The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-07-30
written for the Citizen.)

In his latest observations. just COM
municated to the Berlin Academy,
Prof. Roentgen finds that the N.rays
eminate from the irradiated air in all
directions, so that if they were visible
the appearance would be that of room
filled with smoke and lighted up by
candle. When plate impervious to
the rays is placed in front of fuor0-
cent screen, the barium platinocyanide
still remains luminous, but the fluor-
essence disappears when the screen is
surrounded by thin cylinder of lead.
The observation that the rays may be
made visible, presumably 10y causing
t1uorescence of the retina, is confirmed.
Our present knowledge of Mays may
be summed up by saying that the rays
from a discharging apparatus are a
mixture varying in absoroability aud
intensity, that the composition de-
ponds chiefly on the duration of the
discharging current, that different bod
les absorb different kinds of rays, and
that the N-rays are produced by the
cathode rays and the phenomena of
both are probably of the same nature.
The experiment of producing light
from household refuse, now being tried
for the first time at Shoredilch, Lon
don suburb, will be watched with in
terest by the civilized world. The re-
fuse is burned in twelve destructor
cells, each having a crate area of 25
| square feet, and each pair heating
water-tube boiler, which works at
| pressure of 200 pounds. Suitable en-
gines use the steam for driving three
| high aud three low-tensiOn electric
| generators. The Instructors are oper-
ated throughout the "a hours, but, as
the power is chiefly required for light,
heat is stored by day by warming
water TO feed the boilers at night. The
Instructors are designed TO burn 10000
tons of refuse per annum. 1t is esti-
mated that this will furnish electric
light and power and warm baths for
/ the l24,0 900 inhabitants of Shoreditch.
The Araxes river, in Transcaucasia,
has shifted to its ancient bed, and now
/ flows directly into the Caspian Sea,
instead of into the Kura at point so
miles from the latter's mouth.
The idea that the moon has an appre-
ciable action upon earthquakes aud the
weather has been maintained for a
quarter of a century ny NJ. de Parville,
the French physicist. who notes that
the scientific world is now beginning
to recognize such effects. Concerning
the much-discussed question of the in
tiuence of the moon upon vegetation,
NJ. de Parville says: III we must speak
with certain reserve Of the lunar in
tluence on tree-growth, we should add
that no one has shown that such intiu-
ence does not exist. NJ. Rous-
set, in his critical study. calls to mind
an experiment that l made long time
ago in the Tropics, by planting side by
side ten seeds in the wane of the moon
Snd then Others at full moon. The
| plants sowed at new moon grew no.
ticeably more rapidly than those at
| full moon. l explained this phenom.
enon by saying that the first appeared
just in time to profit by the moou's
light. while the Others, after germina-
ton, were not exposed so long to the
lunar rays. The hypothesis
may he good. but perhaps it does not
correspond TO the reality. Neverthe-
less. it is confirmed 10y AN observation
OF NJ. Carb1nnier, who has, on his part,
shown that at full moon confervoid
aud cryptogamic vegetation is more ac-
tive than in other lunar periods. How
ever this may tie, the arguments
presented against the lunar Influence
are insufficient 10 reverse the popular
prejudice"