The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1881-01-15
lulr,dosolr6ille Gblcf.
I've DoIiars q Year.
sCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

An electric railway experiment is
proposed for Paris.
1T is seriously asserted-by . French
scientist that tbc application Of = mag
netic ssnd from tho Isle Of Bourbon rap
idly revives diseased plants.
Herr Realaux, a German writer, has
described an elevated wooded valley in
tho Rhine Province. in which the pas
ssge Of the wind produces musical tones
wonderfully like tho Ginning Of bells.
"A scientist Of japan has found that
tho skin burrows ut the tips Of the fingers
vary in different individuals; and he
thinks it quite possible markings may
be traced in these burrows peculiar to
different races Of people.
- great Russian cavern, las feet wide
and 68 feet deep, has been explored, aud
found to CONTAIN the remains of . pre-
historic workshop for the manufacture
of stone implements, the whole belong
ing to two distinct periods in the deyel-
opment Of primcval man.
recording to Mr.. s. E. Peel, several
varieties Of ants possess the power of
producing distinctly audible sounds. He
has heard some of these insects at dis
tancs oftwenty or thirty feet, the noise
being produced by the scraping of the
horny apex of the abdomen three times
in rapid succession against the dry
leaves Of the nest.
IN. Moride has shown the French
ACADEMY new alimentary substance,
called nvtriano. Raw meat, freed from
bones aud tendons, is passed into suit
abs machines with nitrogenized food
substances--sucha as bread, etc. which
absorb its water, and perhaps form
organic combinations with it. The
whole is dried in the air or over mildly
heated stove, and then pulverized and
sifted. The povder obtaine7 is grey or
yellowish in color, and IS al agreeable
taste. With fats, albnmen or gummed
water, solid cakes or cubes may be made
Of 1t, to be afterward mode in soups,
sauces, etc. The substancci is very nutri
tive, and keeps indefinitely if not ex-
posed to moisture Or too great heat.
AN ingenious Frenchman has devised
q game for facilitating the. study Of geog-
rsphy by children. Heonsists of large
planisphers map Of the globe, accom-
psnied by numerous objects representing
animals, plants, flags, costumes, towns
and landscapes. These objects, Of painted
cardboard, stand upright when the small
inscription accompanying thena is folded
back and each one bears, moreover, d
namher corresponding to one on the map.
Plsctsg each il It's proper position, tho
child quickly becomes familiar with the
subject illustrated; if it be plant, he
knows the place which produces it, and
its 80; ifa town, he knows it's popula-
ton, position, etc. Tho new game has
received the approval Of tho Paris Socie-
:ty of Geography.
-Duzing lato visit to tho solar OBJ
servatofy ut Mendon, Prof. Bell was
much Interested in N. Janssen's splendid
photographs, and expressed the opinion
that the variations Of brightness of a
given solar point might make the photo
phone speak, and 50 reproduce in the
Laboratory sounds produced on the sun.
N. Jansen put his Instruments at Prof.
Bells disposal, and the experiment was
made OH fine day, but without distinct
success. NJ Jansen has proposed that a
series OF successive photographs Of a par
ticular point on the SIMS surface he
passed rapidly before an objective giving
images on the selenium apparatus, thus
scondensing into brief space variations
which in the solar images are too slow to
produce.sound in the photophone.
-hessrs. Mittclstrap, of Magdeburg,
have invented a new optical milk test
I'm previous Instruments Of the kind the
plan has boon to add milk to water until
y layer Of given thickness becomes
OPAQUE, but in this new iustrument a
given quantity of milk with a given
quantity nfwater is examined by LOOKING
through different tlcknesses Of the ,ay-
.er until opacity is reached. The vessel
holding the liquid has glass bottom. and
q cover IN which is vertical graduated
slide in tubular form, the lower end being
closed by y piece of glass. Light is
thrown up from below by means Of an
nblique mirror, or from a direct source
The tubular slido-through which the
examiner laoks-is moved in the cover
until the light disappears, and at this
point the scale is read Off Experiments
have shown this apparatus to 30 very
accurate, the ditfsrence between the
determinations of til. fat in milk by ;:s
means and by chemical analysis being An
average Of only OIL per cont.
a late scientific writer defines in
stlnct as nothing else than an obscure
rememberance of experiences which were
made by earlier generations. A clsar re-
memberanee which extends over the
boundaries of our individual life has Il
~ true, not yet been found among man
bus this does not prove any thing against
!the above assertion. Such a renem-
brance We do hot possess, even for the
complete period of our present life. Our
memory does, not extend buck to the first
years Of our iufaacy. Itss INTERRUPTED
by sleep it MAY be strenothenod liz.