Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-12-28
CURIOUS, USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC.
VOLATILE AND Fixed OILS.

VOLATILE AND FIXED OILS.
The difference between volatile and
fixed oils is, that the latter do not evap-
crate, as may be shown by dropping
them on paper. The fixed oil will leave
permanent stain; the volatile oil will
also make stain, which soon evaporates
and disappears.
EFFECTS OF BRAIN WORK.
M. Gley, French Psychologist, has
been Investigating the effects of brain
work on the circulation of the blood. In
his experiments he has found that when
he applied himself to a difficult subject,
upon which he had to concentrate all his
energies, the rhythm of the heart was
far more accelerated than when consid-
erlng some matter with which he was
familiar.
NEW USE FOR BUFFALO SKINS.
An inventor proposes to make machine
gear wheels of raw buffalo hide by
cementing and pressing together as
many layers as are required for the
breadth of the wheel. The blanks thus
prepared are cut to form the teeth in the
usual manner with suitable tools. The
advantages claimed are, smooth and
noiseless action at very high speed, and
greater durability without fabrication.
CURIOUS INTERRUPTION.
Les Mondes has recorded very I'M
usual instance of suppression of tele-
graphic communication. Some time ago
it was found that no messages could be
sent between Souf-el-Arba and Medjes-
el-Bab. Those who had been detailed
to make an inspection found that an
enormous serpent had coiled itself
around the wire and O post, and thus
interfered with the conductivity of the
line.
OYSTERS AND THEIR SPAWNING.
Science has demon strated that oysters
can be SO managed that their spawning
seasons can be regulated, and thus good
oysters be had and eaten every week in
the year. This is arranged in the Con-
necticut waters by planting them in
different depths of water. This secures
variety in temperature. The greater the
heat the earlier the oyster will spawn.
Therefore by moving them into shoal
water in sheltered place where the sun
will warm the water easily, the spawn
ing season will be over in early summer.
Those in the deeper and colder water
will, of course, feel the heat later, and
therefore spawn later. Thus one por-
ton of the oyster supply can be always
ready for use.
PLANT LABELS.
Simple as the matter may seem, no
satisfactory label for plants in open
ground has yet been devised. The Lon
don Society of Arts after one fruitless
trial to secure perfect label, is again
about to offer it's silver medal together
with prize of S25 for the best label that
may be sent in fer competition. The OBJ
]ect of the offer is to obtain label which
may be cheap and durable, and may
show legibly whatever is written or
printed thereon; the label must be suit
able for plants In open border. These
considerations will principally govern
the award. Specimen labels, bearing a
number or motto, and accompanied by
sealed envelope containing the name of
the sender, must be sent to the secretary
of the society not later than May l,
1882.
ARTIFICIAL DIAMONDS.
The latest exploit in diamond making
Is that of Mr.. II. S. Marsden, described
IN the proceedings of the royal society
of Edinburgh. He heated charcoal of
sugar mixed with silver during ten hours,
then cooled them slowly, and dissolving
out the silver with nitric acid. found
carbon in three forms. graphite, brown
sooty material-probably carbide of sill
ver-and small octahedral crystals, hard
enough to scratch glass, quartz and
sapphire. The microscope displayed
two varieties OF these crystals, one dark
colored, the other transparent. Mr..
Marsden believes that by using sufi-
cient quantity of material he will be able
to produce diamonds large enough for
rock-boring. Ii SO, jewelry may be
expected to follow in due course, and
diamond factories working with tons of
sugar and silver.
RESEARCHES CONCERNING MALARIA.
Some of the most eminent physicians
Of Italy have from time to time investi-
gated the origin and causes of malarial
fever In that land, the curious fact hav-
ing been announced, in the early stages
OF these researches, that the character
ietic form Of the bacillus was not found
in the circulation of persons who had
the fever, though largely in certain
parts, the spleen and bone-marrow es-
=
pecially. It now appears that during
the ingress of the fever, and also during
the last period of the febrile intermit-
tence, the blood of the whole body con-
tains a considerable number of individ-
uals Of the parasitic speeches. These, it
seems, are mostly sporc-producing; and
when, in the second period-up to the
crisis-they are all, or nearly all, de-
stroyed, one sees merely in the blood a
number, sometimes enormous, of the
small spores which have been liberated,
and which in favorable conditions pro-
duce new generation of bacilli in the
same blood.
IRRITATION PRODUCED BY TEXTILE DUST.
Observation shows that the fine par
ticles of dust derived from cotton, flax
and hemp are very different in their