The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-02-25
scIENTIrIC mIspELLANY.

Prof. HaRan has found that the applica.
ton Of yeast on insects produces 3 fungus |
which proves fatal TO, the insects. Potato
beetles sprinkled with yeast die within
twelve days. ~
A LARGE Workshop in France has been
lighted during the present winter by
means Of Clamond's thermo.e electric sys.
TEN, the electricity being generated by the
heat used to warm the shop.
signor Parneth finds alarge percentage
of'iron and glue in the dust and debris Of
London streets, and proposes establishing
blast furnaces and glue works for the pur'
pose OF securing these valuable products.
"A GERMAN apiarist applies electricity to
the handling OF bees. The insects are
stunned by the passage Of the electric cur
rent through the swarm, and remain mo-
tionless for u quarter OF an hour or more.
No injury to the bees results.
APUzzLE to scientists Is the remarkable
persistence OF certain odors. More than
one thousand years ago the mortar USED
in the construction Of the Mosque OF 81;
Sophia, in Constantinople, was charged
with musk, the perfume Of which per-
meates the building to this day.
TnR first minor planet, or asteroid, was
discovered January l, 1901, the first day
of the nineteenth century. Over, TWO
hundred Of these minute worlds--proba6lY
VARYING from ten TO three hundred miles
| in diameter-are now known, ana, aS
everybody Is well aware, the number Is
being rapidly increased.
The uniform green color Of the vegetable
world is due to chlorophyn. This sub
stance, however, exists only in minute
quantity in plants, the leaves Of large
tree containing perhaps not more than one
hundred grains. 1t appears to DO direct
product OF the action OF sunlight on
vegetation, as 1t does not exist in plants
kept in darkness. The changes In the
color ofleayes "a autumn are supposed to
be due to the oxidation OF their chloro'
phyll.
ONE OF the hottest localities on the
globe is along the Persian Gull, where
rain seldom or never falls. AT Bahrin the
arid shore has no fresh water, yet as con
siderable population contrives to exist
there, thanks to the copious springs oil
fresh water which issue from the bottom
OF the sea. The fresh water is secured by
divers, and brought to the surface in large
goat skin bags. The source Of these sub
marine springs is thought to be in the
green hills OF Orman, seine i've or Six
hundred miles distant.
A LAKE, so long as 1t is not frozen, is Q
reservoir OF heat which tempersthe cold o.
winter. DR.. Forel calculates that the heat
evolved from the Lake Of Geneva during
Ave DAYS of extreme cold in December
was equal to that which would be produced
by the combustion OF 1,250,000 tons OIL
coal. The sky having been generally COW
cred with clouds during those five days
the greater part OF the heat must have
been retained in the lower atmosphere
and doubtless served to mitigate for thai
region the cold that was 80 intense else
where.
Mn. R. RUSSELL calls attention to the
fact that the essential conditions required
to enable men to fly to moderate dis
lance now exist-namely, the means o.
conveying force with ease, and, secondly,
the conyvrtibility Of force thus conveyed
into the mechanical rotation or oscillation
OF vanes. ri cannot be wrong" says he
Sin assuming that steam engine sending
an electrical current through wires at
tached TO rotary apparatus might cause
the apparatus Clearing man to direct 1t.
to ascend to considerable height above
the earth"
For several years the attention Of ply
sicians and scientists has been directed tc
learning the nature OF the poison produc'
ing those remittent and intermittent di
seases known as marsh fever, malarial
fever, and fever and ague. The search has
been at last rewarded. After exposing
themselves three weeks in that fever
stricken district, the Roman Campagna
Signor Tomasi, OF Rome, and Prof. Klebs
OF Prague, have discovered the source o.
malaria to be microscopic fungus. The
next step for the veal of humanity is t
find some means OF destroying these fungi
or rendering them innocuous.
Few persons are aware that the most
powerful telescope in existence is not the
gigantic reflector OF Lord Rose, with 8
mirror six feet in diameter. The real
power OF a telescope consists in accurate
definition, in which this great instrument
has been surpassed by several smaller
ones. The finest telescope in the world
has undoubtedly been the twentysix.inch
refractor OF the United States Naval OBJ
servatory at Washington; but refractor,
with mirror thirty.seyen and one-hali
inches in diameter, has just been COM
pleted by Mr.. A. A. Common, OF England,
which is expected from the resultsof tests
thus far applied to excel the American in.
ltrf1 m ant in nnWaF