The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-11-06
SCIENCE IN BRIEF.

The London Grocer argues that the great
| Sacramento Valley of California is the fu-
| ture tea field OF the world. In 20 years
| from now it will supply the new continent,
and in course Of time will send large con-
signments to Europe. The valley is $50
miles long by so bread, wherel no rain falls.
| It Is watsTed by heavy fogs which roll in
from the Pacific Ocean, and any climate can
be had, It is along the base of the Sierra
Nevads range OF mountains that the Chinese
and japanese are now busy cultiyating the
tea plant with marked success
The mariner compass was known ia .
primitive form in the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries. English sailors who went on long
voyages to the east found their way by waict-
ing the polar star, but when the sky was OBJ
| scured they took needle of iron and put il
through piece OF cork, so that one end re-
mained out, which they rubbed with the
loadstone, and then they placed il in a YES
sci full of water. aud whichever way the end
OF the needle pointed there. without any
doubt, was the polar star. This formed u
primitive but fairly perfect mariners COM
pass.
Nectar Is the sweet tasting fluid which is
secreted within the cups of flowers; and the
object gained 10 plants by lis presence Isthat
insects, induced TO visit flowers for its sake,
are useful to the plants by effecung a cross
.,
son, OF Glasgow, has recently Investigated
the amounts of sugar contained in the iiactar
of various flowers, and laid the results OF his
labors before the British Association, by
which it appears, among other things. that
the "little honey bee which improves each
shining hour" has to pay $500 600 visits to
flower tubes for every pound of honey gath
cred.
The utility OF the electric lights for ocean
steamers was forcibly illustrated during the
last voyage of the Faraday from New York.
During thick fog. near the banks OF New
Foundland. at 10 O'Clock at night, she sud
denly discovered a large emigrant sailing
ship Immediately under her bow. The bril-
liancy OF the electric light revealed the usn-
ger Just in time to enable the captain to
| verse the engines, and the two ships passed
| each other at distance OF few feet. The
lantern ordinarily used could not have pen
| etrated the fog sufficiently to have avoided a
collision, and more than a hundred lives
would have been lost.
The Persians are known to be greatly
skilled In the art OF dyeing the hair. They
chiefly use the plant called henna. The
| henna gives an orange red color, very beauti-
| full on white beard, 50 that many old men
| use IL; but recently. with great percentages,
| IL has become more common. TO keep the
beard white. Henna is very largely used,
even Dy peasants. 10 cnanSe the rSuul 5n
color 10 fine lustrous black, the parts are
coated with a paste formed of another pow
| der-that from the leaves of a kind of an in
| digo TIRE e cultivated IN Persia. This is called
reng; IL remains spplied about two hours.
The henna gives different colors, according
as Ii acts on white, fair or dark hair.
| Professor A. H Gsrod, in a recent address,
suggested some pertinent inquiries. Ii is,
he says, the habit of physicians to note care
| fully the physical signs of disease, while but
little attention is paid 10 idiosyncrasy.
| Ravsging epIdemics, endemics aud heredi
| tary diseases affect some constitutions rather
than others The result IS the development
| of pecuiarities In the na,ives-the survivors
! dependent, In n large measure, on the natural
selection thus nsidously and constantly at
| work. Visitors In Rome and Naples are but
too likely to be attacked with fever Of n
typhoid stamp in the sams localities where
the Italian enjoys perfect health on account
OF his being tue offspring OF those who in
times gone by have resisted, by constitu.
! tional peculisrity, the malarial atmosphere.
| What qualities is the early death Of the
drunkard wedding .putY What phthisis2
| The true American OF the United States diff
fers coDsplcuously from the Englishman.
How is this SO? These, adds DR.. Girod, are
problems which deserve more attention than
they receive.