Connecticut western news., 1877-08-10
SCIENTIFIC,

The Papyrus or Paper Reed-The papyrus plant or paper reed, belongs to the family of cyperGceg or sedges, nearly related to the grasses, and as remarkable for the small number of it's useful plants as the grasses are for their many valuable species. It was called papu by the Egyptians, whence the Greek papNrOS, the Latin papyruS, and our word paDer. It grows on the marshy banks of rivers in Abyssinia, Syria, and Sicily, and formerly abOun- ded on the banks of the Nile; but at present it has nearly disappeared from Egypt. The plant has large and abundant root stocks, which spread in the mud and throw up numerous stems from five to ten feet in height, the lower portion being submerged; the stem is triangular and smooth. The leaves all spring from near the base. the upper part of the stem being quite naked and bearing it's inhoresence at at the apex in the form of large com pound umbel. This consists of numer- ous slender branching peduncles, bear ing at their eXtremities the flowers in small heads or spikes, and forming graceful, dropping tuft, which has. at it's base numerous long narrow leaves.
 In making paper, the inner cuticle of the stalk was separated into the lami- noe by sharp point. The finest were those next the pith; and the layers, of which there were about twenty, de- creased in quality as they approached the outer integument. which was coarse and it only for making cOrdage, mats, etc. The slips were laid side by side on a smooth flat surface, and covered angles to them, after which they were pressed so as to cause the different lGm6a9 to adhere to each other and form 8 single sheet, which was then dried in the sun. It is said that the layers were made adhesive by wetting them with, Nile water, to which Pliny ascribes 8 glutinOus quality, The sheets were finally beaten smooth with mallet and polished with 8 piece of ivory. When finished, the papyrus was rolled upon a wooden cylinder. the ends of which, projecting beyond the edges of the sheet, were neatly finished and ornamented.
 The papyrus plant was used for 8 great variety of purposes besides paper. Its graceful plumes crowned the statues of the gods. and decorated their temples: it's pith was eaten as food: wickerwork boats, boxes, and baskets were woven of it's stalk, and of it's bark were made sails, cOrdage, cloth, mats, and sandals for the priests. It was applied as medicine to the cure of tistulas and ulcers; it furnished ma terial for torches and candles, and it's roots were used for fuel and manu- factured into furniture and household utensils.
 Pleasing Experiments aUith Glass IMbes.-A most remarkable phenOme- Sn p1n %T1h vNVn iu certain circumstances. When these are laid before 8 fire in a horizontal position, having their extremities properly supported, they acquire 8 rotary motion round their axis, and also a progressive motion towards the fire, even when their supports are de clining from the fire, so that the tubes will move little way upwards to the fire. When the progressive motion of the tubes towards the fire is stopped by an obstacle, their rotation still con- tinues. When the tubes are placed in a nearly upright posture, leaning to the right hand, the motion will be from east to west; but if they lean to the left hand, the motion will be from west to east; and the nearer they are placed to the upright posture, the less will the motion be either way. If the tube is placed horizontally on glass plane, the fragment, for instance, of coach window glass, instead of moving to- wards the fire. it will move from it. and about the axis in contrary direction to what it had done before; nay, it will recede from the fire, and move little upwards when the plane inclines to- wards the fire. These experiments succeed best with tubes from twenty to twenty-two inches long, which have in each end 8 pretty strong pin fixed in cork for their axis.