Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-11-17
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

A SCHooLRooM should contain from
three to four hundred cubic feet of air to
each pupil.
The positive electricity common tc
fair weather often yields to a Ut gatiye
state before rain.
FEW drops of muriatic acid poured
on table poonful Of palverized marble
will produce carbonic acid gas.
IN TwESTY-FoUR hours sixteen pints a
, gastrS juice are poured into the stom.
ach, and three pints OF saliva are used
AMONG the great variety of forms OF
the mound-builders pipes are those OF
animals like the elephant and nfNsto-
don
The FLESH of pike caught in the
North Sea has been found to be full OF
trchin1. The parasites are supposed
to have been introduced into the tishs
body in offal eaten by it.
BIOLOGISTS estimate the coal beds Of
Great Britain 70 have an area of about
1000 square miles Of Spain, 4,000 Of
France, 1000 and of Belgium, SIS.
The eoal-bearipg area of the United
States is nearly 100000 square $.
with perhaps 10000 square miles
workable beds of coal.
LONGITUDE of the earth's surface is
now computed from various meridians
by different countries. meeting OF
the Geographical Congress iii Vienna.
Professor Bernard, of Columbia College.
proposed new system for universal
use, the plan being to divide the globe
into twenty-four meridians of fifteen
degrees each, corresponding 10 the
twenty-four hours of the dav, the first
meridian to pass through Behring Strait
WHETHER or not fishes have intervals
OF sleep, like the land animals with
which We are familiar, has Just been de
cided. The curious behavior OF dozen
carp in the Berlin aquarium attracted
attention, and investigation showed that
the fish, VIZ an in certain positions IL
which they would remain for hours.
We're IN reality asleep. Some of them
slept so soundly that only repeated
blows or shaking would awaken them.
ACCORDING to the recent estimate Of
SIR W. Armstrong, the heat of the sur
falling upon one acre of the earths sur
face In the tropics would be capable. if
fully utilized, of developing a power Of
1900 horses for nearly nine hours every
day. The most promising means of
adapting this vast energy to mans pur-
poses seems to be the conversion Of
the heat into electricity, and tie pro
ductlon of economical apparatus fol
ef1ectiDg this result is now eagerly
awaited
OCEAN waves caused by earthquake.
sometimes exert q tremendous moment
cry force upon the shores of the sea, nj.
though their geolcgi action is snail
compared with the incessantly-operating
of the smaller waves At the Lisbon
earthquake Of l775, the oceanic wave
had a height along the Tagus of 4(
feet, at Cadiz of SO feet, and on The |
shores OF Madeira of Is feet. The earth |
quake in 1746 III Peru produced wave
which carried frigate several miles in |
land, deluging the city Of Lima at dis
lance of seven miles from the coast.
The effects of sea-water upon land |
have been thus determined at German |
station of experimental agriculture . |
Land that has been submerged by sea |
HHte,r fenerallv groves sterile for. some |
years. This can be traced to the coop |
Grafton of the three following chemical |
causes, in addition to the mechanical in.
juries produced by the inundation Tc |
the introduction of too great proper
ton of chlorine salts to the Microscopic |
quality communicated to it, preventing |
it from drying properly; thirdly, from |
the formation of green vitriol or sui. |
phate of iron, which is known to exert 0
very prejudicial effect upon plant growth
Land which has thus been damaged |
should be drained as quickly as possible.
sown with grass and clover, and allowed |
to rest Experience shows that it recov |
ers its fertility sooner if treated in this |
way than if cultivated all the year round |
as arabic land