Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-04-09

not large-SbO,QVO or thCredlDutS--On
the work. and | am compelled 10 appeal
for public support TO enable me to
carry II on and make Il OF public uti-
ity. But ask no more than VIII suf-
flee for that"
MADE iT HIS LIFE STUDY.
The baron Is thoroughly democratic
IN spirit and makes scant use Of his
title, which is an hereditary one. pre-
fcrring to be addressed as professor
To which he is entitled by virtue OF a
degree conferred on him I'm Vienna for
his proficiency IN chemistry For 20
years h has been studying the mani
festations Of the weather plant under
varying conditions and investigating
meteorological phenomena that he
might correctly interpret the messages
OF It's vegetable coadjutor
He was % when the plant-or rather
some seeds Of it-frst came under his
notice. They are of a bright coral red
with shiny black spot at the top and
about the size Of pea. Tie bought
some Of hawker at Ostpnd who was
selling them to be strung az beads for
feminine adornment. He planted the
seeds, and under his careful nurture one
OF them developed into q healthy plant
Watching It closely from day to day
he was surprised at the frequent chang
cs In the position Of the leaflets Az
ter having long kept systematic and
exact record OF these movements he
found, he says, that they had an UNI
mistakable reference 20 meteorological
changca not actually taking place. but
lOtIf a tQLa Yluaa AFT HIN papfuiH 40
lods Of time and within certain dis
tances OF the plant, Thus he ascertain
ed that the upward motion Of a pair OF
leaflets prOgnostlcsics fine weather
within a period Of from Is to T. hours
and within q radius of 100 miles; that
a downward motion similarly indicates
a cloudy sky and rain. that am irregu-
lar position Of the leaflets reveals an
Increase Of electricity In the air. which.
when the leaves roll up portends a
thunderstorm or fog IN The direction in
which the leaves are pointing. Also
that when the leaflets assume an ob.
liqua position they are advance storm
signals for the same time and distance
Assured by these observations that
the plant was a weather prophet 10 be
depended on, he resigned a good posi-
ton ne held under the government that
he might devote all his time to study
lns and interpreting the signs by which
Abrus pr'cotorius revealed its pro-
phetlc powers,
INTERESTING KING EDWARD
The accuracy Of his weather prognos-
tlcstions thus made attracted the atten-
nf he nj
brought him under royal notice. AT the
Jubilee Industrial exhibition held In VII
emma In 1855 the Crown Prince Rudolph
introduced him TO the then Prince Of
Wales, now King Edward VII, who
suggested that he should carry on his
researches at Kew Gardens. London.
To London accordingly he came next
year. and was installed with some Of
his weather plants at Kew Gardens He
fondly imagined that under such distn-
guished royal patronage he would find
everything smooth sailing but he
struck a snag almost as soon as he set
10 work. He wished 20 conduct his OBJ
servations by night as well as by day.
To his amazement his proposition was
received with horror and Indignation
by the authoites at Kew Gardens. IL
NAN WIN NlJ w an fltNfutHt lllNN any
body should voluntarily undertake to
work double time there without receive
ing extra remuneration for II. Besides,
It would necessitate the employment OF
some additional attendants to keep
watch while ne worked, and that would
entail an expenditure Of money not
covered by any OF the grants enjoyed by
Kew Gardens. He was informed that a
onanial ~ nF M ri a ,,,nn. mould no nnn-
essary before he could work his wealth
err plants at night So he had to give
up that point.
PREDICTED A FTREDAMP EXPLO-
SION AND WAS SACKED.
Nevertheless he made some progress
in his researches at Kew. The move
ments OF tn petIoules on which the
leaflets grow claimed his attention, and
he satisfied himself that they were due
to those influences which cause earth
quakes. volcanoes and explosions of
firedamp IN Collierles.
on Sept. 20, 1859, he states, Abrus
precatorius warned HIM that between
Oct. IA and is these conditions would
obtain In Staffordshire, and he besought
ptTnlsSlOH ~ pupllsH MS pipbHoSllNd-
tion that steps might be taken TO avert
n catastrophe, But red tape again in
terposcd veto There was no prece-
dent that would sanction such an extra
ordinary procedure.
At Langton, staffordshlre on oct 10
occurred an explosion OF firedamp that
caused a loss OF nearly 100 lives, Where
at one OF the barons official superiors
declared irately that "the blooming
weather plant was right, after all. The
baron said something to the point about
the responsibility that rested upon