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About Willamette farmer. (Salem, Or.) 1869-1887 | View Entire Issue (June 15, 1872)
2 WILLAMETTE FARMER. titntific. THE NEIVLAR HlTeTHKHIS. How tke Belar lstea was Ferae. Prof. John Flskc, of Harvard Uni versity, delivered his lecture on " The Nebular Hypothesis," on the afternoon and evening of May 7th, at Cooper Institute, Now York city. The Tribune contains tho following report or tho lecture : Prof. Fisko Iwgnn by mentioning tho planetary revolutions which have become ho familiar to us that we commonly overlook them altogether through sheer inattcutiveness, fall ing to reall.o their significance, though their harmonious relations, as Laplace has shown, prove that tho various members or tho solar Nytcni have had a common origin. The clue to that common origin may Ik) sought in facts which are daily occurring before our very eyes. Ev ory ineinlmr of our planetary system Js constantly parting with molecular motion lu tho shape of heat. Our earth Is incessantly iKiiiring (ait heat into surrounding space; and, nltlio' tho loss Is teinisirnrlly made good by solar radiation, It is not permanently made good, as Is proved by the fact that during many millions of years tho earth has been slowly cooling. Tho evidence is overwhelming which shows that the earth's surface was onco hotter than tho flame of an oxy-hydrogen bIow-pie. Tho moon also Is cooler than formerly, as is shown bv tho fact that tlm mIihw.h. dous forcca which onco upheaved Its great volcanoes are now quiescent. Tho sun, too, Is (touring away heat at such a ratu (hat, according to Her tcliol, If a cylinder of Ice 181,000 mm--) in iuiikiii iiiid io nines in diam eter were darted Into tho sun every second, It would be melted as fast as it came. I'l.A.MiTAItY (IKNIIH. There is every reason for believing that tho sun, moon, and earth, as well as tho other mcmlx!rs of our system, have been from time imme morial losing more heat than they have received in exchange. As In losing heat all IkhIIcs contract, it fol lows mat tlm various members of mo soiar system must all Ik- much smaller than they were at the out let. Though they have Increased in muss by appropriating large qiiautl ties of meteoric dust, they must at tho same time have greallv decreas ed In volume. Obviouslytherefore, if wo were to go back far enough, wo should Hud tlm earth lining tho moon's orbit, so that tho matter now eomiMwIng the moon would (hen have formed a ar of the equatorial region of tho earth. At n period still imiru remold hid eann ncir must have formed a tiny ixirtlon of the equatorial region of the miii, which then tilled the earth's orbit. At a still earlier date tho solar system must have consisted simply of the sun, which, more, than tilling Nep tune's orbit, and consisting of widely-diffused vapors, meritodtho name of nebula rather than of a star. In the slow, concentration of this solar jiobuhi the present peculiarities of iiiusouir system may mm tiietr ex planation. Tho Incessant loss of heat radiated Into the surrounding space caused a steady contraction of the solar mass; while, on the other hand, tho increasing rapidity of its rotation Impressed tiixin those iiarls of It nearest the surface a lendencv to tly otr Into space, or at least to re main behind instead uf lU'comitunv lug tlie central Mrtlou of the body in its contraction. As in every ro tating spheroid, this centrifugal force Is greatest iwlivro the vclocltv Is greatest at the equator a time came In the history of our vuitorous Hint when tho bulging equatorial iter tlon, no longer able to keep inue with tliurvsf In its contraction, was loft behind a a dotachtd rim nr. rounding the central mass ; which ring toon broke up into many frag- units uf iiiiixmnl ! Iihiiii.... T this stage, (hen, we luivq a hivd'of niiviiiH-nniirnuiiiiilllglhCSOiarcqtia- tor, revolving In the direction of tho solar rotation, following each other in the same oi bit, and graduallv be coming agglomerated, by gravitatl ve forco, Into a spheroidal Uxly, having n velocity eompounded of the nev er! .velocities of the fragments, and u roUtlon made up of their several rotations. Meanwhile, the central mass of the sun. .cooling mid con trading, left Ixdilnd a second euua torlnl bait, which breaking and con HolMaMaf 'after the same manner, bwuuio tho,pUiiet' Vrju'ii. In like manner were formcl all the planets and their satellites. Huch U the grand theory "of lielrt'i bur genesis, lu which, Mill re nilads iw,,.'.'