Evening star., 1908-01-26

greater part OF this lake VIII probably
disappear in Ten years and this expedition
is tracing movements OF vegetation along
its shores. He is also directing cNplora-
tons of the Pattic iaSia in California. ono
of tho most arid regions of Norlh Amcrl-
ca. Near his new laboratory he is study
ing the possibilities of plant introduction
in experimental gardens at various aitl-
tudeS up to S.Wo feet. 4 new item nf
the stat ionS equipment is an automatic
rain meter which viii keep continuous
record of rainfall for months al a time.
Luther Burbank. tho wiZ.trd Of Santa
Rosa. under a grant from tho institution
is developing new fruit and fodder plants.
notably many new species Of berries on
tanned by crossing two plants If the
solanur1 or night shade fanily-one FROM
West Africa bearing an iRsipid black
fruit and the other from Gaile produc-
ing small. hard. green ard equally inspld
berries. From these night tshades Burbank
has already developed "A delicious and alb
solutely new fruit. resembling the low
bush blueberrS. of our eastern states.
That the mariner on any seas may haya
chart for the correction of his compass
the institution is making a magnetic sur
tvay OF the ocean areas of the world. The
Galilee. floating magnetic observatory
equipped fer this purpose. VIII this Yea"
complete a survey of the Pacific ocean,
on which 1T will have cr;isad over ,Jpns'
miles. making measurements at 2nD or .,,p
mile intervals. After the Pacific has thus
will b. the ncxt OCEAN surveyed. This work.
as well as other magnetic invest igations
on land. is being done under DIR. l.. a.
Bauer. director OF the department of tar-
restrial magnetism.
How Heavenly Bodies Were Made.
The vast problem as TO how the heav-
emily bodies were evolved is being attacked
by the institutions solar observatory on
Mount Wilson. California, where nehuas
those mysterious forms. believed to bs
the raw material OF planets sand suns
will be observed and photographed as
never before by the giant eigat-aud-d-
quarter-foot telescope already under way.
This will be by far the NEST powerful telc-
scope ever constructed and will bring not
only the nebulae. but the stars nearer 10
earth than they have ever bccn >,cn ~
man. Prof. George l.. Hale. director "f
tho observatory, lately visited the French
glass works, whore tlin disk fer the giant
reflector nt0 inches in diameter, Of this
telescope is being made ilc says that
the disk weighs four and half tons.
He is having built, with the beaueSt of
Mir. Hooker Of Los Angeles, the donor Of
the telescope. a special lire and earth
quake proof building. III which for
months the disk will b. ground and pol
ished into the finished reflector. III.
building will contain testing hall 1n1 foot
long. n modern grinding laboratory with
travelling crane to hold tho disk: also other
rooms for the conput ers and workmen.
He says that repeated trials with other
disks may be necessary before "A satistac-
tory mirror can he made. What will ba
the next largest telescope in the world
one with fvefoot reHeetor-iS now
nearing completion at the observatory.
The accompanying photograph Of what
appears To be the frame of gas tank
shows the circular steel building in which
the sixty-inch telescope will be installed.
The tall framework seen in another picture
is the new tower telescope also being
erected at the observatory This is u
novelty irr telescope construction, the
tower being for the purpose of elevating
high above the heated air the
ground mirror which is TO reflect the
suns image into vertical tube IN:
latter Is TO be sixty feet long and the
observer will be stationed in All under
ground chamber beneath the tower.
So numerous and so vast are the new
of this new mother hen OF
science. the Carnegie institution. that
volume would be required TO merely out
line them. Under the direction Of lis
a BILE president Prof. Robert >. Wood
ward the institution is opening up inn
portant fields also in history. economics,
sociology geology. paleontolosy. min
eraloCy. enthropoioGy. archaeology bib
.ure. pnilology. mathematics. meteorology,
physics physiology psychology ana
JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS.