Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-09
CITY AND DISTRICT
WHAT ARE ALG II ,
Professor Burgess Tells % the Micro.
scoptc Plants OF Our Ponds and
SereamN

PROFESSOR Burgess besbs o. tne mhcrOe
scoptc Plants OF Our Ponds and
STREAMS
An enthusiastic audience OF lovers OF science, in
Guiding many Of the pupils Of the city schools.
gathered IN the lecture-room OF the National Nh
Deum saturday evening 10 hear the third lecture
In the colrss given by the Amateur Botanical
Club The lecture was on the subject Of fresh
water algss, oy Professor Z s. Burgess, OF the
High School
Professor W. B. Powell, superintendent Of the
city schools In introducing the speaker, call d at
tenton to The fact that the growth OF science had
reyolutIonizec the methods OF education The
fpse dirt plan, ne said Is 20 longer popular, but
students are taught the reasons for what they
learn, and encouraged 70 investigate Tor them,
with specimens OF marine and fresh-wateF slgJe,
and accurate charts prepared oy Professor Bur
Two questions, said the speaker. are to be an
swered; nrst. what are alg8? second, OF what
Interest sr they 70 u.s. An one ~9o o ns s ,at
vegetation cast up BY the tide. luis consists OF
alge. commonly called sea-wseds- lie Kinds are
others ara WoTid-Wde Tus most abundant form
along the Atlantic coast Is leathery, branching
species known as rOck-weed- Another, from It's
appearance, Is called ''sea lettuce" and forms
valuable article OF commerce. other Kinds are also
used for tood Ia various parts OF the world One
Is found in EXTENSIVE noating masses in the warmer
portions OF the Atlantic, wheTe ~ forms th we'll
known Saryass0 sea, winch sometimes !npedes the
algs cast up Oh the shore green forms are also
found; the largest OF these is known as "mernaids
hair" In quiet. rocky pe0ls are many kinds or
Delicate branching red a!sP.
COLLECTING AIG8.
These beautiful objects may be oeasily gathered
and preserved that every one should know how he
may take home with him "picture gallery OF the
sea" All that IS NEEDED for collecting Is net
with which they may be caught and detached
from the rOcK& They are then noated out In a
pool or dish Of sea water Cfresh water extracts
arAf aY n tafr
stin unsiZsd paper, on which they are TO be
mounted. After arranging the specimens In the
lowed 20 drip a few moments, then placed In press
with absorbent paper In the same manner as other
yI sscS Snsc,nen ~ npvent r. shar,n Sba
wrong paper. When dry the specimens are found
20 have retained their form and color perfectly,
and 10 have adhered so closely 10 the paper as TO
seem part OF It. No one, said the speaker, can
begin the collection OF these beautiful objects
without becoming an enthusiast, and he will pre-
sentIy wonder whether there may not also be
similar plants In the inland waters This he Will
ind II he searches, to be the case, Just as many
person has be- n awakened TO a realization OF the
beauties around his home through travels In q
foreign lani The alge OF fresh water are smaller
green Most OF them taken singly are Just visible
70 the unaiied eye, though some consist OF simpie
or branching rlaments several inches In length.
HOW THEY GROW.
Alga, Ike other plants, are composed OF cells.
These are the sacks containing living vegetable
protoplasm. which, united like bricks In a wall.
build up the plant. Some algge ike the spr0gyra
or six weed OF our ponds, contain but single
row OF cells, while many OF the smaller kinds have
only one cell. IL Is In the study VI these lowest
forms that We feel We drawing near to the con-
d.Ii0n OF life when 10 n ST entered the world.
These simple plants destitute OF true flowers
or seeds. and perform their functions without the
water the material for Is growth. Their methods
Of reproduction are simple, yet effective. One
method Is by nssion, where cell divides and each
part repfOduceS the whole Another method IS by
budding, the OnshOOt becoming separated To form
new plant Another method Is by the pTo1ue-
ton OF spores special cells for the purpose OF re-
prOdnc, Ion. which detached from the plant.
These spores are in some cases furnished with f1rm
tnick walls, which enable them to preserve their
vitality for -ODg time and endure extremes OF
heat and cold. Ia some eases the spores are pro-
vided with vibratile ilaments called ella, by
which they are dispersed through the water, so
that they have been mistaken IoT animals
ALGlR HISTORY.
References to marine algse date back in fitera-
ture 10 Homer. but no name for the fresh-water
alge Is found In the writings OF the Greeks or
Romans. Shakespeare tells OF faces which cream
and mantle like a standing pool" and Tennyson
IN his Nil Rs Daughter doubtless refers 10 algB
where he SPEAKS OF the moses in the stream"
nsme tnaI h We Vet heard Tor these beautiful
plants While was collecting on Rock Greek last
summer party OF children came along, and one
OF them sail 70 the other "he Is gathering water
NOSES" The most exhaustive study OF these
plants has been BY scandinavian and German
chemists. yauehet, born at Geneva, in ISO3 was
the first scientific algOlOgist He discovered that
the sexual method 81 reproductIon which
LinneuS had proved 70 be universal In the higher
and best work on Alg:e was published last sum-
ner by Rev Francis Vale, a Mo.ayian minister.
or Philadelphia
WHERE TO FIND THIN
Alzse are found In all climates, md in great
diversity Ot situations. They not confined to
staznant water, as is often supposed; In fact the
largtr portion OF them prefer water which Is pure
or nearly So and their presence in ordinary atian-
titles tends to lIQDrOyP It's uuallIy other
plants can endure such eXtrrme temperatures.
Several have been known TO withstand the tenn
perature Of boiling water. The not springs OF Col
orad0 and elsewhere have species which are found
nowhere else. A number have been found 10 be
cape-pipes Of sieam-miIis. F0rTy-two species are
supposed 70 be characteristic OF SHOW and Ice and
are found chiefly IN the arfic regions, where some
OF them give the peculiar appearance 10 c0lOred
snow. some artic species are found IN cold Sit
uatlons In wiieiyseparated parts OF the world One
the Allegheny and The Rocky Mountains In tie
mountains OF Nevada Prof Watson found II grow
Ing In cod streams at altitude Of IL 900 feet
Some kinds are found only Ia waters contalning
certain Ingredients, as soda or sulphur. Many Of
TIE alge OF salt Likes are the same as those In the
SEA Prof. Wood found four Of his interesting
species In the ponds OF brick-ya and The by
cfodicty0n or "water-net" Is frequently found In
such ponds Several species are Characteristic OF
running water; others grow on low tlais which are
only occasionally sgbmurged. Er0tOeoccns riridis
grows on the north side OF trees and walls and
may Be seen as green covering on the stones
upon The north side OF the Smithsonian Institu-
Ton
The violet moss upon stones In the Alps and
Wnlte Mountains Is an algsR. Several kinds OF
ass have fragrant doors as the sweet cOnferva,"
which has long been known In Denmark and
which has recently been found in Pennsylvania
growing upon the bark of Trees
Very few Of the age are Injurious One OF
these, species OF UlOthrex, which mas been
troublesome In Germany, has been found In Cha
tauIua Lake, y. Y, out nowhere else La this coun-
try.
whitney To Stevenson.
SHARP LITTER WHICH PRECEDED THE RRooKLYS