St. Landry democrat., 1882-05-27

The Central Bureau OF the weather
service of France receives daily ninety
seven kilograms from foreign parts, and
fifty-two from France, From these
Geographic reports the weather proba-
bilities are calculated for eight agricul-
tural and four maritime districts. to
which warnings are telegraphed.
Eighty-two per cent of the predictions
thus sent out have been justified.
The question Of the existence #
earth tides, or oscillations OF the earth S
crust corresponding to those produce d
in the sea by the attraction of the moon,
is being Investigated by British com
mission. A pendulum is suspended
that it's slightest motion turns miro +
and causes the point Of light reflected
by it upon distant screen to move
very perceptibly. The pendulum is
proved to be in continual change of po-
sition, for the motion of the reflected
| light is incessant, and so Irregular that
it is hardly possible to determine its
mean position on the screen within five
or six inches.
1t has been noticed that wines, espe-
cially when hard and acid, are improved
in flavor by the passage OF an electric
current through them. The electricity
is claimed to have the same effect as
age, mellowing the wines by the decom-
position of the bitartrate of potash.
| The electric light was used in a re-
cent search for three persons who had
| lost their way in an attempt to ascend a
peak of the Alps. The use of the light
was not successful, but the idea seems
to have been good one, and in many
| similar cases might serve to direct the
wanderers.
The tensile strength of glass has been
shown to be between 1000 and 5000
pounds per square inch, and the crush
ing strength between 5000 and 10000
pounds per square inch. By trials a
short time ago, Fraulionie found that
flooring glass, one inch square and one
foot between the end supports, breaks
under load Of 10 pounds.
A large fortune OF several million
francs was left by NJ. Henry Giifard,
the eminent engineer, who recently
died at his home in Paris, to the French
Government for use in promoting the
progress. Of scientific discovery.
An English gentleman has exhibited
ahyacinth which IN consequence of being
under stone, had blossomed six inches
below the surface of the ground. The
leaves were white, but the flowers were
deep purple.
Camels live from 40 to so years
horses average from % to 3d. oxen,
about twenty sheep, 8 or 8; and dogs,
10 to IA. Concerning the ages attained
by non-domesticated animals only few
isolated facts are known. The East In
dams believe that the life periods of ell
ephants is about 300 years, instances be-
ing recorded of these animals having
lived 100 years in confinement after
capture at an unknown age. Whales
are estimated to reach the age of 400
years. Some reptiles are very long
lived, an instance being furnished by
tortoise which was confined in 1888 and
existed until 1853, when it persisted by
an accident. Birds sometimes reach
a great age, the eagle and the swan hav-
ing been known to live 100 years.
able. The carp has been known to live
200 years; common river trout, so
years; and the pike, 80 years, while
Gesner-a swiss Observation-Disclosures that
pike caught in 1897 bore a ring record
ing the capture of the same fish 267
years before. Insects are very short
lived, usually completing the term of
their existence in a few weeks or
months. Some even perish within a
few hours after emerging from grub
state, and die on the very day of enter
ing upon their new life. AS a general
rule, not to be applied too closely, lar
ger types of animals live longer than
smaller.
Two microscopes-called the Jumbo
and the get"-formed an interest
ing exhibit at recent meeting of a
London Society. The former instru-
ment, probably made about half CEN
fury ago, was four feet and half high |
and weighad 1875 pounds; while the
Midget fully equipped for work, had |
a total height of only four inches, and |
but few ounces. Six such |
as the smaller one could be
enclosed in the eye-piece Of the larger.sa