Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-12-15
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Late investigations Cl Oerinhh scleh-
fists have shown that the electric light
is not only healthier than other meth
ods Of illumination in leaving the air
purer. but hat il increases the power
Of vision l.. some respects, especially
in Distinguishing colors. Red, blue,
green and yellow, are much more dis
tinct under this light than by daylight.
Two Leipsic chemists have devised
a process Tor obtaining sugar in per
manently liquid form. This result is
said to be effected by adding to pur-
ifed sugar solution a small quantity Of
citric acid, which combines with the
sugar and deprives it of its tendency
to crystalline.
Some experiments by NJ Gautier
appear to prove that human saliva pos
sesses, in a milder degree, the same
poisonous prot terty as that of serpents
The human saliva injected under the
SKIN of bird caused death, with symp.
toms very closely resembling those
resulting from serpent bites.
A new theory of the so-called fasci-
nation of birds by snakes is that the
bird mistakes the snakes tongue, which
the reptile keeps in rapid and constant
motion, for lively worm, and watches
it intently with the anticipation of de-
vouli lag it.
NJ. Parteur has resolved to extend
his studies in vaccination to yellow fe
yer, with view of determining wheth.
er or not the disease is due to parasites
and can be guarded against by noc-
culation. A broad field of investiga-
ton is open to Pasteur, as it is suggest
ed by his discoveries thus far that all
contagious maladies may be due TO
parasitic growths the virulence of which
may be so reduced by his method of
incubation as to render this class OF
diseases no longer a matter of dread.
A Neapolitan gardener, after years
of experiment, has produced camella
with delicate perfume, and he thinks
it probable that these flowers may in
the near future be so cultivated as to
rival the rose IN the fragrance Of its
odor.
Mr. c. Shaler Smith has given the
results of extensive observations in re
lation to the pressure exerted by the
wind. The most violent gale recorded
by him was at East St. Louis, in 1871,
when the wind overturned a locomo-
tive, the force developed in so doing
being no less than SO pounds per square
foot. At St. Charles a Jail was de-
stroyed in 1877, the pressure required
being 81 pounds per square foot. At
Marshfeld. in 1880, a brick mansion
was leveled, the force necessary being
5s pounds per square foot. Below
these extraordinary pressures, Mr..
Smith instances numerous cases OF
trains blown off rails. and bridges, ETC.,
blown down by gales of "a to 81 lbs
per square foot. In all the examples
the lowest force required to do the
observed damage has been taken as the
maximum power of the wind, although
of course. it may have been higher
Enthusiasts who make special
study of sun spots and attendant phe-
nomena believe that the cornerstone
of new science is beiug laid by dis,
coveries pointing to an intimate con-
nection between solar and terrestrial
meteorology. Just what the connec-
tion is they are not yet able to clearly
define, although electricity is suspect
ed of being the agent through which the
effects are manifested upon our planet.
1t is known that the gaseous envelope
Of the sun is effected by eruptions of
such prodigious magnitude as to be
utterly beyond our power of concep
tion, these disturbances apperoing to
US in the form of rapidly changing
spots and protuberahces. The eras of
the spots-or sun -storms-occur at
remarkably regular intervals, com.
plets cycle of the various stages of
activity from maximum to minimum
and again to maximum being per-
formed in about eleven years--tne So
called "sunspot period" The sun
spot physicists claim coincidece of
the periods of maximum spots and
years of great atmospheric and physic-
al disturbance in the earth. The pres
ent has been year of great solar dis
turbances while 1t has been marked
by violent storms and earthquakes up
on our globe. Further than this, these
scientists claim to have recently de-
tected by simultaneous observation
minor atmospheric changes as the re-
suit Of corresponding movements in
the sun. Many difficulties attend these
observations, but the Astronomer Roy
al for Scotland and others believe that
the state of the sun will some day be-
come an important factor in weather
forecasts and like calculations