Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-04

Nv doubtless this or other
methods will be so far
perfected tina. the taking of peoples portraits
with the coloring of the originals will be prac-
ticable; great paintings viii be copied imperish-
ably-though time must destroy the paintings
themselves-with the camera. and the same
apparatus will be utilized for making the sun
himself do landscapes in the twinkling of an
eye with all the tints Of nature.
With relation to the ultra red and mira
violet invisible to the human eye. which the
French academician finds exhibited as black
bands in his reproduction Of the colors in the
rainbow, The STAR is informed that Prof.
Langley, secretary Of the Smithsonian. Institu-
ton. has made some astonishing discoveries
recently. The ultra red is to the left of the red
end OF the rainbow, while the ultra violet is 70
the right OF the violet end. the length of the
rainbow being in this manner added to in both
directions What could be more in ,eresting
thar these hues unknown TO us, to which, so
Prof langley says, roses and other flowers owe
much of the exquisite beauty of their eoloring?
PROF. LANGLEYs BoLoNETER.
By an instrument OF his own invention, mex
pressibly delicate. which he calls ''bolome-
ter" this famous scientist has traced toe rain
bow TO more than twice its visible length. The
contrivance-a thin film Of iron. through which
current OF electricity Is passed-is moved
along over a rainbow, cast By the sun through
by the interruption of the current. In this
vay IL is made known that are actually able
20 see but q small fraction of a rainbow. Who
can tell what gorgeous coiors, different from
any ever beheld by man, lie concealed to his
imperfect vision along she path beyond the
violet and the red2
IL is amazing how simple and evident some
inventions are when once they are hit upon.
IL was the Emperor Nero who used the first
eyeglass-a monoele by the way. He was near
sighted and he found that a certain big concave
emerald in his jewel collection enabled him TO
see with a much improved vision what went on
In the circus at the gladiator shows. His no.
ton was that the gem magical. but there
was the original presbyOpic lens, if only any
one had had the wit to look through il with the
gaze Of scientific speculation But nc one did
and 50 IL was not for fifteen centuries that spec
tacles were invented.
THE MOST IMPORTANT REQUIREMENT.
To make . photograph the most important
requirement is a surface that is sensitive to
light You imagine that chemistry is required
to make such q surface. but that is not true
The newspaper on which these words are
printed has q. sensitized surface. Tear off this
page when you through reading it and it
Will make you very fair photograph print if
you viii lay a glass negative upon it and ex-
pose II to the sun for while.
But the negative requires skill and apparatus
to make. you say. Then do without it. I'm
agine yourself cast away upon an uninhabited
island You are an enthusiastic amateur in
photography, and you must make pictures or
despair. Happily. you have preserved your
hat, your spectacles and a note book. That is
reasonable superstition compared with some
Of those In the swiss Family Robinson" where
II one OF the family desires q lemonade, he is
sure to discover OPPORTUNITY a lemon tee with
= field Of sugar cane on the other side of bub-
bling brook. Rejoicing in the abundant supply
OF materials At your command, you mt one of
your spectacle lenses into the crown OF YOUR hat
and afr horE r,.loa
intended for your head. That is a camera
Next you tear page from your note book, pre-
viously dried. and rub il over with some Juice
squeezed from flowers. Flower juice is an ad-
mirable sensltizing medium: q few Years ago 1t
WAS utilized TO some extent in photography.
The page thus sensitized you attach inside to
the bark back of the hat. and your photograph
Is soon made upon the paper without the inter
vsntion Of negative
SENSITIVE LEAVES.
But after all this is not fair supposition
You might not have hat nor spectacles nor
yet note book when you are cast upon the
islsnd. This, however. would not prevent YOU
from taking photographs You could surely
make some sort Of a box with a very small hole
III one side and q big leaf attached 10 the back
In the absence Of q lens the small hole does
very well to concentrate the rays of light upon
the leaf which has. like all leaves. a sensitive
surface Thus You obtain your photograph
A smooth plank OF wood has a sensitive sur
face, too. upon which a sun print can be- made
IL Is the resin in the wood which makes the
surface sensitive 70 light. and the same remark
Apphes TO leaves and to the newspaper tissue
made from wood pulp. 1t Is worth mentioning
by the way. that a traveller in the arc tic re-
gioas could make very respectable lens out of
piece of ice.
The euriosi.ies Of photography are only be-
ginning TO be discovered. some photo graphs
were made the other day by telescope Of the
statue OF America-vulgarly supposed 10 repre-
sent the Goddess of Liberty--on the dome OF
the Capitol. Lenses we're arranged in big
camera. according to telescope principles, and
the pictures taken at a distance OF a quarter of
a mile. though only four inches high, were so
clear IN detail as TO enable the people at the
National Museum to restore with accuracy the
mutllated original cast for the statue actual
size, which Is now being set up in the center of
that great institution
PHOTOGRAPHS OF MUSHROOMS
Some very interesting photographs have been
made at the National Museum, here Of mush-
rooms N progressive stages of growth. One
series represents the development and propa-
CATION Of the fairy ring mushroom respect
ing which 80 many pretty superstitious fancies
are current. For centuries past il has been
imagined by country folk thRl the rings formed
by these fuiy, in the meadows and on the
hills:des were used by fairy dancing parties
The circles inciosed. bare of vegetation. suv-
gested "a trampling by merry little feet, while
IL was supposed that the ring Of mushrooms
round about afforded seats to the sprightiy
jewellers. But science has shown that
this picturesque notion is ali delu-
sion, and that tie fairy rings are formed
In q very commonplace manner Each ring Is
begun with a single mushroom. which, when il
decays. Is replaced by q number OF httle ones
The latter multiply rapidly and the exhaustion
Of tbs nuiritIye material in the soil causes
those II tie middle 70 die out for want Of
sGsienance. 50 that the outside ones gradually
spread outward until q ring Of them is formed
perhaps a. much four five feet in
diameter. FAIRIES might lind pleasant place
70 "trip IN within the circle thus made, bat,
siGs! there Is no evidence that tboy DO SC. nor
te&t they ind reposo between the tarns upon
the dainty little stools
Another ching which photography has baen
used 10 illustrate, by the Esh Commission in
THIS instance, Is the growth OF the sk1d in the
egg Al the beginning 4 microscopic poiiywos
itOIa tle 'nllt OF Elale fish makes its way
lao one o. myriad eggs Of tie female fish
tLFonga Lttle hole IN The side OF the egg. and
tauS gives he 70 the germ. when this las bat
lass been accomplished the egg, magnifed 100
uLaes La TIE Photograph. shows the Young fish
IL tSe shape Of q dark spot on one side. This
oark srot IN subsequent daily pictures becomes
rapidly larger, until it is seen 10 develop A tail
ard finally 10 escape from the shell. together
With thousands ot is infant CORR anions. ready
70 DC planted q few days later in the wa,ers OF
the Potomac and other rivers.
WHOLE EDITION OF A BOOK.
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