, 1874-08-22
SPARKS OF SCIENCE.

CoIo Hta AfnetlCas 4tlu WIN eFcIJ PAooPoos Va
II Ia atated Tint, few yosrs ago, soy
eral tairs woro transferred to district Of Mary
innt, hnt that, IN consequence Of proper pfotee,,
lion, the progeny already amounts to several
thousands.
sTnENor OF METALS, WOODS, nTo.
It is q remarkable provision Of Natnrc that
iron, which Is tle moat abundant material yield
Cd BY tho eart is a1so tho strongest Of ali Unknown
Bubstauces. Made into tho bost Btocl, rod one-
fourth Of an inch in diameter will sustain 5000 /
ponnia before broaking; made into soft atco1. a
rod OF tho salno dimouHlonh will sustain 1000 !
Into IRON wirc, 6,0o0; wrought iron,
1000; inferior bar-iron, 2.ono; aud cass-iron
900 to 5000. A bar OF copper wiro Of tho Hame
slze viii sustain 5000 pounds; Of silver, 1000;
gold, 1900; tin. 400; cast zinc, 100; cast load,
10; and nllied lead. 200. OF wood, bar OF fox |
nyl locust Of equal tito will sustain 200 pounds;
Of toughest ash. 1000; osu,, 800; beech. cedar,
xhite-oak, lttel-pino, co.,: chestnut md nipple.
a heavy wright for . minute or two will bronx
With two-thirjs tho force. acting long tin1o. A.
rod Of iron III about ton timos atrong az hou'I'-
cord. A ropo all incli in diameter will boar
snbject1 It @ to atrain Of tnoro than about ton
Decrease tho rope IN dlamotor ono-half and it's
strength, will decrease throo-fourths. Thus
4 ropo half all inch in diameter viii sustain
fourth as much az rope an inch In diametor.
nlsMu7n..
III. Carnot reports tho discovery OF bed Of
bismuth in tho mountainous region which Hepa-
rates tho Departments Of Bresse and Dordogno.
Tho bel hus boon known to him for consider
able time, but not until recently has ho found
that 1t can bo proftably worked. It occurs in
combination with lend, antimonY, Iron, and cal
cum but NJ. Cnrnot has devised proceHs by
which tho hisn1uth may DO extracted IN pure
etato. Already to'DrAblG quantity Inns been
supplied to dealers 10 paria. This dlacovory by
N. Caraot IL deoued valuable Quo, "a bismuta
Inns lately brought high price, owing to its in
oreasod use md to tho near exhaustion Of the
depoBit in Eaxony, which has been one OF the
important sources Of lta supply. or late tho
Bolivian mines havo alrnost exclusively sna-
taipod tho requirements Of commerce IN shis
limo,
THE FLORA OF FLORIDA.
Tho 1ora or Northern Florida includes 1,511
species OF phcnogamouH or lowering plants
s76 Of which occur in tho Northern States, OF
the remaindor, 234 extend to North Carolina, 113
to South Carolina 108 to Georgia, s TO Tennes-
$780, IS westward, and t5 to Southern Florida.
or tho 1876 species which belong o1clusivoly to
Floriln, only Q have becn found in tho southern
part Of tho State and Of thea1 ,5l1 species TO
forroa to Flor1da, 1,487 aro not known to grow in
the southern part, Only 81 species arc MS yet
known to be peculiar to Southain Florida. but
231 species aro found within its borders which
DO not extend no:th or Tampa Icy. nht ape"
cioH Of West Intlinn woody plants occur in Flori-
da, and but IN Koy West. The interior. OF
Southern Florida has not vot boon explored by
botariBts. and the distinctive characteristics Of
its vegetation arc not known.
orAsa,foppEns Az ROOD.
7, v;ev NJ tl,o famine w};ci, br;nneaot,aoa arc
.,,fr,r;rn =, o,raoororcn =, tbo ,ray,ooa of tho
1ra ayhonnor t,,c ad;tor of II, Na,arnIis, rrayo.
~ slv;aca tho neon1o In turn h, and aovour tho
roet. thot I'm dovanr;no thom rrom h,a own
nor.on !, knov1oaoa In statca thar Tho eraes-
I,o,,or na,,oa n varv na1atah1a art;c1o ri d,ot.
,vho l5,1o, 1,v hotno wotar aad f,icl in ,,uttnr.
r,ra a7,o,,,i1 y, +.L.n howovar h coo, Tho heaut
t1oro,,,1,, 40 IL ;u mt n bo ;nfcated with mrs.
.;tna 80 d;a ,,or1 -tho he;r.ar,,a fo, Instance
.r,,;,,, q u,o t,ovo hor.toSoro mcnt,nnca h.a A,
habit Or Occupying lodgings for q good portion
Of its lilo in tho interior apartments
OF the GrassnoppoF. n poftona q A1flea a.
ano Messer Asaa' ana W. aX auI o"ton si,
u,a u,aat n'stn The Rrahs tia Hottentotn. md
tho Dakoias, tako thoi1s roasted whole, ininus
the legs: or roasted and aftcrward powdered
aud made into cakos. Various modes OF serving
| grasBhopper-ateaks might oc devised by the ILL
| gonious bota Of tho Minnesota plains; and. as
necessity IL said 10 ho tho mother OF invention,
| no doubt the sharpened wits OF hungry people,
| once got at tho task, would produce miracles IN
| the way Of grasshopper roasts and stoWH not to
Hpoak of grasshoppor -sauaage and graasllopper-
hash! 4 not secondary advantage rcs"ltinG
| from this course OF d'etetlcs Would be tho de-
| plotion Of the hosdes OF VoraconH jumping
| 1acks flat are nov carrying all before them,
save the starvation which thcy loavo in thci1
truck. .1-...
WILSON,, THE onfIrHoLoa1sr.
| A statue of Alexander Wilson, the ornitho!o-
ost fna ,oto1v bcon croctoi1 within tho burning.
sss' nao .A, ~ .h,a,. w p,;a,a, scnttona me,
ground OF tna Apoes o. Ia'sl.s, oeot1uuu' Au.'
within lev minutes walk OF tho spos "nese
| he was born. THUS does posterity Bonetlmct
| 1ood with honorH tho memory OF q man whose
.ontor,,,oror rioa auhtcctod him 10 obloouy md
wi .'.., -. s., n,;u1ou III, a
| conlemls' "''aoa "a7 ooin ia n.,,os' ,,, 's,' ~
1885, Ho was tue hon Of diattl1ef' aud %hf
hlmaelf appronticcd to woaver. But he Ind a
eonl ahovo bis obscure caIliue, and, as soon as
a. 49,. .,o,a5 ,,o .o,,on -oor. -, 1,a .nn,ont;cc
ne ns9 o,oseu 'na eostu .a,.;n,. If,a NV;
ship, he began simultaneously fos'pe ne ane
the manufacture OF poetry. Que Of hia PoomE
| in Scotch dialect, named =. Wattv and Meg," wal
M clovor ~ to ho asc,ibol to Burns, One day
o.I M,s ,a.,se ~ ~ ~. r.a a,,.ino ~ h;s ,sndow
~ nv ,ns''' poo. ""0 ,ss.as oss =" u;s,.," ,.on
hawkcr namea Anulew asnoh Meh ~
by crying Watty aha meg, neM paau sLa u; y
| Robert BufnHs Inc p0el loOkoa uut aila saau