New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-09-06
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

New FRENCH SILK.-For q long time the
mulberry silkworm has been the sole producer Oh ,"
known Europe, and no other species mas peen ao "
rival IL for the beauty OF the silky staple OF us co0""
French manufacturers have been looking aoo". 10 ~
.oro- ,rn,.re and attention hos directed 10 the
4n,cus c,fhfn or aanius siikworm. introduced INTO
France by the Aechmatsatou Society. under 'hs "e'
lion OF -Menevie. The moth l. now as muoh AZ
home in France in ITS native hahats as roNoS' Us
large and as we'll coored in the north OF lnda ana
Cana The cocoon very rich IN silk II Is strongly
incrastea aud, this account, presents ohcu'es III
weaving, being regarded as good Only foi producing
floss silk--a material OF little value. Attempts nave
been made TO wind but the Winding yields only the
single thread c0cOon-Oo huc TO he used ana re-
curing special and expensive machinery. THIS question
has now however. been taken ny and solved by NJ lo
Doux lie has succeeded 20 some extent IN separating
the rum from the silk permitting the threads to he
drawn with great and preserving 10 them, AT the
came tlnc sufficient glue TO admit of the threads
of several cOeoous wound the time being. by
the operation of twing. twisted together. aud giving
stanGs silk the only kind that can be utilized Ill
weaving. Another chief point IN the discover OF NJ
the pans aud the same nand processes as or
ON Inc score OF expense The specimens Of silk produced
arr pretty blonde color. ana MAKE charming s'nus
Elk variety OF colors. Toe rearing of ms new silk
worm requires It l. laid. neither care nor exgense me
moths look after themselves ana II a. ~ remains
collect The cocoons attached To the leaves OF small
branches.
CONCENTRATED FooD FOR HoRsEs.-It is
known that the Russian aud Pru~san Governments
have adopted q kind Of biscuit for horses containing
much nuiritve matter IN small volume. According 70
In Va ure the biscuits formed Of the meal OF oats
peas aud inseod The various combinations have oech
studied with care aud mixture has been obtained such
tnat one kiogTamme Of 1t Is equivalent to hVe Aio
erammes of IL has been found that horses peSi
fatigue better ana are more vigorous "hen ieu WIN
these biscuit than when feel with oats The biscuits can
be threaded together by means Of an iron we; anus
hors. may carry its Own food for four or ave laws
Dmrpr I5e laic war with " Russia used 2OOOOO1O
al these biscuits and the RESULTS Wcfe So s"o mat the
auihorues have continued their use IN time oil peace
So,,r ANCIENT MoNsTEHs-ProfeSsOr Cope,
OF Philadelphia wno Is speniug his summer leisure N
California gave the other day 20 the san Francisco Acad
envy description of two fossil anm'ls one OF these
was an enormous Vertebrate somewhat resembling an
aquatic Kangaroo named in, c0mardsait'as stremaS
whose neck was feet IN diameter, whose una legs
were 20 feet long, whose spinal vortebre were SO
inches across. and which must have been " feet long
by measurements carefully taken Tnis animal could
walk forty feet of water aud catch rs prey with It's
fore paws lie also described auOth,r similar monster
found whose spinal verehf3e were feet across and
whose hind lec were 40 long, with carniyerOus
teeth placed the upper and lower jaws Ike shears, 50
as 10 cut NJ animal food by rayersng each other in
tie most perfect The bones OF the lower ha
oil tis animal solid ana very heavy, to keep Its
feet down IN the water, while bones in The upper hlf OF
It's cody but M hoheycomDcd layers as thick a.
pasicboari. strong bat very light ana bnoyani IN water
mi. monster has been named OpphlcociiGS frGgtissi
mus and have been considerably over 100 feet m
length. Ia animals have l1ise ana powriiui iaii-
water have appeared us II on ihrec-iccgd stools.
the tan acting rs an equal support Oh tue tripod
DISTANCE OF THE SUNNI David Gill. the
English astronomer who went IN 1877 TO tue Island of
Ascension for the purpose using favorable o,posi
ton OF Mars 70 ascertain the distance OF that planet
fromIl earth ard Indirectly the distance Of tie sun
has Informed the Royal Astronomical Society that the
reduction of his observations OF Mars have been 50 far
completed that he l. able 10 give the resulting solar
paraax Io nnds this to he SIS. which being inter
preted on the basis OF Colonel Cako's last detennna
ton of The eorts equatorial semiamcicr. Implies that
the mean distance of the earth from the sun IS
931Ol 900 miles. This is q smaller uarallax than was
generally looked for. though not differing materially
from several others which have been worked out re
Gently. Professor NewcOmb's determination OF the
parallax 81 SIS Leve'rer's later result was $3.50
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATIoN.-At the last
meeting of the French Academy OF Science NJ l.. Brau
read memoir two phases of the annual circulation
OF the air The study OF barOmetrc pressure the
entire globe had led 10 two Important results: l. In
Summer the lowest pressures on the continents are In
the northern hemis phcre and the highest continental
pressurc the southern hemisphere; in Winter on the
contrary the lowest continental pressures IN the
southern hemsphere and the highest III the northern
Thus summer exists in the north when the great mini
mum pressuros Of Genital Asia and Of North America,
aud the maximum picSsuiee OF couth
liza and Southern Africa established. .. On the
whole surface the earth the lowest continental pres
sures Of the months become in Winter the high
est and resprocally the biggest become the lowest
Between the two seasons tie pressure greatest Ia he
North Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans
BALLOONS FOR WAR PURPOsEs.-On the
occasion Of the Inauguration Of NJ THERE'S statue
balloon ascent made at Nancy on August 4. The
wind was blowing from the west with velocity Of SIX
teen and half kilometres hour and no variation IN
the direction perceptioe from the ground to 500
metres altitude OF the balloon was taken by Off
GERS from MazevAe. with theooOte. and signals
were exchanged with the ground during The ascent.
The signals given by the aeronauts with hag aud
by the officers with rejecting mirror placed IN the end
OF tube, and mounted telescope. The officers di
rected the rays OF the on the balloon, and inter
cepted rays with key order 10 use the Morse alpha
bet The distance OF Mazlevle from the balloon
more than six kilometres and the signals could be
AT a much greater distance. TIis shows that in be-
kieged town passing Dalon could be used for giving
orders TO- on receiving from. friendly forces The
eystem uf communication has been invented by OF
the officers OF the garrison.