Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-11-24
SCIENTIFIC ITEMS.

During the first nine months of this
year 3.0S4 patents were issued, an in
crease of 1881 over last year.
Under green glass. plants act as il in
the dark. Does not this explain the
failure Of vegetation under trees, where
the light comes sitting through the
green leaves?
Some of the great restaurants of Ber.
lin, Germany, have adopted paper
plates. They are made of papier mache
and to resemble porcelain. They are so
cheap and save SO much in breakage
that the customers are allowed to take
the plates away, thus making further
saving of the time necessary for washing
them.
One of the curiosities of w. Va. is
an ice mountain, SO called. A large
tract on the side of mountain has a
permanent layer of ice, which never
disappears in the hottest summer. The
ice is found under a layer of moss
which probably protects it and so fur
nishes an explanation of the phenome.
non.
Chas. Brush, of Cleveland, inventor of
the best electric light machine, has in.
vented a method of storing electricity
claimed to be superior to any hitherto
tried. At this rate it is nothing more
than reasonable to expect that, as thun-
der storms pass, sufficient quantity of
electricity may be stored to furnish light
till the next storm.
A family of six children in N. j. were
attacked with diphtheria, and five dying,
an investigation was made. 1t was
found that the father had kept his prem
iseS in scrupulous order as respects dirt
or decaying matter; but that a neighbor
had spread The contents of a cesspool on
a lawn near by, and that the wind had
blown from the lawn toward the house
for several days afterward.
A physician advises the use of oil of
sassafras for poisoning by ivy, or poison
oak. He says that he has used it for
years and never been disappointed in a
single instance. His prescription is one
ounce of sweet oil, (fresh cream is better
fifteen drops of oil of sassafras. Mix and
use three or four times day. Use epson
salts If there is constipation.
Almost all farmers have noticed the
rise of springs before rain, or that those
which had ceased flowing would begin
again. This is now explained. The press.
ure of the air assists in holding water in
the soil, as it holds it in pump. When
the pressure is less, as shown by bar
ometer, water is set free. A series of OBJ.
in England shows that the
flow of water in streams varies with the
barometer through no rain falls
There is strong feeling on the part
of many persons, against furnaces and
stoves, on account Of alleged deterioration
or poisoning of the air by gasses. This
was confirmed some time ago by a series
of experiments conducted by two French
men, which showed that cast iron, and
red hot cast iron, is permeable
to gasses. 1t was said that carbonic
oxide, a very poisonous gas, passed
red hot casting quite freely.
The National Board of Health, desiring
positive information on the subject for
the benefit Of public schools, has had the
subject re.investigated, and Prof. Ira
Remsen makes tie report. He examined
the air of large number of rooms where
it was suspected injurious gases were
present, and also experimental with cast
iron stoves. In no case did he find such
a percentage of gas as would be detri-
to health, nor anywhere near it.
So stove and furnace users may feel se-
cure, and their opponents must find some
other cause to which to attribute their
headaches. An English paper has at
tackled Prof. R. s report, but only seeks
to show that his experiments were no
more exact than those of the Frenchmen.
His conclusions in respect to the health
fulness of stoves remain untouched.