The record-union., 1899-07-15

in Science" chow many assumptions.
without positive support underlie the
general theory Of evolution, and espe-
cially the evolution of man from any
known lower type. At the same time.
he does not pretend that our present
knowledge is decisive, either for the
negative or the affirmative.7 AT the
present time" says Nadaillac, I'm view
Of what is actually known, we are not
prepared to deny the possibility OF any
such theory; but, 1 hasten to add, we
are just as little prepared to affirm
it as a truth" "Such caution" Dr.
Brinton, adds, sis certainly in season,
as the tendency is constant to hasty
conclusions"
WAS primitive man modern saw
age?" is the question asked by Dr.
Talcott Williams in the Smithsonian
Report" just issued, and answered by
him in a constructive negative. ITO
Dr. Williams" says DR.. Brinton, in
Science" primitive man was a peace
full, happy creature, knowing not war
or cannibalisn, with surprising
primitive development, which later on
degenerated into civilization. rms
early man enjoyed a juster conception
of the divine than his descendants
His gods were peaceful, communica-
ton free, hospitality open. The eartn
was still empty and happy and young.
If DR.. Williams intends this as pleas
ant, humorous sketch, it will pass; II
serious inference from the ascer-
tanned facts Of prehistoric investiga--
ton, it's authoy is about a century be-
hind time, as every student OF the
actual remains Of earliest man knows
the painful but irrefutable evidence
of his worse than barbarous, his really
brutal, condition, apart from all COM
parisons with modern savages.'
Plant World: A comparison of the
number of species of plants known to
the various learned men who have
lived during the last 1000 years, ana
whose names are more or less familiar
to us, shows how marvelously our
knowledge of plants has been IN
creased. Thus Hippocrates, called the
Father of Medicine" who lived pc
tween 500-400 B. c., knew only @ot
species or kinds of plants. Theophras-
tus, 371-225 B. c., who was perhaps
the first real botanist whose name mas
been handed down to us, described
about 500 species of plants, which ne
divided into trees, herbs and SHRUBS.
By Dioscorides az A. d. the number
was raised to 600 species, and by
Pliny (23-79 A. d. to 800 species. Dur
ing the ensuing 1900 years and more,
comparatively little work was accom-
plished Ray, who wrote between 1853
and 17O4 enumerated and described
1S.625 species of plants. The number
of plants known to LinnaeuS in lIil
was only S,551 species. less than hall
the number supposed to have been
known to Ray. Persoon, in 1907, rec
ognized 10000 species of Towering
plants, while. De Candolle, in 1SO9,
recognized 10000 species. In 1924
Steudel enumerated 10000 species, in
cluding towering and lower plants.
This number was raised by Lindley IN
1S45 to 1887. In 1885 Ducharte estl-
mated the number of known plants OF
all groups at 125,000. Durand, in
1888. distributes the towering plants
as follows: Families, 21O; genera,
SAT-; species, 10O,220; but as this
enumeration was based on the ex-
| tremely conservative work of Bentham
and Hooker, the number was even then
much larger. An estimate made ABOUT
| five years ago placed the number OIL
known plants in the world at 49,
| 7O6. of which the seed plants made up
about 125, 600. Considering the num-
Der of new species published every
year, it is probable that the number
now in the books is not much short
of 100000.
Literary Digest: "In his 'Cours de
Geologic NJ. Nivoit shows" says Cos
mos" how geology enlightens the ag-
riculturist on the formation of arabic
soil and on the elements that COM
pose it. and the constitution of the sub
soil, and on the influence that this can
exercise on vegetation by its physical
state, by it's greater or less permeabll-
ity He cites, among other examples
of the mechanical action of the at
mosphere the movements that are sus-
| ceptible of exercising favorable action
in certain regions The air is almost
always transparent to the west and
| southwest of Puy-de-Dome, while it Is
turbid to the east and southeast. This
| is due to the transportation of the
! cinders or volcanic ash so abundant
| in the mountain groups of Puy, Mont
| Dore, and Cantal. This ash, which
can remain suspended long time IN
the air on account Of it's lightness, con-
| tains fertilizing elements, notably
phosphoric acid and potash, and thus
carries these substances to the regions
whittier it is waited; rain and snow aid
! in bringing it to earth. In Limagne
| the weight of the volcanic dust de-
posted on a hectare (about two and
ene-half acres) of land may be esti-
mated at 900 Kilograms (2,204 pounds)