Richmond daily palladium., 1906-02-28

vegetable barometers' in Cuba is
the peculiar mission Of Professor Jo-
sef F. Nowaek, of Vienna and Lon
don, who arrived here today, on the
Kaiser Wilhelm L., of the North
German Lloyd Line. Professor No
wack, who is the Baron de Fridland,
and an Austrian nobleman, has de-
voted more than twenty years to the
study of what is commonly known as
the "weather piant,' the abrus pre-
catorius nobillis, and the results of
his researches, as shown in predic-
tions and forecasts, have attracted
much attention in Europe.
Professor Nowack declares he has
discovered for himself the peculiar
properties of the "weather plant
which, according to. his description,
is an ordinary looking species Of
tropical vegetation, something like a
fern in the arrangement of its leaves.
"It is by no means a rare plant"
said the professor. "On the con-
trary it is quite common. Every
thing depends upon the state of the
plant when gathered 1t has to be
done under special conditions, for if
the plant is not just so, it remains
only an ordinary whitish thing, with
no virtues at all / intend to gather
about two thousand Of them, and it
may take many weeks to DO so on ac-
count of the care that will have to be
exercised.
81 claim to be able not only to
forecast weather conditions, but to
foretell seismic disturbances such as
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In my conclusions as to such fore
csts l am guided not only by the
changes that occur in the weather
plant, but upon data obtained from
the study of sunspots and recorded
phenomena.
"For years, by day and by night, I
carried on a study Of the little plant,
observing its every phase, making
notes and comparisons, until | per-
fected what | believe to be an accu-
rate means of telling from two to
seven days in advance what the
weather is going to be at a particular
time. Cultivated under certain con-
ditions, the weather plant becomes
acutely sensitive to electric and mag
netic influences and the slightest
change in the distribution of these
forces, either in the atmosphere or in
the earth itself, Immediately affects
the plant. The twigs and leaves
perform peculiar and abnormal move
ments, each of which has its def
mite meaning.
"The twig droops with a rising
barometer and rises when the bar.
ometer falls. An approaching thun.
derstorm causes the leaves to cur
and twist on the under. side of the
twig, while fine weather is heralded
by the leaves on one side of the twig
assuming an almost perpendicular po.
sition to those on the other side
These are only a few instances OF
phenomena that are observable.
Immediately spot appears or
the surface of the sun large enough
to influence the earth the twigs di
rected toward the district affected
perform more or less rapid upward
or downward movements. From the
degree of rapidity and extent Of sucf
movements, the direction in which
the twigs point and their variation
in color can be determined at once
the nature, force and geographical
position of the disturbances that vii
affect the earth about twenty-si,
days later, when the spot has com
pleted its rotation of the sun.
"Public attention in Europe wa'
first drawn to my discovery and re
searches in 1888, during the Vienn,
Exhibition, where / exhibited som'
specimens of the weather plant ant
gave weather forecasts forty-eigh
hours in advance, not only for th'
whole day, but for the hours. Thes'
proved accurate to such degree tha
they attracted the attention of tn,
Austrian government, and the Empe
ror Francis Joseph presented to ME
diamond scraf pin in recognition o
my services. The Archdukes Rain
er, Joseph and Frederick headed tn
list Of subscribers for the establish
ment of an observatory to enable M