Evening star., 1925-01-02


tific work yet remains to be done and
the conyocation continues in full
blast. The attendance broke all rec
ords this year by many hundreds, the
total registration exceeding 4.20o per-
sons, among whom were many women.
DR.. A. P. Coleman of the Royal
Ontario Museum of Toronto, in a
paper before the association today,
declared there is no basis for the
alarming reports of a year ago that
the sun was cooling off and another
ice age might be descending upon
civilization from its arctic and ant
arctic caps. Prof. Humphreys of the
Weather Bureau substantiated this
view in another paper.
Glacial periods of the past can best
be accounted for on the assumption
of great changes in land levels, rather
than conditions on the sun, it was
pointed out. Great glaciers would
descend the mountains and, with the
moderating climatic influence of the
sea shut off, and possible volcanic
dust reducing the amount OF heat re-
ceived on this earth from the sun,
heavy SHOWS would accumulate dur
ing long Winters. remain through
cold Summers and an ice age had
set In.
Production Of sugar from dahiias
as commercial possibility was dis
chemical section by DR.. r. r. Jackson
of the Bureau of Standards. Sugar in
the levulose form, which is sweeter
than other sugar, can be produced by
a new crytallizing process from both
dahlias and artichokes, he said, but
the flower has the greatest possibili-
ties commercially, as from 10 to 20
tons can be grown to the acre. They
were said to contain from 10 to II per
cent of levulose.
American slang seems just as unin-
telligible and vapid to the average
Englishman as English slang does to
the American, Prof. Fred N. Scott of
the University of Michigan observed
N a paper before the language Sec
ton. While there was virtually no
difference in the American and Brit
ish use of English as to terms relat-
ing to intellectual interests, he said.
there was an increasing difference in
the more commonplace usage, and in
the slang departments they were al
most mutually unintelligible.
The more explosive" slang of the
American was attributed by Prof.
Scott to the shocks and thrusts of a
nervous social life, as compared with
what he described as the quieter Eng
lish ways.
Scientific papers embracing theories
on the size of the universe on down
to the propAlling or gliding" power
of the lowIy insect found their way
into further arguments yesterday be-
fore the association.
That insects are the champion
aviators in the glider class was the
contention of DR.. E. P. Felt, State
entom mologist of New York, who said
that with little motive power of their
own, many species of insects are able
to take and hold the air for hours or
days, covering in their flights dis
tances as great as several hundred
miles. ;
THE heat of our own sun has come
back to normal, it having quite re-
covered from it's chill of two years
ago." DR.. c. c. Abbot of the Smith
sonian Institution reported. I'VE are
emerging" he said, from a low
period of solar radiation, extending
from the beginning of 1922 to the be-
ginning of 1924, during which the
solar radiation scarcely ever reached
the normal of many years."
Light Effects Discussed.
The physiological effects of light
were the subjects of several papers
cure of ricketts, by eating food ex-
posed to ultraviolet light to the
effect of the same agency in making
hens lay more eggs. Sun porches
for hens were described by H. D
Goodale of Williamstown, Mass, who
sad the hens enjoying this luxury re-
paid the kindness by laying many
more eggs.
The Mexican bean beetle, first dis
covered in this country in Alabama ir
1920, has now spread into IL States
and is within a years march of the
great bean producing sections OF
Michigan and western New York, said
Neale F. Howard of the Bureau OF
Entomology. It can be controlled, he
added. by spraying with magnesium
arSenate.
The association went on record to-
day as approving the proposed reform
in the calendar which would provide
Is months of % days each, with one
extra New Year day"