New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-08-17
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

Is THE Moon DEAD MIR. Richard A. froc-
tor discusses question Of life and change on the sur
face Of the interesting article IN me Lohao
Echo He says "Uuess appearances are altogether de-
cepye the present surface of the is in great part
the surface with which she was originally formed LII
many places molten matter had poured forth nom the
interior and covered the original surface Moreover uh
Questionaby the original condition OF that surface mas
been entirely changed in several regions it mas oeen
broken though burst by explosive action, tnouEu
doubtless the real process by which such changes "eo
wrought was process OF contraction, the crust closing
in upon the nucleus In other regions multitud
nous corrugations where the semi-pastic crust mas
sriyeed up so TO speak. upon the contracted nucleus
In places mighty slopes can be seem as IN tne sea
OF Serenity (realy great plan) the whole surface oi
which Extending many hundred thousands Vi
square miles, slopes gently downward on either side OF
sort OF ridgelne, which divides that great pam INTO
two nearly equal parts. But the most characteristic
feature is the existence OF numbers OF craes
over the greater part OF the moons surface WEIGH pre-
sonts an appearance closely resembling that WHICH
would be shown by pool OF deep ana rather 'ena0'o
mud into which hundreds Of stones had been thro"h IL
would be unsafe, however 10 assume That the MOON
has greatly changed since the time when she was
nassing through the same stage Of planetary lie as our
own earth, although some modern telescopists are
searching for signs OF change, WIN the ca
press object OF proving that she is not yet dead WORTH
There Is one sot the floor OF Plato. crater some Sky
exceptional care. And among them are satlsheu
that as day advances on this eraternOr the surface
darkens as though form OF vegetation spread over
IT, or some chemical change took place Others, now
ever have asserted that the supposed darSenng ohy
the effect of contrast Then again, Schmidt OF Atheus
who has given best part OF his life TO the study OF inc
moon announced eleven years ago hata crater called
IiuuRus or Lime had recently disappeared from yewj
and as this crater wa certainly five six miles IN diane
ter, and probably deep when Nader nadc MS map VI ,
NOON II seemed though some mighty Vo.cluc als
turlancc had taken place, ny Whieh elhII tho @
had been filed up or is LOFTY Walls hdu Deeu tnIOMn
down Here again. were iuel enough 10 POM out
that schr0ter. an Older observer than MaIer au soT
the crater precisely as II now appears whence ~ Ms
be inferred that no change had taken place AnI now
Dr. Klein, OF kOn, Informs u that near the SeiIe a.
the moons disk new crater, TWO or three mics III u
ameter has formed where none formerly eAsie1, bue
I'm photographs o. the taken more than thirteen
years ago suS OF this crater can be traced when pre-
not necessarily precnding the idea that change OF
sort may lave taken place The evidence lor anu
gess singular ideas conceive that the vast surface OF
the moon. fifteen millions OF square miles In ok,
tent is a scene of absolute silence and desOlat!On. But
II must be confessed that the evidence OF change Is not
satisfactory, while evidence Oh sucn syseu.e
as we associate with the existence OF life seems wanting
altogether"
DIsINFECTING Foul PLACEs.-Ihe Scientific
Necs OF this city, calls attention the importance ut
this season getting rid OF all vile smells about dwell
ings and makes this practical suggeston The article
commonly used 10 disnfect foul places Is chloride OF
lime but In reality IL is not Of much value. may and
generally does remove bad smells, but the cause still
remains as the chloride simply destroys the gaseous
emanations. The much advertised dsinfectants are
usually catchpenuy nOstrums and unworthy OF notice
One Of the very best known dsnfectans Is oldfasoned
oopperas sulphate OF iron, which can be had very
cheap. barrel OF cOpperas would weigh probably 300
pounds aud be purchased at wholesale price for
cent ana half per pound And every family ought
especially In warm weather 10 have supply OF IL on
hand A couple Of handfus OF eopperas thrown into a
bucket Of water win soon dissolve aud Il then be
used freely, aud Is valuable disrfectant. The best
within q moderate-sized basket full OF copperas In
this It dlssoyes more rapidly than when thrown TO
the bottom OF the wooden vessel, ana thus supply
always at hand ready Tor use
HUNTING THE DoGRIsH-The increase of
the dogish in many European aud the eonse-
quently greater destruction Of fish by these robbers
has led TO many controversies lately among the fisher
men respecting the means for destroying them. Some
Of the most interested suggested the granting OF pre-
MUM for each doghsh killed. the hunting docs not
pay for trouble OF the cachers and very few fisher
be induced 90 make 10 special branch of their
fishing. The HsheTB Gazette describes some OF
the methods used formerly in hunting these FISH, very
simple way OF hunting the dosh has been used for the
last twenty years by alluring the doghsh TO come
close up 20 the hunter, stationed upon sandbank
by the means OF initiating their RECOMMENDATION the
dogsh is knocked down aud killed with cudgel More
than 100 are known have been killed in Summer
by one single hunter. who easily enticed them
upon the dry sand-bank. The hunters very seldom
make any use gun the sound OF the discharge
disperses them at once; only old doghsh have to
be shot as they too willy 20 be caught by the tricks
OF the hunters. Another more ancient method
was by sharp-pointed spears. fastened 20
chain which was spread round the edges
OF sandbauk upon which the d0gnsh were
accustomed to assemble and TO themselves. TIE
spears were pointed inward, certain distance from
each other and order not TO tOppe turn back
ward fastened 10 a small plate in the shape Of
ducks foot the whole securely buried In the sand Tho
dogash arrive at the sand-bank soon the water
leaves the top dry, and settle themselves inside the
cha and spears these being s covered over by the
water Before the latter get free OF IT, the hunters
rive In boat and make noise when the fish, In trying
10 get of the sandbank rush direct upon the spears and
those not killed right out are knocked down with club
As many as twenty have In this manner been caught
one time but this mode OF catching them has been dis
continued for some time partly because II was coz
and snears being lost frequently, II continuous
stormy weather prevented the saud-bak from getting
sometimes az the mouth OF the River Ellie and in the
North Watt when they assemble upon sanabank hav-
occurs often. The hunters have only to run their
boat slowly toward the groove and spread sturgeon
tangled IN the net their attempting 70 escape and
are then easily Killed.
Color Misunderstanding to recent OBJ
seryaOns by Professors Coin and Magnus. OF Breslau
color blindness is much less common among girls In
Germany than among boys. or 2,3ls young girls OK
amined, there was only who had this defect while
proportion OF 81 per cent met with among boys NJ
Favre has been studying color blindness In France,
considers there are more than 5000 persons there
subject 10 It, aud that the number Of females affected is
10 that OF males 1 10 TO- Some interesting expert
mental researches the nature OF color blindness have
lately been communicated to the Belgium Academy by
NM Debeu and Spring, the former OF whom Is himself
color blind. Some curious effects were obtained by
Looking through a (red) fucbsine solution contained
between two coDvergent slips OF glass They also found
that solution chloride OF nickel interpreted between
objects and the eye produce in ordinary persons the
same confusion as that experienced by those color blind