The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-08-21
NUMBER so.
Scientific MISCELLANY.

| ne suggestion is made that lumin-
ous paint might produce some striking
novelties i'll textile printing.
Egyptologists are endeavoring to
i organize a society for the systematic cx-
cavation Of ancient sites in Egypt.
The increasing demand and last dim
inishing supply have led q private indi-
vidual of Algeria to form an establish
ment for the breeding of lions.
1T has been estimated that the erosive
action Of water is reducing the height of
the North American continent at the rate
OF two feet in every seven Thousand years.
| The metric system of weights and
measures became obligatory on the 18th
OF July in tho kingdom of Spain and all
Its colonies. The Turkish government
has also ordered the introduction of this
system into all its colonies.
The Russian battle-felds Of the wear
1872 are still being explored for bones,
which are converted into bone-black. It
may thus happen that a man of the pres
ent day may consume sugar which has
been decolorized and purified by means
of the bones of his forefatllers.
| The adulteration of milk by starch
may be detected by this simple method !:
Add few drops of acetic acid to the sus
pected milk boil the milk, aud filter the
whey. If the milk contains the slightest
trace OF starch, a single drop of iodine
solution will give a blue tint to the whey
I An Alexandrian physician tells of an
English boy who has survived fearf,
fall. On June l, 1879, the lad fell {,
measured distance of I'll feet, striking
upon granite pavement. Both legs
wore fractured, but lie ultimately COM
pletely recovered from the effects Of the
| accident
1t is well known that many articles
made of rubber are liable to become dry
after considerable time, and to crack.
grow brittle and lose all elasticity. Ac-
cording to a Russian journal, this may
be remedied by simple mixture COM
posed of one part of aqua ammonia with
two parts of water, in which the articles
should be immersed until they resume
their former elasticity, smootlness and
softness-the time required varying from
q few minutes to an hour.
I'm the course of inquiries as to the
phosphorescence of the sea, a German
naturalist has found that the phenomenon
occurs whenever searfishes are brought
into three per cent. salt solution. The
luminosity begins apparently in the eyes,
tspreatifng yraduaify over -ti,c body and
increasing in intensity day by day, until,
after considerable period, the fish seems
luminous throughout. The phosphores-
cent substance is a kind of mucus, APP
peariDg dirty white during the day.
AT recent trial ii, England, /. gas
company was sned for damages, the
plaintiff having been rendered insensible
by an escape OF the company's gas from
defective 1aain. The plaintiff alleged
that the accident had rendered him un-
fit for business for considerable period.
As scientific evidence, Drs. Tidy and
Hastings gave the opinion that the effect
of inhaling coal gas is very transitory;
and that it must quickly pass from the
Ill y
jury accepted this view Of the case.
An English clergyman has devised q
simple means of reducing the number Of
deaths by drowning. In a portion of the
coat, waistcoat or dress Of any person a
chemical preparation is inserted, which,
OH becoming wet causes the garment to
become quickly inflated. Thisnsvel 11fe-
preserver does not alter the appearance
of the garment, SO that it may be con-
stantly worn without Inconvenience. A
thorough test is said to have shown that
it will sustain a person i'll the water as
long as he can possibly endure the ex-
posure-say forty-liye or fifty hours.
In hardness and binding qualities the
ancient mortars surpass the modern; but
the suppositien sometimes made that this
superiority is due to certain secrets or of
manipulation, which are now lost, is en-
tirely gronndless. The trne explanation
is, undoubtedly, that al mortars improve
with age, and attain their maximum
hardness and strength only after very
long time. This is accounted for by the
fact that chemical union takes place be-
tween the lime and the silica OF the sand
composing tie mass, and this is n process
requiring many years to complete. Com
paratiye examinations have shown that
the ancient Hlortars contain more silicate
of lime than the modern, and are co1ise-
quently better in quality.
Perfectly ripened seeds of different
plants vary greatly in their terminating
force. Some seeds, such ms those OF an
gelica, coffee, ETC., must be sown soon
after they are collected; others, like
those of the China aster, alder, birch and
sycamore, will rarely gerininate the see
ond year; while others retain the power
for an unknown period. Although, when
kept under the most favorable conditions,
certai1, seeds may be male to produce
plants when very old, the average dnra-
tion of vitality in the seeds of some of
our cultivated plants has bee, fonnd