The evening times., 1911-08-09

There liz nothing new under the
sun" II has often been said; but OF
Old Sol himself it may be remarked,
with at least AZ much truth, that
there are many new things about him
10 be found out, because we have
heretofore discovered 80 few.
Science. in fact. Ia just beginning
10 get on 10 his curves. The latest
tplaa.. II successful, ~ contemplate
turning him into weather prophet
| and q crop cultiyator.
Not that Old Sol is 10 be deprived
Of any Of the credit that is coming
70 him. There is no attempt made
to dodge the tact that his rays give
life 70 the worlds plants and ami
mal.. But, al he does SO much un-
solicited. there IL a disposition to be-
lieyc that. ii he were afforded the
proper opportunities, he would In
| crease his efficiency
Science, therefore. ig playing the
deficiency expert" with the sun. 1t
desires 10 find out, first. whether his
heat varies or is constant. IL it va
rics. which it now seems to do, why
and with what results.
In other words. 1t is thought that
the sun is an oldfashioned weather
gauge the variations Of his rays, il
any. we will have no trouble in max
ing weather predictions and other
predictions allied TO them.
Also. it ig supposed that certain
parts Of Old Soils rays are more eff
cient than others in making things
grow. And when It il discovered just
what rays are most useful for culti-
vating different kinds OF vegetation,
great advance will have been made
In agriculture.
The experiments here told about
are unique. No other nation In the
world has ever undertaken them.
The Smithsonian institution Is now
making experiments and taking OBJ
scrvationG, with a view to measuring
the variations OF the suns heat. And
the department OF agriculture IL, at
tho same time, trying to discover
which part OF the sunshine makes
vegetation OF various kinds thrive.
IL may be explained here. briefly,
that not all Of Old Soils rays are Wis
ible to the eye. There are, for in
stance, tho ultra violet" rays. which
We can't see. but which are highly
active. Photographers know about
them. because they have a most pow
crfnl effect on sensitive plates. pro-
ducing results quite different from
those that arc shown TO the eye. The
most advanced photographers now
are wording. by means OF glass
screens that will stop these rays, to
take pictures that are not Influenced
by them.
TO be technical. this is called
"orthochromatic" or color correct"
photography. Before long we may
have. in addition, "orthochro,naic"
or color correct" agriculture. For
IL it ia found. for instance. that these
ultra violet" rays are injurious to
plant life. then hothouses and the
like. to produce the best results,
would have yellow or orange colored
glass, which stops the action of these
rays entirely.
On the other hand, II 1t is found
that the invisible rays are the ones
that stimulate plants, they ghould
not be grown under glass screens.
Other rays which cannot be seen
are the "infra red" For all we know.
they may have ns important bear
ing on plant life al those just men
toned.
1t seems rather strange that all
this has not been thought Of long be-
fore, because there Is scarcely per-
son of mature ago who has not eX-
perienced tho effects of these unseen
rays. Let any ono go outdoors on
midsummer day. when the sun is
beating down in all its power. 1t
will not be long until tho eyes feel
the effects of tho glare. Then let
him put on pair of tinted glasses.
He will think that the immediate re-
lief has come because the glare was
decreased No such thing, we are
because the action on them of the
ultra violet" rays has been stopped.
Polar explorers testify to this. They
have found that no spectacles are so
eirectual in giving relief from tho
binding reflections of the snow AS
those of q slight yellow tinge. such
as photographers sometimes use over
their lenses when they want to got
the proper color values.
Now. however. all this miscellane-
GUS knowledge Is being gathered up.
with view to putting 1t to practical
use In predicting the weather and
growing grain and vegetables.
Many years ago the late Prof. s. r.
Langley of the Smithsonia institution
wrote as follows:
IF the observation of the amount
OF heat the sun sends the earth Is
among the most important and difi1-
cult In astronomical physics, It may
also be termed the fundamental prob
lem In meteorology. nearly all whose
phenomena would become predictnble
IL we knew both the original quantity
and kind Of this heat; how 1t affects
the constituents OF the atmosphere on
Its passage earthWard. how much of
1t reaches the soil; how. through the
aid OF the atmosphere, 1t maintains
the surface temperature of this plan
ct: and how In diminished quantity
and altered kind 1t Is finally returned
to outer space"
A few weeks ago G. e. Abbot. the
successor OF Professor Langley as
the director OF the astrophysical oh
servatory of the Smithsonian institu-