St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-03-18
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

scopic organisms of fermentation and
disease-have become so frequent that
this classification of their varieties by
Mr.. w. Hamlet may be of interest: 1.
Microbes which appear as points are
called monads, moner0 or mtcr0coccd.
They are motiOnless, and may be re-
garded as the spores of other microbes.
2. Motionless linear microbes-the bac-
teridians and the bacili. To them be-
longs Bacillus anthracis, which produces
the dreaded splenic fever OF cattle and
sheep. 8. Cylindrical mobile microbes,
having rounded ends or contracted III
the middle so as to form an 8, are the
bacteria proper. Among them is Bac-
teyium termO of the pntrefaction, the
commonest Of all. 4. Flexuous mobile
microbes. They look and act like cells.
and differ but little from the equally
active bacteria. They are the uib'ios.
5. Spiral microbes, resembling cork
screw, and mobile; Spirilla spirochetoe.
Their presence in human blood appears
to be connected with intermittent fever
having globules larger and more re-
fractive than the rest OF the body at
one or both ends. These globules are
apparently spores ready to be detached
from IA Bdcterium cdpitdtam.
Besides these six principal states, the
micrDBes from agglomerations in which
their appearance is some what changed,
these masses receiving distinctive
names. There seems to be no way at
present Of distinguishing between
disease-producing bacterium and a
harmless one by sight.
1t has lately been proven experlmen,
tally that calolnel may be decomposed
IN the human system with the forma-
ZION of corrosive sublimate-a power
full poison.
Observations by NJ. Laulanie, Of Tou-
louise. show that something very ike
tuberculosis is produced in the lungs
Of dogs by Il nematoid worm.
Recent behring's indicate the existence
of workable coalseams underneath
London.
Tn view Of the ravages of the phyl-
loxera, which have so seriously inter-
fered with vine-growing, a french
arriculturist has sought to discover
Substitute for the vine, and is said to
have obtained very good results with
a variety of red beet. This beet yields
a wine which is said to be equal to
many Of southern growth, and the
plant has the advantage OF being adap-
ted to all soils and climates.
Prof. Blyth, lecturing at Glasgow,
has called attention to the adaptablllty
of the oxyhydrogen light for general
use. The illumination is very brilliant
and beautiful, the gases may be stored
and delivered in the same manner as
coal-gas and he believes that the sys-
tenn may be made economical by using
wind or water power to produce the
gases.
Several interesting archaeological
" finds'' in Europe are reported. Near
Caltanisetta, Sicily, several caverns
have been found, which are evidently
burial places dating from the period
when the ancient Sicilians had already
been ousted by the Italian tribes, but
before the Greek colonization had be-
gun. FAT Nordrup, Denmark, the, re-
mains of seven human bodies have
been found under few feet OF pumlce
stone, numerous bronze OBJECTS, gold
rings, Roman glasses, mosaics, glass
beads, etc., being also discovered
among the remains.
Astronomers knowledge Of the re-
markable ring of small planets travel,
ling between the orbits OF Mars and
Jupiter commenced with the first day!
of the present century, when PlaZzl
which he named Ceres. Other discov-
cries followed at irregular intervals
until, in 1916, the number OF these
small planets-or asteroids, as they are
usually called-was increased to tive.
Since that year the list has extended
very rapidly, and 800 have now been
discovered. No estimate can be formed
Of the total number of the asteroids.
They are very small, and Severrier has
computed that their combined mass is
probably less than one-fourth OF the
earth's mass. From the size OF Vesta,
which is estimated to be 319 miles In
Aminuteness. Herr Hornstein has COM
@municated to the Vienna Academy the
result of recent researches, which APP
pear to prove that the number OF aste-
roids with diameter of over 25 miles
is extremely small, and that probably
all such were discovered before 1899.
The number with diameter less than
five miles seems also to be very small,
at least in the inner parts of the aste-
roid zone next Mars in the outer re-
gions next Jupiter there may be more
considerable number of these very
small bodies. Most asteroids seem to
have diameters between five and fit
teen miles. The average number with
a diameter of five to ten miles dis
covered during the last twenty years
is about three each year; the yearly
number Of ten to fifteen miles diameter
is about one and three-tifths. Herr
Hornstein believes, therefore, that IN
less much more powerful telescopes are
used future discoveries of asteroids
will be chiefly confined to those measur-
ing five to fifteen miles in diameter.
AGooD HoUsE.-A good housewife
when she is giving her house it's spring
renovating, should bear in mind that
the daar inmates of her house are more