Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-01-06
Scientific Notes.

the bamboo contains dangerous poi
son which the natives of Java extract III
the following manner: The cane is cut
at each joint, and In the cavity is found
certain quantity of small fbrous black
matter, covered with an almost imper-
ceptible coating of tissue which con-
tains the poison. If swallowed, the
filaments do not pass into the stomach,
but remain in the throat and produce
violent Inflammation and ultimately
death. Experiments are to be made
with various kinds of bamboo, to test
the existence and nature of this alleged
poison
A RECENT number of the Calaveras
Gall Chronicle says: can instance of
the effect of heat upon fruit-trees, ex-
empllfed by the recent great fire here,
has been brought to our notice. The
orchard of Judge Leavitt, situated in
the suburbs of Mokelumne Hill, was
subjected to a considerable degree of
heat during the progress of the confa-
grafton. Some Of the trees were killed,
while others were scorched just enough
to partly wither the leaves. Shortly
after the fire the trees but slightly
burned put ON the emerald livery of
spring, blossomed, and are now bearing
as thrifty growth of young apples as
we ever saw.
The city trustees of Sacramento, Cal,
have ordered an expenditure of three
hundred dollars in the purchase and
setting out of Eucalyptus trees on
Tenth and r streets in that city. The
order was made upon the recommenda-
ton of the Board of Health, as an ex-
pertinent to test the power of the tree
as preventive against chills and fever
Ii successful, the trees are to be intro
duced into Sacramento ona larger scale.
If the result be as anticipated, there are
other sections of the state which will
doubtless follow the example of Sacra-
mento. Much has been said about the
rapidity of growth of these trees, but
the most extraordinary statement yet
made is by writer in the New Age,
who AYERS that there are Eucalyptus
trees in Grange, Los Angeles county,
set out only year ago last March,
which now measure twenty-three inches
in diameter at the base.
The proprietors of Cleveland news
paper have recently applied an appa-
ratus to their office chimney which is
said to be a perfect preventive of smoke
and a great saver of fuel. It's discov-
cry was purely accidental. AS me-
chanic was trying to secure better
draft for a sluggish fire the thought oc-
Cured to him, after other devices had
failed, to try the effects of steam. A
small pipe was made to conduct the dry
steam from the top of the boiler TO the
upper part of the furnace, which it
entered in two small jets, striking
downward on the burning fuel. No
sooner was the steam injected into the
furnace than the sluggish, smoky fire
sprang up into clear, bright yellow
ish and intensely hot flame, filing the
whole furnace with loud roar. The
man found he had not only secured a
strong draft, but something much more
impOrtant-a smokeless fire.
MEssRs. VIM. II. GRUvER, Joel Miller
and Robert NJ. Powell, of Baltimore,
have applied for patent for an auto
matte car coupler, invented by the first
named. The apparatus consists simply
of semi circular receiver in the bulls
eye Of the bumper into which the end
of the connecting bolt passes. The end
OF the connecting bolt is conical, and
striking a square aperture raises gate,
which is held down by a spring, so that
as soon as the head of the bolt passes
the gate closes around the square
shank, making firm coupling. The
gate is raised by bolt when it is de-
sired to release the coupling. The
merit claimed for the invention is that,
with bumper upon the same plane,
there is no possible angle at which the
bumpers may approach without the
coupling acting automatically.
PRESIDENT CLARK, of Amherst Col
lege, is still experimenting upon the
growth of plants. He has performed
all operation on two small trees in the
plant house hibiscus sple3adens of In
dia), cutting a ring of inside wood out
Of one, and nearly severing the other,
leaving about fftieth of it's diameter
for support. The latter tree has
about six hundred square inches of
evaporating surface, and the foliage is
still fresh and green; while the other
dropped and dried up from the roots in
an hour. This, in common with other
experiments, proves his theory in re-
gard to downward rather than an up
ward flow of sap. To carry on this
series of experiments, the senior class
have taken mathematical calculations
of large elm tree Zone of the first set
tlers) which stands a short distance
from the farm. Its height corresponds
to the distance it sends it's roots-about
seventy-fi feet-and twice the surface
of transverse section Of the limbs sew
enteen feet from the ground is equal to
hat four and one-half feet from the
ground. The circumference at the
ground is more than twenty-one feet.
A Silicified Plank