounting for the
faults and displacement OF strata. Professor Copes
paper on Dentition misunderstood, and the
report in Wednesdays TRIBUNE requires somo m0di-
| fcation Ii is auadrtubercular not tritubercular
moars that characterize most OF the lower races Of
men, including Italians. and triiuoercular moiars
prevail among mcst Europeans, the Esqumo and the
| extinct cave-dweers
The fall meeting adjourned to-day The spring
meeting will be held ut Washington on the third
Tuesday of April next.
YOUyG BILLER HELD FOR TRIAL.
Charles H. Bier OF No. 80 Apinest Newark. was taken
TO the Tombs yesterday in charge OF Detective Sergeant