Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-07-28

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Cumulus clouds vary enormously IN
size, but so long as they remain OIL
moderate dimensions i'll fiue weather,
they indicate Il continuance OF bright
ness. But. when, in hot weather, they
grow exceptionally large, they give
warning of storms, with high temper
ature-and with great certainty when
they assume a domelike shape.
Bananas are. as Il 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
a quick grower, yielding its fruit in
twelve to fourteen months. When the
plant is about six months old sec
ond sucker or shoot is allowed to
spring from the root, third atter
the ninth month, and so on, so that
after the first year there is contnu-
Gus crop being reaped.
A healthy plant will not only add to
the purity of the air but will restore
giving properties 10 that which has
become vitiated. for ii will thrive, pro-
vided 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 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
surfeit, while on the other hand it.
may be starved, and the 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 back,
according to the reasoning Of +. j.
Allen, further than the date of the
appearance of water on the earth's
surface. The powerful shocks Of light
IllllS W lIltu must lAal oNNhii VI NbAA7
tinually in the damp. warm atmos-
phere then existing, led TO the produc-
ton OF ammonia ana 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
the earth met solutions of carDonic
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
being 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 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 Il small roller carrying 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-
fpntipt1c no ta1 mi
The force of gravity over the land is
determined by counting the number
of swings of pendulum Of known
length that occur in Il 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 barometer and a hypso-
meter "a boiling-point thermometer).
The barometric formula contains a
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 q means of de-
termining the force of gravity ap-
proximately. 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 ernst