Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-04-10

which correspond to like cycles of
years of heavy and light rainfall and
that it is now undergoing one of its
low water periods from which it will
soon revive. The movements in the
waters have also been thought to be
related to the development of agricul-
tural and grazing interests. which
divert large quantities of water from
the streams which feed the lake for
use upon the land. During past years
the cutting of the timber on the neigh
boring mountains has been unusually
heavy, practically destroying the
forest protection of the head waters
of number of streams whose waters
flow into the lake. Great Salt lake is
the means of considerable resource to
Utah and the value of property near
the lake and certain lines of business
are said to be unfavorably affected by
its decline. The matter is there con-
sidered of so much Importance that
the United States geological survey
ton into it.
Water in Kansas.
w. G. Russell, photographer OF the
United States geological survey In
Kansas, has recently reported facts of
more than ordinary interest which
were brought out by stream measure
ments conducted in that state The
past year in Kansas was one of excep-
tiOnal dryness, and the outflow of the
streams was smaller than it has been
for a number of years. Still the
measurements show that the cities
and towns which draw their water
supply from the rivers need not fear a
shortage. One of the smallest streams
to be measured, the Smoky Hill,
showed a supply sufficient for $4,000
people; the Verdigris for 215,000; the
Solomon for 100000; the Neosho for
100000, and the republican for 20O0,-
900, all at their lowest stages It
was also pointed out that if storage
reservoirs were constructed along
these and other streams, and parts of
the flood waters impounded, the sup
ply for both municipal and irrigation
uses would be very much increased.
Horns on Males.
DR.. Forsyth-Major has lately re-
viewed Darwins statement in The
Descent of Man as to the probability
that horns of all kinds, and canine
tusks, even when they are now equally
developed in both sexes, were pri-
marily acquired by the male in order
to conquer other males and have been
more or less completely transferred to
the female. Darwin's inferenc did not
rest on archaeological evidence. DR.. =,
Major reviews all such evidence for |
certain families and comes to the con-
clusion that Darwin's inference was
correct. His concluding remark is OF |
prophetic interest. In our own species,
he says, the modern aspirations of
women are to all appearance incipient |
signs of the same natural law Physi-
cal and mental characteristics of man,
acquired in the struggles of |
the males, are apparently being slow
ly transferred to women. They only |
require time for their full evolution.
Light Waves
The idea that the waves of light
produce mechanical push, or pres
sure. was advanced years ago by
Clerk Maxwell, but he could only Of I
fer a theoretical proof. Recently
Prof Lebedew of Moscow has made
an experimental demonstration of the
pressure of light" He employs
radiometer resembling the familiar
Crookes radiometers with their revolv-
ing vanes, but uses a larger and more
exhausted bulb, from
which the heating effect that is the
principal agent in moving the Crookes
vanes is excluded. When the light
falls upon the vanes they are driven |
before it, and the intensity of the