! no i uukiiown sub sytauce, Introduced on supination, iiuraiiyuniuiowii property or law ascribed fo a known substance." It 4nvetveifene lHt ctiabHshedf me phankftl and, dynamical prinulple. mKpTUKLANirrM. t According to the diebular theory, the outer planets ought In arcneral to bo much larger' than the inner planets, because the ancestral rings which coincided with tho immenso orbits of Uranus and Ncptuno must of course have been larger than the ancestral rings which coincided with tho smaller orbits of Mars and the Earth. Hut this Is not a complete explanation ; for, as tho case now stands, there ought to be a regular gradation Initio sizes of tho planets. Tho four outer planets are indeed much larger than tho four Inner ones. Jlut, of tho inner group, the largest is not jtiars, out ine uartn : while, In the outer group, wo find Jupiter thrco and a half times as largo as ttaturn, wiilcti lu turn Is seven times larger than Uranus. The cause of these ammrcnt anom alies is to lie sought in the shapes of nio rings irom wiucu tno respective planets were formed. Neptune and Uranus wero formed from thin, hoop-like rings, at a period when the solar equator protruded but little. As the solar spheroid continued to contract, the Increasing equatorial velocity rendered It mora and more oblato In 'figure, so that the rings next detached wero auoit-shnped. Hence the rcsultlnir planets not onlv had their major diameters but little Inclined to their orbit planes, but they wero also larger in size. After the formation of Jupiter, its attrac tion, with that of tho other planets already formed, exerted upon the solar equatorial one, entailed a somewhat different serlos of results. Tho Inner rings, which, in the ah sconce of an external force, must have been thick quoits, bccuuo of me sun uicreasinir outateiiess o tne soiar spueroKi, wero uoiaciicu pre maturely by .Jupiter's attraction, so that they again approximated to tho hoop shape. The extreme smallness of tho Inner planets Is thus due to the smallness of their orbits, com bined with the slightly hooped shapes of their ancestral rings, that of Mars having been tho most slen der of tho four. Curiously enough, If we examine tho different systems of satellites, we Hud the samo ireu- oral contrast In size lxtwccn the mcmlxirs of outer and Inner groups. I'l.ANKTAKY result, we should have not one good sized planet, but a "number or tiny planets with Intersecting orbits, re volving In different planes and ex hibiting great differences in eccen tricity. All this is truo of tho group of planetoids. Such an event as the breaking of a ring has not occurred subsequently, because the next ring was moro than twice as largo as the genetic ring of tho planetoids, and consequently, other things being equal, was better fitted to resist a strain from without. Moreover, be ing farther removed from Jupiter, tho latter planet could not exert upon It tho disturbing forco from which tho planetoid rinir suffered. Not only do wo find tho lartro and small planets, both primary and secondary, Just where they ought to bo found, on tno Hypothesis or a ncouiar ori gin, but Just where tho theory tells us to iook lor n zouoor unconsolidat ed fragments, Just rliero wo find such a one. 1M8TANU. Further evidence lu Ixdiair of this theory of nebular genesis is furnish ed by Node's law of planetary dis tances. Though the caso of Nep tune affords an iipjNireut exception, the rcmalnlui? nlunets exhibit n r. markablo serial uniformity In their illstauces from tho center of tho sys tem. Any given planet is nearly twice as far from the Sun as the next Inner planet. Another confirmation of the hypothesis Is to be found in the distribution of -atellltes. sineo the detachment of a moon-forming ring irom a contracting planet de pends on the excess of centrifugal force at the equator, it is evident that rings will be most frequently detached from tlio-o planets on which the centrifugal force bears the highest ratio to gravitation. .Such l'JIKNOMKXA OF I'l.ANKTAKY IIKAT. Further evidence of tho correct ness of tho theory is found in tho present physical condition of tho va rious planets. The theory assumed Is that all the planets, having suc cessively originated from tho samo nebulous mass of vapor, must be composed In the nuiiii of tho samo chemical elements; and this Infer ence has lxen uniformly corroborat ed by tho results of spectroscopic ob servation wherever tnero has been a chance to employ It. The contract ing process through which tho Earth tins juisscd to Its present dimensions has Imeu or will bo. under nroner condition, repeated to a certain ex tent upon all the other planets. Upon any planet thcro must event ually occur a solidification of tho outer surface, and extensive evapo ration and precipitation of water, an upheaval of mountains, un nxcavn. tlon of river hedo. mid n ilonnslt of Diluvium, resulting