Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-11-22
sciENrlRICs NOTES.

features OF special merit.
sciENrlRIC1 NOTES. i
An association for the reform of acad-
emical teaching has recently been form
ed in England for the purpose of divert
ing portion of the, enormous revenues
of Oxford and Cambridge from their
present uses to the endowment and en-
courxgement OF scientffic research.
The project of. constructing tunnel
under the Irish Sea from q point near
Belfast to the extremity Of the peninsn-
La opposite In Scotland has been revived,
it is said, with some probability of suc-
cess The length of the proposed work
would be about twelve miles, and the es-
timated cost $23, ,000,000. -aat.
A querist of the Scientific A,asrican is
in despair about the cockroaehes. He
alleges that he has been feeding them on
strychnia for a week, and that their SAN
itary condition is greatly improved
thereby. The American recommends
phosphorus paste. roy. Did the roach
es eat the strychnia ?-Pr. Devil -
The conclusion drawn from the rup-
ture of seam in the "lobster back"
boiler during the recent tests at Sandy
Hook, was that over-pressure of steam
will rupture boiler if there be a weak
spot, w hereas q violent and dangerous
explosion may ensue from overpressure
If the boiler be uniformly strong at all
points. eis:fsa-s -
DIR. Otto 0bermeief, ,sof Berlin. is the.
latest martyr to science. He kept in
his bedroom pathological specimens tax
en- from the persons who mad died of
cholera, as well as portions of their ex-
creta, and even went 80 far as to inject
blood from a cholera patient into his
own veins. Strange to say, no verdict
of suicide was rendered by coroner's
jury. .s9.ssi.l-i. r.. fsasi4. 5F}
a.. At the recent fungus show at the Roy
al Horticultural Society of England, a
new economic use for this class of plants
was pointed out. A Mr.. Berkeley pro-
dueed cap made from the pulp of the
amadon or German finder of commerce,
which he described as both warm and
light. 1t is stated that large use is made
of this material in Hungary, for caps
and waistcoats, and that it Is also used
for caulking boots. .,!t - l. zs,e.,.l :.
In the Chromfqae de "a Societs a. Acc1i-
nation NJ. Buimet states that by feed
ing silk worms on. vine leaves he has
obtained silk OF a fine red color, and that
BY giving the worms lettuce leaves they
have produced cocoons OF an emerald
green color. NJ. DelidOn de st. Giifies,
of Vendee, has also, by feeding silk
worms during the last twenty days of
the larva period on vine, lettuce, and
nettle leaves, obtained green, yellow and
violet coeooIls. ri
THE naturalists connected with the
Yellowstone expedition of the summer
| of 1873 have all, returned from the field.
and are at present engaged in preparing
reports for transmission to the Secretary
/ of War. The results of the expedition
were, on the whole, mot satisfactory. The
region proved to be much more destitute
| OF animal and vegetable life than was
Ianticipated, and the rapid movements Of
the troops prevented any elaborate in.
| vestigations by the naturalists. ~.
| .'PHYsIc STAND was the name of the
device on which Massachusetts, inven'
toi wanted a patent, because, as he stat,
ed, it would spell out words and sem
4 tences known as spiritual communica'
tions through an alphabet not only in
visible to the operator, but the very 10
cation of which he cannot know. More
! over, he added, the mode of its operation
4 preclndes all possibility of trick or i'm
4 posture. The obdurate examiner, how
ever, not only refused to perceive tn,
peculiar merits of this useful invention
but gave as an opinion that spiritua
manifestations are largely, mixed will
Ignorance, deception and fraud. TIL,
office, it is stated, offered to issue letter
patent on the contrivance as a gam
table, thereby adding insult TO injury OF
the exasperated inventor, who, shakin:
the dust of the capital from his feet, de
parted in a state of indignation border
! ing on absolute ferocity. ~ =.
+ lis said that Professor Sedgwick wa
geologizing in a quarry near a high-roa
in England, dressed in rough suit TO
the purpose, and striking vigorous blow
with his BANNER upon the rock, when
travelling carriage coming up -steppe,
at the place, and a gentleman With
beckoned to the Professor to come up
4 the door, as he wanted to know the wa
Ito the residence OF a nobleman in ths
7 locality. Professor Sedgwick havin
answered this and various other ques
: itions put to him very readily, the ger
tlenaan, pleased with with what he deem
ed the intelligence and civflity Of th
quarryman, offered him shilling, whic
was received with thanks. The carriag
:. drove on, taking its occupant to tn
nobleman's house, where he was an ir
vited guest. Soon after, Prof. Sedgwic
followed him, for he was staying ther
At that time himself. At dinner the
happened to be seated near each othel
and soon fell into conversation. sAfte
awhile the gentleman, looking earnestl
at Profes Sedgwick, observed, s
> think must have had the pleasure {
seeing you before, and that not yer
+ long ago?' /" Oh, yesp' was the reply
you saw me this morning, and CAV
me shilling for answering whol
4 string of questions and | was muc
l obliged to you for IL" : ':t ,A.2