The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-10-13
sTAUNToN, VIRGINIA, OCTOBER 10, 1881.
Scientific MISCELLANY.

Ahernthy used to say that "of the larg
quantity OF food man swallows, one-fourt
supports him, and the rest he keeps at hi
! risk"
i A method of improving India rubber an,
gutta percha by The addition of distillate O
birch bark has lately been brought out. Distil
lat;on of the outer layers of the bark produces
Dense black gummy matter resembling
gutta percha and capable of resisting the &C
ton OF air and of the strongest corrosive acids
1t is claimed that the durability of India rub
Der or gutta percha is greatly increased by the
addition of small quantity-a twelfth part il
sufficent-of the birch bark gum.
NJ. Decourneau attributes the cracks in com
mon mortars and cements to the uncombned
.quicklime which they contain. In order tc
neutralize the lime, he uses a very fine sill
ceous powder mixed with diluted nitric acid
He thus obtains mortars of much greater more
uniform and more lasting resistance than
those hitherto used. The application of this
method has given excellent results Some
made by the process may be worked like the
natural product.
| 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 con-
centrate all his energies, the rythm of the
heart was far more accelerated than when
considering some matter with which he was
familiar
A peculiar phenomenon occurred in August
on mountain OF Rhenish Prussia, In the
side OF the Brennenda Berg pit of about
hundred square yards in area suddenly opened,
emitting great volume of flame and engulf
ing a house and its inmates. 1t is believed
that the cause of the catastrophe was the ig
milton OF gas rising from petroleum vein in
the depths of the mountain
Paper betting is now being used in Japan,
and is said to have been found stronger than
leather betting.
Sir John Lubbock estimates that 100000
animal species have existed on our globe, of
Which only about % 900 are as yet on record.
He places the number of recent species at
100000
Experiments to determine the changes of
color produced in flowers by ammonia have
given these results: Over a dish of ammo
mia was inverted a funnel in the tube of which
were placed the flowers experimental upon
Blue, violet and purple flowers were found to
change to beautiful green; deep red flowers
to black, and white TO yellow. These changes
are most striking when the flowers have sew
eral different tints, in which the red lines are
turned dark, the white yellow, etc. Ii the
flowers thus changed are placed in pure water
they retain their new colors for several hours,
gradually resuming their original tints after
that time. Another observation made in this
connection is that the flowers of the aster,
which are naturally inodorous, acquire very
agreeable perfume under the influence of am
monia.
The sense of touch in eyeess fishes is shown
by experimental be extraordinarily developed
A paper by Dr. D. w Prentiss calls atten-
ton to the two cases in which the introduce
tIOn Of nj lOca ha actiVp rrinaip1a 0f 10
powerful Brazilian drug, jaborandi--into the
human system has caused a very marked
change in the color of the hair. In the first
case the pilocarpin was administered at inter-
walls during period of ten weeks with the OBJ
ject of sweating" the patient. In few days
after the first application the patients hair, !
originally very light, was observed to be grow
ing darker, and in six months it had become
almost pure black. Ia the second case the
hair had become perceptibly darker in week |
after treatment with pllocarpin was com
menced. The patient in the first case was |
young lady of twenty-five, and the other was
an infant. The introduction of jaborandi into |
medicine is of so recent date that little op- |
has been afforded for studying Its |
varied action on the system but there appears |
reason TO believe that the color of the hair is |
due TO an oily pigment which is increased |
under the influence OF the drug.
During last winter the experiments of Mr.. |
9. w. Slemens on the action of electric light |
on vegetation-with results which he has Just |
described to the British Science Association |
were continued He noticed the curious
fact that plants exposed to the direct rays OF |
the electric arc soon became siekly and with |
cred, while in the light of the arc inclosed in |
glass globe the vegetation fourished to as re-
markable extent as in his previous expert |
ments. The untavorable action of the open
arc is supposed to arise from certain non
luminous rays which are intercepted by the
glass. The botanist has here subject for
tud,