The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1874-07-11

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At the last meeting Of the London Nj.
croscoplcal Society, attention was called u
a slide which exhibited the remarkable
technical skill of Herr Miller i'm diAtom
mounting. The slide had photographed on
it, in an extremely beautiful and perfect
manner, eighty spaces, each space con.
tanning diatom, and its name written un.
der it.
FoREI0E WEEDS.
No less than PA species Of plants which
come under the popular designation oi
weeds have been introduced into the
United States from foreign countries.
Chickweed, which is a native of most
parts of Europe and Asia. was first intro
duced into South Carolina as food for
canary birds, and soon spread all over the
country.
TUNNEL UNDER THE MERsEY
At length there seems probability that
the long projected tunnel under the bed of
the Mersey, between Liverpool and the
Cheshire coast, will be constructed. The
sinking of the shaft on the Liverpool side
Is soon to De begun. Mr.. John Fowler,
Z. T., and Mr.. John Brunlees, c. T..
have planned the works. 1t il expected
that from three to four years will be re
qulred for the completion Of the under
taking.
THE TRANSIT OF vENUs
The preparations for observing the tran
sit of Venus next December. which have
occupied much time at the English Royal
Observatory, are now completed, and most
Of the parties destined to study the phe-
nomenon in foreign fields have already set
out, and the remainder will soon follow
The observers have undergone prepara-
tory training in photography, chiefly under
Captain Abney, r. E., whose new dry
plate process is to be adopted at all the
British stations. They have also had the
advantage of practice with a model repre-
senting the circumstances Of the transit,
and thereby been instructed in the exact
method Of observation to be pursued when
the critical and irrecoverable moment ar
rives.
NEW CLASSIFICATION OF PLANTS.
In the last number # the Swiss Archives
ties Scaeltces, M. Alphonse de Candolle sug-
gests new classification of pants, having
especial reference to their distribution.
Basing his system on the relation Of plants
to the physical condition and moisture, he
recognizes i've great groups. One Of these
is essentially equatorial, while the others
are repeated in the two hemispheres. De
Candolle gives the name megathermes, or
hydromegathermes, to those plants which
require a high temperature and much
moisture for their due development /;
xerophyles to those which prefer dry stu
ations mesothermes TO plants living in
moderate temperatures, and microthermes
to those requiring but n low degree Of heat
There is still sixth class, of small import
ance, confined to Arctic and Antarctic
regions, which De Candolle designates as
hekistOthermes, in allnsion to the very small
amount Of heat need for their develop
ment.
NOVEL BREADsTUFFs
In some portions Of Norway and Sweden,
where vegetation is scanty and human fare
is limited to few and coarse articles Of diet,
sawdust Is sometimes used in the manu-
facture Of bread. For this purpose, beech
OF some wood that is free from turpentine
is repeatedly macerated and boiled in
water 10 remove soluble matter, and then
1t is reduced to powder, heated several
times in an oven and ground. In this state
it is said to have the smell and taste Of
corn -four. In 1929, 1880 and 1693-years
Of famine in England-very good, whole
some white bread was made Of turnips
The moisture was expressed from the tur-
nips and they were then kneaded with
equal quantities Of wheaton -four In the
late siege Of Paris, the bread served out
was found, on analysis, to be composed Of
one-eighth whea. four-eighths potatoes,
beans, peas, oats and rye; twO-eighths
water, and one-eighth straw, hulls of grain
and the skins of vegetable products. The
Laplanders and Fins make kind Of bread
Of the tinturated inner leaves Of the bark
Of the pine. The Jakuts, Of Northern 81
IBERIA, CRATE the inner bark Of the larch,
and sometimes Of the fir, and mix it with
fish, a little meal and milk, or, by prefer
ence, with fat, and make it into sort Of
broth