The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-02-15


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Considerable interest is now felt
in bai,ooning, and the lovers "f ae-
ronaulics are evidently determined
that something shall ,e done " in
creaee til- si'u asSs uf i ais depart,
meut of science. The balloon socie-
ty form.d la Enyl..sd so,ne iaonths
ago is now followed by a similar as
sociation in Berlin which intends to
hold an aeronautical exhibition
some .,ne during 1882. Among the
plans proposed to the British bal
loon society, is that of a balloon to
be kept under control by means of
compressed gas. The gas would be
stored in suitable tank under pres
sure, and the balloon would be re-
duced in size or enlarged at pleasure
by admitting or withdrawing gas
which might be effected by simply
turning crank. The balloon would
of course fall when reduced in size
and rise as it became expanded, SO
that ballast and waste of oas would
be rendered unnecessary. Improve
ment in another direction Is still
sought by aeronauts who are striv-
ing to travel considerable distances
in predetermined courses. Little
success has attended these efforts.
The most important ballooning
scheme now before the public is
Commander Cheyne's project Tor
reaching the north pole. He pro-
poses to travel by sea as far rs prac-
ficable and to complete the distance
to the pole in immense balloons.
He is very sanguine of success. 1t
is to be sincerely hoped that the
thought and money now being de-
voted 10 air navigation may lead to
useful results. Progress titus far
/ has been very slow, and it must be
confessed thatli material advance
has been made since the time OF
Montgolfer. !,
DIR. Born, of Breslau, has found
that when young tadpoles are fed
exclusively upon certain articles OF
diet an astonishing preponderance
of females are developed. The pro-
portion in the case of 1870 tadpoles
thus reared reached 80 per cent.
The experiments of NJ. Young al
SO show that special food has a re-
markable effect upon the develop
ment of sex in tadpoles.
How greatly would human
knowledge be narrowed had the mi
croscope never existed ? This won
derful instrument has not only re-
vealed the magnitude and impor-
lance of the unseen world about us,
and shown us many hidden mar
vels. but it has furnished Us with
means of studying disease which
will never cease to be an inestima-
bic boon. 1t shows that the animal
life is preyed upon bya variety OF
organisms, producing disease whose
cause would never have been sus-
pected without It's aid. The knowl-
edge thus gained has in several in
stances led to the discovery OF meth
DDS of rendering the attacks OF these
minute parasites comparatively
harmless, thus conquering certain
dreaded maladies. Observations of
this kind are only of very recent
a.to Int the prooress made has been
yery remarkable. All epidemic or
contagious diseases are now, believed
to be due to microscopic organisms
in the blood, and it appears quite
probable that VI. Posteurs plan oi
vaccination may ere long be success
fully applied to all ailments OF tins
kind with the result of greatly re,
ducing their ravages. II Is hoped
that these new ideas concerning
disease may soon lead to Il lessenine
ofthe death-rate from such wide
spread disorders as scarlet and ty'
phus levers and diphtheria. Truly
great is the work of the microscope.
In 1885 prize of twenty-five
thousand francs, offered by the king
of the Belgians, is to be awarded ior
the best work on means and meas
ure for making the study of Geogra-
phy general and furtherlng that
science in educational institutions.
In new work Paul Du Challlu
describes curious scene, encounter
ed by him in Lapland, Illustrative
of the habits of the most generally
known of Arctic animals. On enter
ing a forest he suddenly found him
self in the midst of great number
of reindeer which were digging
through the SHOW for the moss OF
which they are so fond. All ex-
cept the younger ones were working
busily, evidently very hungry
They dug first with one fore-ioot
then with the other, the holes grad
ually becoming larger and larger
and the bodies Of the animals
becoming more hidden. The snow
was about four feet in depth, and
some of the holes had been dug SC
| far that nothing save their swayinG
tails could be seen OF some OF the
reindeer. In every direction these
busy creatures were to he seen toll
ing with the sole object of reaching
the moss covered by snow.
Late measurements of the carbon
ic acid existing at considerable
heights above the earth's surface ap
pear to show that the gas is pretty
evenly distributed throughout ON
atmosphere.
Hen Lice and Kerosene.