Sunday Washington globe., 1902-05-18

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Cumulus clouds vary enormously in
size. but so long as they remain OF
moderate dimensions in fine weather,
ahey indicate continuance of bright
ness But when, in hot weather, they
grow exceptionally large. they give
warning Of storms, with a high temper
stue-and with great certainty when
they assume dome-like shape.
Bananas are. as a rule. planted out
Systematically in rows, the suckers
being placed at an average of ten
Feet apart. The banana plant bears
only one bunch at a time but 1t is
quick grower. yielding its fruit in
twelve to fourteen months. When the
plant is about six months old a sec
Jnd sucker or shoot is allowed to
spring from the root. a third after
the ninth month. and so on. so that
after the first year there is continu-
us crop being reaped.
A healthy plant will not only add to
the purity Of the air but will restore
life-giving properties TO that which has
become vitiated, for it will thrive, pro-
yided it has as much as seven to eight
per cent. Of carbonic acid gas. Too
much carbOnic acid gas. on the other
hand, is injurious, even to plants. That
which is called breathing, in a plant,
is also a sort OF digestion. the carbon
being food that is built into vegetable
tissue and If TOO much is given the
plant is gorged and suffers from a
surfeit, while on the other hand it
may be starved, and tne whole plant
shows the effect Of the Indigestion by
looking sickly. for it has no stomach,
but performs its digestion with its
whole substance.
The epoch OF the beginning OF life
on the earth cannot be carried pack,
according TO the reasoning of F. J.
Allen, further than the date of the
appearance Of water on the earths
surface The powerful shocks Of light.
ming which must have occurred con
tinually in the damp warm atmOs-
phere then existing led to the produc-
tion OF ammonia and the oxide OF
nitrogen, as happens to-day. These sub
stances We're carried down in solution
by the rains, and on the surface Of
4 hn al. -
acid and the Chords. sulphates, and
phOsphates Of the alkalies and metals
This was then the first opportunity
for the formation of varied nitrOgenOus
combinations and for the coming into
Aeing Of the first living substance.
Mr.. BOvey has recently described in
the transactions of the Royal Society
of Canada, an extensOmeter for deter
mining the longitudinal. extension or
compression of a horizontal beam
loaded transversely. 1t consists, in es-
sence. of two parallel overlapping
steel bars, the opposite ends of which
rest. by knife blades against two
points of the specimen to be exam
ined. Between the faces OF the two
bars is a small roller carrying a mir
rOr. ANY extension or compression Of
the specimen causes the roller to rO-
tate through an angle and defects a
beam of light thrown on the surface
of the small mirror. The motion Of
the beam Of light can be read by a
telescope of considerable magnifying
power and thus extremely small de-
Elections can be accurately measured
The force Of gravity over the land is
determined Dy counting the number
OF swings of a pendulum of known
length that occur in a known lapse OF
time DR. Hecker. OF POtsdam. has
recently made an attempt to deter
mine the relative force OF gravity over
different parts Of the Atlantic Ocean
between Hamburg and Bahia By
means of a barometer and hypso-
meter IA bOiling-point thermOmete).
The baromet-ic formula contains 4
term depending on the intensity OF
gravity at the place Of observation.
The hysOmeter is independent Of this
influence. A comparison of the results
OF simultaneous observations by the
two methods affords means Of de-
termining the force of gravity ap-
The preliminary results
indicate that gravity OF the deep ocean
is nearly normal and they confirm
Pratt's hypothesis in regard to the
isostatic arrangement Of the masses Of
the earth's crust.