The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-09-18
Scientific Miscellany.

0O4VAU1AO A1SOCx1ltuys
Prof. Henry Draper has stated facts
which seem to point to the conclusion
that it is not improbable that the planet
Jupiter is still hot enough to give out
light.
That the American people are. alive
to the advantages to accrue from seien-
tific research is amply shown by the in
terest manifested in the Boston meeting
of the American Association for the Ad-
yancement of Science, held during the
week commencing August 25th. This
was probably the largest gathering Of
sauants ever witnessed in this country.
Tho "photophone" is q novel in
strument by which rays of light are
made to produce sound. The honor of
the discovery Of the applications in
volved is claimed by Prof. A. Graham
Bell, the inventor of the telephone. He
has succeeded in SO controlling light
vibrations as to be able to transmit
speech by rays of light, without the aid
of conducting wires. In this way artic-
ulate sounds have been reproduced at
distance of about seven hundred feet.
I'm Sweden nearly two thousand
"school gardens !" have been established
as instruments of useful scientific educa-
tion.
AT the request Of the Centennial
Commission, committee was appointed
in 1876 by the Philadelphia Academy of
Sciences to investigate aud report upon
the subject of the insects and plants
| that might be introduced to our soil
through the medium of foreign exhibits.
The committee now announces that but
thirteen species of plants have been
found in the exhibition grounds, and
these only in isolated specimens show
ing no disposition to spread. Some Of
the species are from the western part of
our country, some from Europe, while
few of them are from Japan.
AT a recent Berlin bird-show several
canaries we're exhibited which attracted
much attention OIL account of the pecu-
liar colors Of their plumage. = Some were
green, others red and light brown, and
Others of soft gray tint, while all diff
fered more or less from the light yellow
Of the common bird. These variations of
color were produced by the daily use Of
cayenne pepper in the food of the birds.
The pepper is given in small quantities
at first, and the birds appear to like it.
The immediate affects are, however, any
thing but pleasing to the beholder, for
the feathers soon begin to fall, giving
the birds the appearance Of molting;
but in a short time new feathers make
their appearance, having the curious
tints observed.
The Jablochkoff system Of electric
lighting is now in use under almost
every possible condition and in every
variety of establishment-in streets, ON
bridges, in railway stations, theatres,
circuses, engineering and industrial
works, docks, basins, on board steam
vessels, in hotels, and in private resi-
dences. King Theebaw, of Burn,ah, has
sixty lights fitted up i'll his palace ut
Mandalay the Shah of Persia has four
at Teheran Prince Agaklam has six at
Bombay; and the King Of Portugal and
the e1-Queen Of Spain are also using
them. Seventeen hundred aud sixteen
were lately reported in use in different
countries, one hundred and niuety-eight
being in England.
"A new process of obtaining stereo-
type plates for printing has been discov-
cred by NJ. Emile Jeannin, sculptor Of
Paris, who proposes to employ for that
purpose the material known us celluloid.
The process Of preparation takes only
half an hour, when the matter is once in
type, and the plates thus produced are
remarkably adapted for working on cyl
inder machines running at high speed,
being very light, flexible and durable.
In this last respect they are said to even
surpass metal plates, atfording fifty
thousand impressions, whereas the best
electrotyped plate will last for only thir-
ty thousand.
Gray hairs sometimes come prema-
turely by Inheritance, trouble, or the
large use of water containing lime. The
sudden blanciing of head of hair is
frequently caused by severe nervous
shocks, and numerous historical and tra-
ditional cases may be cited in which
sudden fear or overwhelming news has
turned the hair white in few hours.
The case of Marie Antoinette is one Of
the most tender and touching, for in q
single night her rich dark hair was
changed to silvcry gray. A sepoy of
the Bengal army was taken prisoner in
1858, and the fright lie received caused
his hair to become completely whitened
within half an hour, the change being
so rapid as to cause his captor to exclaim
in astonishment, "He is turning gray!
Under the influence Of fear or any great
. mental shock the blood recedes from the,
surface of the body to the heart, and It
is supposed the same influence may cause
the coloring fluid Of the hair to retire
the root-bnlbs, where it remains thero-
after. Gray hair has been known to be-
come dark without the chemists aid. In