in sedimentary strata. llut obviously tho timo at which these phenomena occur must depend upon the rato at which the planet parts with Its heat, as well as upon the aire of tho nlutiot. mid niinii the stock of heat with which it started. Against tho facts that tho outer planets aro immensely older man mo inner ones, and have re ceived during recent ages much less solar radiance, must lx offset tho consideration that (hey must havo started witli a much greater amount of heat than the Inner ones. Muni. festly when tho solar inn. filled tlm entire Neptunian orbit It must have contained tho heat of which tho subsequent loss has shrunk the Sun to his present dimensions. Tho'cur Host planets must therefore have ixisscsscd relatively enormous quan tities or molecular motion ; and (he ratios of their volumes to their mass es must have been very much great er than in tho caso of tho Inferior planets since formed from n enninr and denser sun. Just as tho hot water lu the toller may remain warm throuirh a winter's nlirhr. planets will have the greatest mini-1 while the hot water In the teakcttlo 1xt of moons. And such, lu fact, Is cools off In nn hour, so a great planet the case. Of the four Inner planets, i ,lko Jupiter may remain In a liquid which rotate slowly, ami in which "lten eondltlon long after a small tho centrifugal forco is small, only 'pluuet like tho Earth, though formed the Earth (and perhaps Venus) is KCS later, has acquired a thick, solid known to havo a satellite ; but Jupl-1 l'rust nnd a cool temperature. Hence tor, whoso centrifugal forco Is t wen- wo may expect to find the largest ty times greater than that or the l'uots still showing signs of a heat Inner planets, has four Nitellltes;,'k that Which formerly kept the Uranus, with still greater centrlfu-' ' molten, and tho smallest plan gal force, has at least four, and prob- ? ,' eases showing signs of a ably six or eight moons; and, finally, V,c moro Intonso than any which Saturn, in which tho centrifugal has been known on the Earth. This force Is one-sixth of gravity, being series of Inferences, constituting nearly llftV times "renter tlinn mi slmpl.V ail elalximtn enmllm-v frnm ho Earth, has eight moons besides tho nebular theory, is fully confirm- the last, the planet must strlko tho his threo unbroken rings. When wo , y ' observation in tho cases of Sun with tremendous force. Tho reflect iiixmi the Immensity of the Nmirn, Jupiter, Mars, and thu Moon I heat generated bv tho Earth and the appear as obstacles to tho nebular theory, turn out, on a closer exam inotinn. in iw nnu-nrful nrcruments in Its favor. Tho vexed question of "Irresoluble nebulas" nas ocen set tled forovcr In favor of tho theory, by the discovery of tho bright lines, which are sure evidence of a gaseous condition. Henceforward wo add the weightv argument mat masses of matter still exist in space in the very condition In which our system must be supposed to have originally existed. The distribution of nebula? is yet another significant argument. The parallelism between tho iwsi tlons of the planets and ncbulic Indi cates a common mode of evolution of the wholo starry system, and points to n gigantic process of con centration going on throughout tho tralaxv. analogous to tho local pro cess of concentration which has gono on in our own little planetary group. THK KXI) OF TJIK Ot.AIl SYSTKM. The processes still going on in our system arc very significant when considered as illustrations of the general theory. Planets are contin ually integrating diffused materials which they encounter In their pro gress through space, and It has been estimated tliat tho Earth adds to it self nearly ono hundred and fifty billion such meteoric particles each year, tsccoiuiiy, it nas ocen proved that every planet must bo slowly losing a part of its molar motion of rotation, xiiectiectoi tiuai waves, which are caused by tho Gravita tion of liquid matter toward other planetary bodies, is to retard di- tt Htrtl ftu-ttrt 4tsai ! I ! f.iitl 4lwt inn rest rial day Is icmrtlicnlnirby reason of the friction of tho tides, and is destined in tho remote future to give about ISO '.' hours Iwtwccu sunrise and sunset. Tho Eartli is also losing molecular motion by radiation. That somo terrestrial heat is lost without compensation and very slowly, of course can hardly bo doubted, and for tho stato of things thus ultimate ly to bo produced wo may find a parallel in tho present condition of mo Aioon. That appears to afford an example of the universal death which lu an inconceivably distant future awaits the entire solar sys tem. If along with tho dissipa tion of the molar and molecular motions tho planets aro also los ing