The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-10-23
NUMBER 7.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

u
The electric light is now used to
produce scenic effects, such as the rising
sun, rainbows, etc.
"A balloon society has been organized
in England for the purpose of advancing
the cause of aerial navigation.
"A German experimenter has found
that warm and insular climates are un-
suitable for the sugar-beet, which is
richest where early cold follows q hot
summer.
The observations of Scotch chemist
have shown that the tree growth NAV
be from ten to forty per cent. greater in
a warm and dry season than in one
which is wet and cold, heat appearing to
be much more important to the deyelop-
ment OF trees than moisture.
-By enclosing in Geissler tube sui
phide OF bari,lm, or some other substance
which is rendered phosphorescent by sun
light, and passing through it a weak but
constant electric current, DIR. Phipson
claims that uniform and agreeable
light can be obtained, at cost lower
than that Of gas.
-The Esqnimanx are said to possess a
wonderful power of eyesight, so that OBJ
jects become visible to them at much
/ greater distance than to Americans or
Europeans. This remarkable keenness
| OF vision enables them to spread intelli-
gence by means of sign telegraphy over
hundreds of miles Of territory in single
day.
Prof. J.. Norman Loekyer's theory
that the 50 called chemical elements are
III reality compound bodies is based upon
the results of his researches with the
spectroscope, and particularly his spec
troscopic study Of the sun and stars. It
is interesting to note that purely chem
ical investigation points to the same
conclusion.
Letters from Senegal state that the
survey of the country between the Sem
egal and the Niger is in active progress,
with the prospect of completion by the
month of May, 1881. Three typographical
parties have been formed to determine
the position of the intended ports and
the route of railway by which it is pro-
posed to connect these rivers.
"A French journal is responsible for
the following: During recent violent
storm young man was walking with
an nnlishtcd carriage lamp in his hand.
Suddenly he experienced sudden shock
in his arm, and concluded that the light
ming had either struck him or some point
very near. But what was his astonish-
ment to find his lamp lighted! Several
persons near him witnessed the remark
able phenomenon.
| The chief obstacle to the success of
Edison's electric lamp has been the
speedy destruction of the delicate carbon
threads which furnish the light. Mr..
Swan Of Newcastle, England, claims to
have removed this difficulty He ex-
hausts the air to a high degree in the
glass containing vessel or globe, and
heats the carbon to higher temperature
than it is likely ever again to experi-
enee, Theoretically scaling the lamp while
the carbon is hot.
M. Amat recently gave the French
Academy an account Of some remarkable
displays OF atmospheric electricity OBJ
served i'll the north of the Sahara. With
out insulating himself to prevent the
escape Of the electricity into the ground,
he could, by passing pocket-comb
through his hair or beard, produce sparks
OF nearly two inches in length! Even
more striking electrical phenomena were
exhibited by the tails of horses, the horn
OF the animals hoofs acting as insulators.
In late paper, DR.. Hughes Bennett
OF Edinburgh University stated that the
tendency of modern physiology is to
ascribe to man sixth sense. If there be
placed before man two tubes, one of
lead and tile other of wood, both gilded
over SO as to look exactly alike, and both
OF the same temperature, not one of the
| five senses could tell the man which is
lead and which is wood. He could tell
this only by lifting them, and this sense
Of weight, DIR. Bennett thinks, is likely
to be recognized rs the sixth sense.
Prof. TAFT of Edinburgh contends
that people must be mistaken in suppos-
ing they see lightning flash ascend or
descend. The duration OF lightning
flash is less than the miIiionth part Of q
second, and the eye can not possibly fol-
low movements of such extraordinary
rapldity. He thinks the origin of the
mistake may be found in the fact that
the central parts of the retina are more
sensitive, by practice, than the others,
and therefore that the portion Of the
flash which is seen directly affects the
brain sooner than the rest. Hence a
spectator looking toward either end of q
fash very naturally fancies that end to
be its starting point.
The President Of the London An
thropological Institute has attempted
solntion of the long standing and per-
picking question Of the means employed
by ancient peoples to lift the huge stones
which now stand as monoliths or in
groups as tombs and temples. Some of
the bill tribes of India still erect big
stones as memorials, and it is reported