, 1874-12-26
SPARKS OF SCIENCE.


SPARKS OF SCIENCE.
DURATION Or slli:D-v1TAL1TY.
lilo question, Of tho duration OF tho vitnlity OF
scotls IL oto Of nluot inturoat to accndo, but on
w,icl laB received M yet little lolp from oxact
observation. 1t is known Tint tho acols Of
many plants may bo kopt without injury for
several years. Tho cor1itlo,1H lnost favorable
for thoir preservation a-a n dry atmosphere nnl
low temperature. T'|,on buried dnoply III a
dry, hard auil, scoda hayo bcon known to rolan
lifo for M untold length Of tinlo. DR.. Carpenter
reatos, III Ills wofk Oil =" Vegetable Physiology"
TINT, tYcst Of Stirling, Engl.al, noalo Nortn,on
woro dituing III a c!ny soil wt.ich les1 bopn cov-
orol with Il fcot of lcnt a clcsg{Ins a standing
by observed secls III tho chg lss:a thrown
to tho surraco, which ho secured and plantod.
They gorniinatcl and lrndstced n Hpo-
cies Of chryBant.lcnum. It Is impossible to cBti-
mate tho tin,o which theBo soeds Ind lain In tho
ground wlilo their covering Of oIny ind tho Il
feet Of pea.-eav.h was slowly accommodating over
tbom; hut it mnst haso been III enormous peri
I'd.
1t is on record by DR.. Tindloy. tint raspberry
BoetH taken from the stortaeh Of 1i,an who lad
boon buried with tho ooins Of tho Emperor Hnu-
ran, and whoBo skeleton was found ~ ieos l'c-
I low tho surface, at tho bottom uf u lnrrow, or
nuctett bnrial-placo, nenr Dorchester, geEullnat
cd fn tho horticultural 0aren, wllbre thoy Woro
planted. 1t waa computed t1lat these scclB were
lG0D or 700 years old 1T tho tisno Of their TO-
coyesY,
Forty miles from tho aca-coast, in tho stato Of
Maine, n well WIS sunk to tho depth Of 70 feet,
when ]ayor Of sAnd wass.atruck, which was III its
chnractor unlilto any Bana nearer the acn-Ecacl.
Wiieii drawn up fruns tho wnlit 1t wms llaccd III
pilo by i!suf. III tho course Of year or two,
this Ba,ld wna covered with u growth Of atranEu
plants, WHICH proved to bo boucll.piun troes
No trecs Of tito kind had ovor boom sccn in tito
tho sca.shoro. Tho conclusion to Which proha-
lility tends Ia, tint tho pants grow fron, acoaa
tint Ial boon buried for ageA III tho stratum OF
sea. s.na pierced by tho dlgGors.
NO have tho preceding particulars, Tint acotla
found in tho, horbarluna Of DR.. Toutnofort, a
Fronch hotaust, wcre found to retaiu tisor vital
ity Iftor tho lapse OF CENTURY. Tho Btorlcs Of
the growth Of coru and ,sheat from grains buried
| with Igyptiun mlnanlios nre nut nccoptcd as
nnthcntlo uvidonco, NJ in theao cascs tiluse las
! hcon opportunity for tho practice Of tccoit by
| tho Arabs who Ind tht bnhang or tue bodies.
| Fro'u Bcslos Of curious oxporlmontn lit iloat-
lug sogtB UPON eat water, and inl1orsing, tliom
in it. DR.. Durtyin iutors TINT tho seeds Of one
tonth Of thb 1,lants Of any Aora could bn hoated
nuross sen 30u miles miao without loHil,g their
vitality. lIo found thai TOW aeeds survived inl-
1nossion III satt wa.cs 1B7 days. Dried haxol-
nuts tloatcd 30 dnys, and aftorward ger,nnated.
| Nipo asparagus berries foutod 85 days, and
! proved to bo unhurt. Pens ure quickly destroy
cd by Balt wator, but somo tnkcn from the crop
| Of Il dead pigeon that had AoAted 50 taaya were
| uninjurcd. Tho crops Of birua TO not ilarm
deeds. and tito harder Horts will pasB safely
| through tho digestive organs Of eyen q turHoy.
| Or. Darwin raiEcd two beot-plnnta from sectts
that had been in tile stomach Of u bird of prey
| for . hays and IL hours.
