Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-08-04

great deal is derived from animal and
vegetable sources. The renowned ex-
periments of NJ. Pasteur have demon
strated that among these atomies which
live, move, and have their being in
the air, are germs or spores of fermen-
tation and decomposition, that is to
say, the seeds of disease and death.
Showers of dust impalpable as flour,
and sometimes red as blood, have
fallen in several parts of the world,
astonishing or frightening, as the pop
nlations are superstitious or cultivated.
These showers are simply silicious par
ticles whipped up to the superior regions
of the atmosphere, and driven along by
aerial currents. Such particles have been
lifted in Guiana and sbowered on New
York, the Azores, and France. as
Ehrenberg detected therein animalcula
and shells peculiar to South America.
Over the SUBMITS of the high noun
tains of the latter county the atmos-
pheric currents are ever charged with
silicious powder, and in parts of Mex
leo the crests of mountains act as
veritable bars, and compel the deposit
tion from these air streams of the dust,
and which accumulate in the valleys
to the depth Of ninety yards. Geol-
ogy recognizes these atmospheric delt-
aS.
The foam of waves as they dash
against the coast ispulverizedinto feath-
cry pellicles, which float skyward with
a trace of saline matter and that sea
breeze carries far inland. Space con-
tributes as we'll as earth and ocean to
the production of aerial dust. When
meteorites and falling stars are rem
dered luminous and incandescent by
their rubbing against strata of air in
their vertiginous fight, they part with
quantities of their metallic elements in
the form Of powder, iron, nickel. and
cobalt, substances that Nordenskjold
has gathered on the virgin snow of the
Polar regions. When atmospheric
dust, whether collected directly on
sheet Of paper, or from the sediment
of snow and rain, is probed by mag
net, the tiny particles of iron attracted
have all q spheroid family likeness,
resembling furthermore iron filings if
melted in fame of hydrogen, or the
extinguished sparks that fall on strik-
ing an ordinary flint and steel. Nay
more, similar atoms of meteoric iron
have been traced in the Lower Lias
formation, geology thus affording evil
dence, that as now, so before the ap-
pearance of man on earth, atmospheric
dust existed.
The air is vast storehouse of ami
malcules. Expose solution of some
organic substance to the atmosphere
for twenty-fou hours, it will be
speedily inhabited by myriads of infu-
soria, rolling and tumbling. yet so
small that hundreds Of them If placed
in row would not form . line in
length. These worms resemble little
eels. Analogous animalcules induce
decomposition and fermentation, for
the latter cannot take place unless the
organic matters be in contact with the
air, to receive the seed of the leaven,
which by cellule propagation leavens
the whole mass
1t has lately been shown that the
process Of nitrifcation in certain soils
is due to peculiar ferment, that is to
say, to spore floating in the atmos-
phere, and finding its conditions for
action stops and operates.
Marsh fever is due to cellules or
spores existing in bog neighborhood.
The same spores have been detected
by the microscope In the expectora-
tions of the patient, in the dew that
was examined, and on the surface of
the peaty soil where they were gener-
ated. This Is simply poisoning. To
. like cause is due the fell disease
known as hospital gangrene; the
germs in the polluted ward atmos-
phere enter the wounds, induce putre-
faction and death. Hence the import
ance Of washing the affected part with
carbolic acid or other antiseptic; then
dressing it with q wadding that will
intercept, by acting as a filter, the
germs to be deposited, from being
sown.
In many factories workmen become
victims to the dust, generated by their
special industry, entering and saturat-
ing the lungs. On dissecting old col
liers, their lungs after forty years.
respiration of dust, instead of being
rose colored as in health, were as black
as the coal itself. The dust in this
impalpable form is often the cause of
accidents; it can take fire and blaze
like alcohol. Witness the catastrophe
at the Minneapolis Touring mills; the
confined air highly charged with the
-four became on par with ether or
alcohol, awaiting only ignition from
the heated milestone to burst into
fame and explode.
CALIFORNIA vINEYARps.-The av-
erage of vines in California is officially
rated at about 10000 acres, and it is
thought that from six to eight thous-
and acres or more will be planted to
vines this year. If the entire grape
crop were made into wine the yield in
ordinary years would exceed 25, ,0O0,-
900 gallons The actual wine product
during the past Eve years has ranged
between 1000, 900 and 5000, 900 gal
Ions, the smallest yield falling in 1878.
The possible yield in wine is lessened
by the large distillation into brandies
(about $50, 900 gallons year, the
production of sweet wines, the con-
sumption Of grapes for table use and
export to the Eastern States, and
finally by the manufacture of raisins. |
The wine yield this coming year is ex-
pected to be very large, perhaps TO-
00,000 gallons.
The friends Of q murdered man in
Texas played very sharp ruse to
avenge his death few days ago. They
simply gave out that the murderer was
horse thief, whereupon crowd col