The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1847-08-07
Vol. Nv.

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appear blue, and they have retained the
name.
sin addition TO the numerous me-
chanical uses Of wood" says Mr.. Grit.
fifth, "and its chemical use as a sort OF
artificial heat, the chemist discovers that
it is capable OF a most curious change
or transmutation into edible matter; in
fact, a kind of bread may be made from
wood. This is effected by selecting
the saw-dust Of the least r%osinous wood
that Of beach, for example; washing
it with water to remove all soluble
matters, and then gently drying it in
an oven; after this, it is mixed with
marshmallow juice, and Toned into
cakes, which are baked at a high tenn
perature; and these, reduced to fine
powders, with the addition OLA little
corn -four and ~leaven, form a dough
which, when moulded into Ioaves and
baked, constitutes bread more palata.
bic than that prepared in times of scare.
ity from bran and husks o! corn"
Towards the end of autumn may Of
ten be observed in the fields marks of
footsteps which appear to have scorch-
ed the grass like heated iron. This
phenomenon was formerly regarded
with superstitious dread, but can now
be explained upon very simple chemi.
cal principles. When the grass be-
comes crisp by frost, it is exceedingly
brittle, and the foot of a man, or even
of a child, is sufficiently heavyto break
it completely down, and effectualIy kill
it; therefore, when the sun has thawed
the frosty rhine from the field, these
foot-tracks appear brown and bare in
the midst Of the surrounding and flour
ishing green grass.
The earth, speaking roundly, is 5000
miles in diameter; the atmosphere is
calculated to be fifty miles in altitude;
the %loftlest mountain peak is estimated
at five miles above the level Of the sea,
fer this height has never been visited
BY man; the deepest mine that he has
formed is 1850 feet; and his own stat.
ure does not average six feet. There
fore, if it were possible for him to con.
struct a globe 800 feet, or twice the
height Of ST. Paul's Cathedral, in diam
eter, and to place upon any one point
of its surface an atom of l-438Oth of an
inch in diameter, and 1-720th part Of
an inch in height, it would correctly
denote the proportion that man bears
10 the earth upon which he moves.
With respect to the distribution and
growth of the vine, it requires, accord
ing TO Meyen, at leas. FIVE months of a
mean heat Of SO degrees Fahrenheit, to
produce good wine. If September and
October, the season when the grape
fully ripens, have not this degree Of
heat, the wine is sour; and a country
where this is the case is therefore not
suitable to the culture OF the vine.
The shores of Lake Titicaca, in Pc
ru, 1900 feet above the level of the
sea, are enclosed by a thick forest Of a
beautiful rush, which plays an important
part in the economy Of the surround
ing district. Indeed, the people Of that
country would live in great wretched-
ness, if Nature had not besto wed on it
these plants; for it lies far above the
limit of trees, and only a few brushes
grow in its ncighborhood. The rushes
supply the natives not only with fuel,
&C vering for their huts, and mating,
but they supply material for the con-
struction Of their rude balsas or boats,
which are merely rush woven, as are
also the sails that watt them across the
water.
The works in operation for draining
the Lake Of Harlem seem TO have
stimulated the ingenuity Of the projec-
tors to a still more gigantic undertake
ing, which may be safely characterized
as the boldest enterprise Of the age
namely, the drainage Of the Zuyder
Zee, which, according TO a plan pub
lished at the Hague, is proposed to be
effected by the construction Of an i'm