SCIENCE NOTES.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 35, 6 February 1930, Page 2

SCIENCE NOTES.

Aeroplanes have found disease, germs blown by the wind two miles above the earth's surfacel The disease getms are the spores; of the fungus which causes rust in wheai|. -..The rust costs tth.e Canadian wheatgrowers £5,000,000 h year. In a- bad yean- during, the war. when there was a great epidemic' of rust, the loss, was ten times, as much.

.-Where did the rust. come from to descend upon the cornfields? Aero-, planes were sent up to see if it was borne by t&e wind. They took up with them gelatine plates to which dust would stick. Among the dust were found the spores of the rust. They were present at varying heights; they did not cease at 10,0.60 ft. All were taken up by tke south wind, whicli sooner or Uater dropped them- on por.tions of the Canadian wheat belt. The voyage of the spores could be traced throughout the season, and, now that their life-story has been made out somH: means will be found to c&eek them at their birth. ° •--.. This discovery that the wind will i boar .tie spores of plant diseases may have important consequences in disclosing the origin-of animal diseases like foot-and-mouth disease in cattle. Epidemics of tjhese begin -mysteriously from lime to time, and no jjne knows quite how ior why. Perhaps the germs of them are borne on- the wings, of the wind. NAVAL SOUND FILMS. Sound films of the navy at sea were taken for the first time at the recent Grand Fieet manoeuvres. -The phonofilm apparatus was on board H.M.S. Eodney, and besides the spectacle of ! the fleet exercises cinema audiences will I hear t»ie sound of the firing of the guns, elaborate precautions had to be taken to ensure that the tremendous vibrai tions made by the firing of I6in guns did not injure the intricate'and deli-; I cate mechanism of the sound. film-re-cording apparatus. It is hoped event • ually to obtain phonofilm records of the daily life on board H.M.S. Rodney.