GENERAL NEWS.

Waikato Times, Volume 96, Issue 15360, 8 October 1923, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

What Sir John Russell, the famous scientist, claims to be the most remarkable census ever taken has been carried out in the Government experimental station at Rothamstear. It was determined the number of organisms in one single gramme of soil, no more than a teaspoonful, exceeds forty million. "If eaoh unit in the whole army could be magnified up to the size of a man, and the whole caused to march past in single file, they would go In a steady stream every nour of. the day and night for a year, a month, and a day, before all had passed," according to an article in Nature. One of the most interesting results was the proof that the soil population is not steady in number, as has always been assumed, but is in a violent state of flux. The whole soil population is depressed in winter and is uplifted in spring and autumn.

The Manawatu Times reports a minor tragedy; Tarring operations in Cuba Street caused a pedestrian to use words that linotype machines are not allowed to spell. A nice, thick, shiny coat of tar had been applied to the sloping side surface of the roadway, waiting for a deluge of sand. The pedestrian mentioned decided to make a short cut to the other side of the street, and accordingly planted a foot gingerly upon the blackened road. But the incline was his down- f fall, and his feet, shooting backwards, ho came with some force into contact with the road. When he was able to stand upright once more, he presented a laughable spectacle, beins covered from head to foot with tar. It is believed insult will be added to injury through the borough proceeding against the unfortunate mortal for removing borough property, i .

It may be possible, very soon, to obtain crops of fruit at any period of the year. For it has lately been discovered by two British investigators, Messrs W. W. Garland and H. A. Alard, that the flowering and fruiting of plants is controlled by the length of the period of daylight. Only when this period is exactly right do flowers, and then fruit, appear. A great many experiments were carried out under "artificial sunlight," which gives effects similar to the genuine light. Using a tobacco plant, it was found that, with "days" of 12 hours, this required 152 to 162 days to reach full flower; with "days' of only seven hours flowering was reached in 55 to 61 days. In other words, reducing the length of the "day" increases the speed of flowering, and so of fruity, ing. Messrs Garland and Alard be-\|J licve that it will be possible, by artificial means, to produce flowers and fruit at any season of he year. All that will be necessary is a correct

"timing" of the necessary daily illumination. The strength of illumination also, as is well known, plays an important part. This can, of course, be regulated easily where artificial light Js concerned. But—as the present "darkest summer" shows —it oanaot be relied upon in Nature.