The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1875-01-09
Scientific Notes.

scientific notes.
1t has recently been discovered that
the bamboo contains a dangerous poi
son which the natives of Java extract In
the following manner: The cane is cut
at each Joint, and in the cavity is found
a certain quantity of small fibrous black
matter, covered with an almost imper-
ceptlble coating of tissue which con-
tains the poison. If swallowed, the
/ hlaments 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.
\ RECENT number of the Calaveras
! Cali Chronicle says: IAN instance of
/ the effect of heat upon fruit-trees, ex-
empllhed by the recent great fire here,
/ has been brought 10 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 confia-
7 grafton. Some of the trees were killed.
/ while others were scorched Just enough
I to partly wither the leaves. Shortly
after the fire tie trees but slightly
4 burned put on the emerald livery of
! spring, blossomed, and are now bearing
as thrifty growth of young apples as
4 We ever saw.
/ IHE city trustees of Sacramento. Cal.
4 have ordered an expenditure of three
hundred dollars in the purchase and
setting out of Eucalyptus trees on
/ Tenth and L streets in that city. The
order was made upon the recommends
/ 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.
/ Ii the result be as anticipated, there are
/ other sections of the state which viii
! doubtless follow the example of SaQra-
mentO. Much has been said about the
rapidity of growth of these trees, but
| the most extraordinary statement vet
made is by a writer in the New Age.
! who AYERS that there are Eucalyptus
| trees in Grange, Los Angeles county,
1 set out only a year ago last March,
I which now measure twenty-three inches
! IN diameter at the base.
/ The proprietOrs of a Cleveland news
paper have recently applied an appa-
ratus to their office chimney which is
/ said to be perfect preventive of smoke
and great saver of fuel. It's dIscov-
cry was purely accidental. As a me-
! chanic was trying to secure a better
+ draft for sluggish fire the thought oc-
CURED to him, after other devices had
/ failed, to try the effects of steam 4
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 fame, filling the
/ whole furnace with a 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 VI. Powell, of Baltimore,
have applied for patent for an auto
matte car coupler, invented by the first
named. The apparatus consists simply
OF a seml-clrcular receiver IN the bull S
eye of the bumper into which the end
! of the connecting bolt passes. The end
of the connecting bolt is conicai, and
striking a square aperture raises a gate,
which IS held down by a spring, 50 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
an operation on two small trees in the
plant house hibiscus spIendens of In
dia), cutting a ring of inside wood out
of one, and nearly severing the other,
leaving about tiftieth Of its diameter
for a 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 a downward rather than an up
ward flow of sap. To carry on this
series of experiments, the senior class
have taken mathematical calculations
of a 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 its roots-about
/ seventy tive feet-and twice the surface
of n 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.