The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-05-20
CURIOUS AND SCIENTIFIC.

THE Russians are discussing the con-
structiOn of canal to join together the
Caspian and Black seas. The Caspian
is q salt lake of from 400 to $50 feet
depth of water, which is considerably
below the level of that of the Black,
owing to the copious evaporation under
the fierce summer heat. The canal Is
proposed to be $50 miles long, thus
constituting it a far larger and costlier
enterprise than the Suez canal. Russia
actually has a coasting feet of 500 ves-
sells, OF 6S, go tonnage, on the Caspian,
| and is its exclusive mistress, with the
exception of few Persian skiffs.
PROFESSOR GABBA has been examining
the effects of ammonia on the color of
flowers. It is we'll known that the
smoke of tobacco will, when applied in
sufficient Quantity, change the tint of
! flowers but Professor Gabba expert
ments by pouring a little ammonia
| liquor into a saucer and inverting a
funnel over it. Placing the flowers in
the tube of the latter, he finds that blue,
violet and purple colored blossoms be-
come of a fine green, carmine and Grim
sOn become black, white become yellow,
wild parti- cOlOred flowers, such as red
and white, are changed to green and
! yellow. If the flowers are immersed in
water, the natural color will return in a
| few hours. Professor Gabba has also
| found that asters acquire a pleasing
| OdOr when submitted to the fumes of
ammonia.
The process of skin-grafting promises
to receive a fresh impetus from the la
| bOrs of MIR. Anger, q French surgeon.
! The main feature of these discoveries is
| that pieces of skin taken from
| ted limbs may be used to obtain cica-
| irritation on the bodies of other sub
! jects. Hitherto the desired portions of
! skin were taken from one part of a
patients body and applied to another
| part. 1t is stated that in one case the
| surgeon cut pieces of skin from the
| palmer surface of an amputeted finger,
and applied them to the liberated leg
OF another person. In three days the
bandages were removed, and the grated
parts were found intimately united to
the surface and evidently vascularized.
| 1t seems essential TO the success of the
process that the graft be made immedi-
ately after amputation. The name
given to this operation is "hetero-
| plasty."
! A VERY clever invention for enabling
an observer to determine the distance
at which a gun is discharged is de-
scrIbed IN late number of a Belgian
scientific journal. The apparatus CON
slsts of glass tube closed at both ends
and filled with liquid, in which is a
'curseur" or traveller, consisting of two
metallic disks, having a diameter some
what less than the internal diameter OF
the tube, and connected together by &
snort metallic rod. The tube is pro
tected by casing of sheet brass, the
case having a slot throughout its entire
length, through which the position of
the curseur may be observed. The
tube being placed in q vertical position.
the curseur at the upper end, the lat
ter descends slowly and uniformly,
passing through equal distances in
equal times. Along the slot is marked
a scale of distances, graduated with
reference to the ascertained rate of mo-
ton of the curseur and the known We
locity of sound. The curseur being at
zero of the scale, the teIemeter is held
horizontal till the flash of the gun
! whose distance is to be measured is OBJ
served, and then instantly placed in a
vertical position, with the zero end up-
permost, till the report is heard, when
the instrument is instantly returned to
the horizontal. The number on the
scale at the point where the curseur
stops gives the distance.