angular velocity, this loss of mo tion will ultimately result in their in tegration with the Sun. Of two facts which bear upon tho subject, ono (familiar to ail students of selonnrri is tho observed retardation of Encke's comet by the resistance of tho medi um through which it moves. Tho other, which, so far as I know, has not hitherto been mentioned, Is, that all the planets aro nearer tho Sun than they ought to bo. according to Uode's law, the variation being most conspicuous, as might bo expected, in the case of Neptune. It is at least worthy or notice that tho dlscreimn cy is such as might havo ixsen caused by a slow diminution of tho angular velocities of all the. planets. Another fact, that the Inter-planetary spaces are filled with matter, and that, con sequently, all planetary bodies rush ing through them must meet resist ance and lose momentum, proves that hi time all that immense mo mentum will bo eaten un bv tho re. sistlng force. This loss of tangential momentum must bring nil tho plan ets Into tho Sun. As the planet slowly draws near tho Sun, Its lost tangential momentum is replaced, and somowhat moro than replaced, by the added velocity duo to tho In creased gravltatlvo forco exerted by tho ."sun at tho shorter distance. At orrtzyoribtnet. distances which sciuratu tho outer mo only planets whoo surfaces planets from each other, even In "live been studied with any consid conjunction, wo perceive that during erablo success. According to tho the earlier stages of iiebularcoutrac- nebular theory, Jupiter and Saturn tlon no planet was lu danger of be-'0UB to Imj prodigiously hot; and lug disturbed in Ita formation by the . " they nppear to bo when carefully attraction of Its next outer neighbor x"iiiied. The absence of any at and predecessor, llutaxthelncreas- mo-qihoro from tho surfaco of the Sun alone in such a collision would sutllco to. produce a temperature of nearly o.OOO.OOO degrees, centigrade. Of course, disintegration would lui mediately follow, and the noxt stago is tho dissipation or the wholo iulo a nebula. ine question of a new era of ovo- i ma iiiiiiniAi.i.M tB..ai . ....... m a. . . ii iuiii .ii. .,... . t fi i'iimi,u iHuiMin-uuii'v in me yzi"t ,"," "v "wj"vv oi miy signs union presents an impassaliio barrier ur spheroid began to result In tho of liquid oceans and running water, ' In order to give a comitloto account formation of larger and larger plan-, "hows a discrepancy which, liowevi, of tho matter, wo ought to know ets, and as tho formation ot planets r ui'llJ-'ars when we inquire into what has become of nil this eneriv began, according to llixle'a law, to "" lst history as revealed by the which wo havo been so prodlimllv occur nt shorter and shorter Inter- I'f't condition of its surface.- pouring away in tho shape of eat vals, there began to lx some dancer, 1 hat surface is almost cut rclv made into tho lntnrii,r ,J. ii.. of such disturbance. Thero was no , ' of hK masses of Igneous rock, i this wo cannot know without taking eluuico for such a catastrophe, how-1 J rugli which, at short Intervals, . Into account the dynamic relations ever, until thu planetoid ring was , ro yawn enormous volcanic cni or the whole g-alacfl" wSfoni' and detached, This, tho thinnest and terswnoso fires seem to bo totally here science falls us. Wo can on Sv weakest .r a l tho rings, must have I oxHuguWiwI. This implies that the catch a vague gllmpso ol Pn "uwS been liable to rupture, not only by, Moon is u dead planet-that thu tro- dous r.vthinleal aUerimfinn iXv , THE Y8CATWS tF THK FARMER. Chicago, Ili, May 10, 1872. Editob Farmer: Tho position which tho farmer holds Is first among all vocations followed by man. In tho great household of nature, the farmer deals out bread to each indi vidual. It is his prerogative In tho great field of labor to create. Ho causes tho eurth to give fortli bread and meat, nnd all trades rest upon his authority. Ralph Waldo Emer son said that "tho first farmer was tho first man and all historical nobil ity rests on possession nnd uso of land. Men do not liko hard work, but every ono has an exceptional re spect for tillage, and tho feeling that this is tho original calling of his race, that ho himself is only excused from It by some circumstances which made him delegate it for a time to other hands." It Is a vocation which stands tho nearest to nature. The farmer sees tho beauty of nature nnd breathes tho pure air of heaven. Ho Is blessed with tranquillity, nnd Is frco from tho anxiety incident to great business projects. That his calling gives him strength nnd plain dignity liko the faco nnd manners of nature, all men admit. All men keep tho farm In resorvo as a resort, where, in