ANTIQUE HEL1Cs.
Tho Berlin h1usouui lias lately rocolved q valu-
ablo addition to its treasnrcs III collection Of
antique rolics from t4o excavations now IN
! progrcsa ut TanaSra. III Etcotia. a few mouths
ago, quito by chanco, q aories Of snbtcrranean
gruttoos, containing funeral alrna and Btouo cof-
fits, waB discovered by tile excava.ors. On
| opening the cotlins, tlcy wero found to contain
vascs, domestic utonsils. articlos Of oynamont,
| mud other objects, probably belonging to Tho DO
CEASED. and resoront,y lasa beside his romaina,
The most interesting articles among then, all
charming works Of nrt. From thcBo muc! is lo
be gained regarding tho nlannefs Of the people
the llsarss. representing lady, Inns
h ;ha t,soa into towering eF ;hsp pyfG
perchcd, aftor tho notiorn style. broad conical
| hat Of tho Chinese pattart Some of the ladies
arc flirting with fans; others hold flowers or
| fruit in one hands whllo others aro sitting with
their hands folded under, tho peplos, and ono
foot peeping out from usacr tho skirt. Ono IL
entirely dsrobed mud standing ~ il in tho atti-
sudo OF IL model tor the artiat, A sitting hoy,
with fair hair and blue eycB. ia pronounced u
beautiful work, and in perfect preservation.
Two Of tho groups are caricatures, representing,
tho ono gentleman undergoing tlo n,nniplla.
iions of tiRir-tlressor, and tho ot4or pastry
cook making Cakes
! WATER AS a PLhNT-NoUR1sIIEn
an experiment OF considerable Importance III
botany llas recentlv been conducted in England.
Some plants Of tic watermelon, aftor their tlrsl
gormination from The seed, havo boon sustained
wholly upon water, i'll Which tloar roots wore
immcrs cd, md hnyo, in this condition. produced
fruit OF tho finest quality. Very fow plauts car
obtain sufficient nourisAmout from wator alone
to enablo tAcln to carry on the complete pro-
ceHsos Of blossomng and fruitiug. Tie lya
cinth, which Ia mat!o to nowor In wntor. llf
bnen first brought to maturity by q growth OF
several yenrs in tho soil, und has stored III its
bulb sufficient food for tho maintenance OF its
folAge mud flowers for an ontlro seagotl.
Tho water il which it apparently thr'yes
aooinR to net ouly us n so!yo1t OF thls
food. for il fnils to furnish tho nntcrin
with whlc1, tho hyncintl. can stock its bu'b fos
a succeeding years. Subsistence. Hence, afto1
tho plant l,nH onco blosaomod i'll wator, it III OK.
llat1Btot and il either thrown away, or set III tht
ground nnd allowad several yours to recover its
spent forcoa III tho case Of tho watermelon
cltet nboyc, there waB, however, no previous
preparation Of food, and itH antiro wllolo Of
nourlshnlont throughout vegetation WAS derlvct
from tho watcr.
MOTION IN SENSITIVE PLANTS.
Tho botanical Society OF Franco publishes tht
details of sono experiments performed by IL
Hocke!, which have resulted in the dtacova ry oi
tho uotlo by which tho stamens Of tho commor
ba.berry effect their movement. Whom tho flu
tnonts are tou6hod by All insect in quest Of hon
ey, they spring suddenly toward tho centre d
| tho flower, at tho sanlo timo discharging 1aan
tity Of pollen from their anthcra. III. Hccke
administered nh anostlotlc to tile stas1ens undo
observation, with roBnlt exactly simi!nr to tla
produced upon an'mala All power Of motion
was I'll spcndcd, While in tlis inaonsible conll
ton, tho operator obtained longitudinal secsion
OF tllo Aellatiyo poltion-that il, the inner AnI