The sun., 1901-08-11
SCIENCE.
DIsTBBUrios OF THE coLoRKp POPULATION
CT THE UNITED STATES.


CT THE UNITED STATES.
The results Of the last census show that.
taking the whole country TO gethcr. the colored
population b not increasing at q rate
greater than the white. and that the fears
formerly expressed In this re gard were quite
groundless. In certain States. however.
the colored people are becoming dispropor-
uonately numerous-in South Carolina.
Louisiana. Mississippi. Georgia and Arkansas.
for example.
The census brings out two main tenden-
cies. Tho first is the gradual concentration
OF the blacks In certain regions and the second
is their concentration in cities. City life Is
very hazardous for the negro race. as the
colored people live In insanitary dwellings
and under poor conditions.
In Chicago. for example. more than $4,000
negroes are huddled together. and here, as
In many other cities OF the North. the negroes
constitute an undue proportion OF the GRIM
inal class. The fertility Of the blacks Is
greater than that OF the whites, but their
mortality |, much greater also. so that their
Increase Is considerably less. Taxing ten
Of tho largest cities In the South Il appears
that the mortality OF the blacks ls 81 per loo
and Of tho whites only 20, and there are in
dications that the former mortality IL in
cressing, not diminishing. The proportion
Of illegltmate births among the blacks Is
increasing also; 1t was 50 per cent In 1880
and Is now ~ per cont,
Five counties Of Virginia now Inhabited
by 10000 blacks and SO 900 whites produce
to-day ~. .o00. 900 pounds Of tobacco instead OF
Of Kentucky. inhabited by 81 600 whites.
and $500 blacks. have. on the other hand,
increased the Yield from 700 70 i0,oooo ooQ
Virginia. where the blacks constitute IS per
cent Of the population. the tobacco crop has
fallen from l2i to - million pounds In tie
Sst thirty IN hss
from los to 22l millions Rice culture In
South Carolina and Georgia is subject to SINH
lar osses owing to the uneertanty 9I n,n nefbo sbo
hands OF the whites before the Ciyil War
this crop was entirely raised by black labor;
while. at present: 40 per cent Is raised by
crease in the holdings OF land by the blecks
In Virginia. and the same Is probably true
for other Sou thern States.
The foregoing statistics are partial apd
do not settle the questions involved At the
same time they have certain interest and
are deserving OF record i he question OF
the status Of the black man Is capital one
negligible.
NATURE STUDY.
Prof Bailey OF Cornell University gives
a weghty answer to the question. What 10
nature study' II Ia, he says. point OF view.
the requirement OF sympathy with and In
terest In the natural world around us. We
live In this world and the better we 1T II the
better for US. II Ia for this reason that
nature study deserves place In the school
studies Of children Primarily. the object
OF nature study Is not the acquisition OF mere
information Nature study is not method
in the sense that the word Is used In peda-
gogy. In another sense scientific method
IL OF the very essence OF nature study. It
a a.l.. all l. tk.
world' How long have men lived on u? Why
has tiger stripes? Why do certain flowers
have exactly such shapes and no others?-
To answer these questions the child must be
base Of geology. zoology, botany. And in
this sense II would seem that method Is OF
the very essence Of nature study
The object OF such studies Is not t2 make
the child a specialist or scientist. II !: to
make him n citizen OF tho world ho lives in
to interest him in plants and birds and In:
scientists will take c,re OF itself Much is often
unwsely sacrificed to a so-called thorough
ness--which. in many cases takes the form
racy. is. Of course. a prime REQUISITE Of AL
good teaching but II Is necessary. first Of all.
to awaken genuine interest. The first es-
observation, The next Is 70 understand
why, and the third is the desire to know
more The final result should be the devel-
natural object and phenomenon.
VARIATIONS IN THE PORN OF LEAVES
The form Of the leaves Of trees is undoubt-
edly subject to selection so that the condl-
tons under which any particular tree lives
are exhibited d-integrated. "a II were-in
It's leaf forms But the conditions nre 80
complex that no general law OF connection
between leaf forms and the struggle for ex-
istence has yet been made out. study of
the variations OF the forms OF the leaves Of
trees has lately been made by
Mr. A. n, Somers Tho normal shape OF the
leaves OF the black variety norus niCrd)
is well known branch Of this tree was
severely mutilated and the leaves Of this
branch took on quite different forms. A
tbs M9s and St aboher DS 70 m
to make globe shaped top. The
abnormality OF the. leaf formed increased
trees The experiments were, kept up
'hrou ghout n whole season and were uni
'ormly alike. from early spring until the
rosts Of h ausn aIac Gny to a0a dr Di
periods with the greatest variations during
he longest dry periods. Two Of the trees
bore fruit and the one most severely trimmed
IN oak, apple and cherry trees gave like rc-
,ults The original paper referred 70. with
is to be found IN the Popu!dr
Science Nsrs for August, 1901.
DISCOVERY or SMALL SEBULs BY pHoroo-
Prof Max Wolf OF Heidelberg has a large
Photographic telescope, the gift OF the late
catherine Wolfe Bruce OF New York. which
10 has lately employed in photography Of
lebule. On single plato ttaken with
mailer Instrument he found in 1902. 100 |
mall nebule, all previously unknown. within |
me degree Of the bright star Eta irginis. |
Sone of these are visible in ordinary tee- |
copes though very Clelily shown on the |
1late In four regions between Praesepe |
SIN, 2O' q, sh. ON. a' ~; sh, ION, ?3' +o) |
10 found l32 mostly very small planetary |
lebula here only three were formerly known.
'hpse regions lie in part OF the heavens !
nd their discovery by photography Is OF
Itreme interest
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS op FISHERIES.
An International congress and exposition
ealing with all kinds Of questions that ro-
ate to fisheries and fishermen arc To be held
{ Ostend during August and September
hero are to be three sections. The frat
, to consider questions relating To the hy-
( en- cheering. &c. The second Is To discuss
Il matters referring to life-Slving, &c The
bird IL To consider everything relating to
shinR as we'll as matters referring 10 tho
lteeCtUh and moral welfare 0f hshsrmen.
he II position will show exhibits correspond
" to the foregoing programme.
TIMER RATS on THE RICH SEAS
Tho regions on the west coast Of America
re- badly In need of the timber that grows
D plentifully in the northwestern parts Of
no United States The transport bv vessel
expensive and the matter OF transporting
10 wood in bull, has been much discussed
4 FtR.4 I'M Ia, rtF fv