case of reverses, thoy can repair. Tho best farmers aro thoso that read agricultural papers. No real enterprising farmer can or will do without his paper. It Is a groat help to any man to havo tho benefit of other men's oxperienco to add to his own, and thnt is precisely what he acquires in subscribing and reading these paiMjrs. Tho best farmers in tho country write for their paper, giving their experience, thereby do ing moro for tho improvement of farming than any other Influence, agricultural exhibitions not excep ted. Tho influence of a good agri cultural paper Is great in enlighten ing the children of tho farmers, caus ing them to becomo interested In Whatever pertains to farming. If farmers M'ould take moro Interest In making homo pleasant by furnishing good agricultural papers for tho pe rusal or their children, there would not 1x3 so many boys leaving the farm and flocking to tho creat cities. Farmers, let your boys subscrlbo for somo jwper, say tho Willamktte Farmkr, nnd they will not loavo tho farm. Mako homo happy If you want them to bo farmers. Rv.x. iyhsoii or its own slondemess and "'enuoiis forces which produced this thu instability of its emilllhrluin. ii,i , state of thlmrs aro nidlutml mr itn ulio from thu stralu exerted upon It, ' l)w I the later ages of a planet's now In ono part and now In another, i "rtory, when tho heat ts'nearly all by JnpllerN attraction. The frag, i radiated awayj and tho expansive Mn .f A mIb.'.m AH.'..a....l .... ft.. ...Tft. I Tt94 if t lift nil.lnllj I.S .u..... .... u cauHVWOultf bo monts of a ring, tomaaunder by well bodMarod from their original orbit lu. vurious, directions, accordlinr to tho over-chiinirliiL mutt. tiou of the disturbing body, lleitce fbrward. instead of rliaslmrtliroctlv on each other's heels, they would uwwuiik in .vwvuiric, cuuuiiuauy intersecting pathYnnd wxv would thus bo no opportunity for consolida tion, except in tho taso of two Mi Hi4etliig.ac)t other at tlMte tfTMHjthui of t lielr orblK Ah, m, final foroo of tho nucleus Is consequently niim-vM to a minimum, mo ever thickening and hardening, envelope will have shrunk in upon thc,uucleiu In such n way as to leave vast abysses capable or Ingulfing all thenlr and water which the planet possesses. Tktui It la that la tne chadU of the Moon all its ,obchm and atmosphere have disiipjmrad.itfs.iwUli bis ?3r!!2l 'i1 n,u,WHllB. W clouds, ami. potoivsnows, l another fctrrimJ 'roprxHler of bar theory! :i w .? Facts which, on a 'superficial view, eras of evolution nnd eras of disso lution, succeedlm? each other with. out vestiges or,a beginning, and .without prospect of au ead. ; Tun Ixsect Wohli). Every, fe male insect, with tho singlo excep tion of a fewMX'Iul species, such as honey beesand perhaps ants and white uiws (TWmittt), perish in: the course of, the same season, after lay. lug their first and only hatch of em. Their race is then run, the' goal is thei reached,nd they retire froM the course to give placeito.that hev gei: oration of the same specie - i' "- Whkat and Woou-Tlio Orcyonlan soys : Advices received hero stato that Wheat of tho now crop is being con tracted for in California at $103 per cental. It la evident that tho pros pect, for prices aro.not so good as thoy were last year. Freights are much higher, and It Is believed will continue so during the season. Mags also cost much more. All these charges will como out of the Wheat. It 'is yet too soon to form ah accurate- lilca as to prices that will prevail here, but many think that Oregon farmers, this year, will not rcalizo moro than 00 to 75 cents per bushel. Thoro'may, howev er, bo u change in thcaspect of affairs. It Is believed that tho cropi In several of tho eastern States will not be a full one. Scarcity of tonnage1 to carry away tho largo crops of California and Oregon will bo a very serious Incon venlcnce. . " In vn article on Wool tiio New York Economist of the later mail date says : If nnnc. Will open, a little low, competition will carry prices high enough, but If they open 'too high the bulk of the clip will fall Jnfo the hands of tho local parties who way not be able to carry, it to a tight mar ket, and in such an event a break would sooner or laterooeurth'at would be injuriouk to the whole trade. Tbere was never a time ,iu the history of Wool and woolens, whea manufactur ers liad.ao much at stake aa they bave at present. la-sustaining, the price of Wool, andlwnoa-U the. farmers are wlsvt'thcy will sell them in preference to local dealers and speculators;, TiiB.'raiu has beca very copious throuchout, Waahlurton Territnrv. nd,rerorto,pome, up from. all Wc- uw wTOiivspeci were neter better, especially wheat and graasi'
