The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1880-04-25
s-cIExrrFIc MISCELLANY.

The savage process OF obtaining a Ere
by the friction Of pieces Of wood is dali
iy performed in London by a company
of Zalns.
saeurious fact. DIR. Anerhach men,
tions that during an entire summer be
observed water-beetles living In tanks
OF a saturated solution Of Glsuber salt,
although when a small quantity OF the
liquid found its way by leakage into a
n~eighboring river il proved fatal to null
tultitudes Of fish.
DIR. Erlenmeyer gives II as his opin-
ion that the semitic nations, including
the ancient Hebrews. were left-handed,
and that this pecaliarity was the reason
why they wrote from right 10 left. In
support Of this theory lie adduces evil
dence from both the Talmnd and the
Old Testiment. He seems TO have over
looked the fact. however, that In one OF
the earliest books Of the later Judges,
Ill. l5l left-handedness Is mentioned as
a personal PECULIARLY.
An English traveller reports the dis
coyery OF two peculiar varieties OF tea
in western China. The infusion OF one
species Is naturally sweet, having the
taste Of coarse congou with a plentiful
addition Of sugar. II Is known only to
the natives Of a very limited extent Of
country. The second variety is even
more remarkable, having a natural fla
vor OF milk or-perhaps more exactly
of butter. 1t grows wild, and every
part OF the plant excep the leaves is used
in making the infusion.
Prof. LOOMS shows that over the
United States the rate of progress Of
storm-centres is an average OF twenty
six miles an hour, whereas, over the
Atlantic 1t Is only fourteen miles, and
on the continent OF Europe, rs shown
by Neumayer, 1t does not exceed six
teen miles an hour. In this connection
1t Is pointed out that the winds on the
Atlantic are stronger than they are
over either OF the continents, and the
winds Of central Europe are stronger
than the winds Of the United States.
Teeth are destroyed either by the ac-
ton Of acids or the developement OF a
vegetable parasite. The former Is the
much more frequent cause Of decay. It
has been demonstrated by actual exper-
iment that even very weak acids may
suffice 10 decompose the teeth substan-
ces. In forty-eight hours the juice Of
grapes will render the enamel of chalky
substance. Most vegetable substances
are inert until fermentation takes place
and acetic acid is formed. Animal sub
stances exert no deleterious influence
until putrifaction is far advanced.
The severity Of the past winter In
France caused great injury to trees and
vines. The damage sustained by the
Paris parks Is indicated by the fact that
in the Bois de Boulogne $1,000 ever
greens, 200,00 frs, and $4,000 decidu-
Gus trees are required to ill up gaps,
while in the Champ Elysees $500 trees
were killed. The total loss to Paris
alone in the parks, avenues and nurser-
les Is estimatedat n million Of francs. To
secure valuable hints for agriculturists
and others, the French minister of Ag-
riculture has instructed the projects to
report what kind of pines, fruit trees
and vines suffered most from the cold.
The inflow of sewage Is the source of
much distrust of river-water. Prof.
Tidy believes, however, that within GER
tain limits the pollution Of the water
from such a cause is too slight to pro-
duce any effect. In n lengthy paper on
the subject he presents the conclusion
that oxidation Of the organic matter of
sewage takes place very rapidly, inrun-
ming water, and such impurities are by
this means entirely destroyed during a
flow Of a few miles, provided the pure
water Of the stream is in quantity to
sufficiently dilute the sewage matter.
He decides further that, whatever may
be the cause Of certain malaiies, the
"disease matter'' which finds its way in
to the river isdestroyed along with the
organic impurity.
Tulare lake Is probably the most mys-
ferrous spot ON the continent. 1t Is To-
Gated on a great plain three hundred
miles south Of San Francisco. At a
distance the water appears to be higher
than the land. A mile or more before
reaching the water the dry land Of the
plain gives place to damp soil, and
when at last the margin Of the lake Ii
found one may wade into It for more
than a mile before finding it knee-deep.
The lake is about forty miles long. The
bottom Is formed Of clam-shells, and
there are hundred of small islands and
punches Of tules. The islands are ten.
anted by millions OF white birds Of the
gull kind, and upon one Of them four.
teen human skulls ranged in a circle
were lately found, no other bones ly.
ing near. Mounds have been discover.
ed along the shore, and II Is expected
that the whole bottom OF the lake will
reveal traces of u submerged city.
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Now 10 the Time.