The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-12-08
Scientific Miscellany.

Scientific Miscellany.
The soy bean (Soja hispida) APP
proaches more nearly to animal food in
its proximate composition than any
other known vegetable production, be-
ing singularly rich in fat and in al
buminoids. This bean forms all
important article of food in Japan and
China, where dozen or more varieties
are known. OF late numerous attempts
have been made to acclimatize il in
several European countries, some OF
the experiments having been reported
quite successful.
The great red spot OH the planet
Jupiter is reported by some observers
to be growing fainter, with The prospect
of an carly disappearance. Others can
detect no change. This remarkable
object, nearly 10000 miles in length
and more than 5000 in breadth, which
has for more than three years MAIN
tanned its size and shape without
material change while moving across
Jupiter's surface, is still source Of
much perplexity to astronomers.
Philosophers have told us that all
energy upon the earth must have been
brought into existence by solar in
fluence. Prof. Milne has, however,
called the attention OF the Scismological
Society of Japan to the fact that one
vast reservoir of cnorgy, quito indcpon
dent of the sun, has been overlooked
viz, the earth's internal heat. 1t is not
impossible that the surface outcrop.
pings of this ;nexhaustible supply of
FOREGROUND in volcanoes, hot springs
and the likc-may in the near future be
used TO generate electricity for trans.
mission to neighboring cities, where it
may be put TO practical service.
A new substance, estimated to pos.
sess from twenty TO thirty times the
sweetness of cane sugar, has beer
described to German society by DIR
Constantine Fahlberg. To chemists
the new body will be known as "an
Observation-Disclosures acid"
bfiv. veeor;o vision has separated
ruled lines rs fine as 113,G00 to tht
inch, but, according to Prof. Rogers
the evidence that finer lines than tina
have been resolved under the micro
scope is not conclusive.
Mons. Toussaint has shown exper
mentally the serious danger of eating
meat nearly raw as is now so generally
done. If the meat is unsound, th'
germs of disease must paas into th'
ystcm unless they are destroyed b,
heat bcfore the meat is eaten. TIL,
most frequent and dangerous malad.
with which animals slaughtered 70
food are affected is consumption, an'
even if the animal is only slightly dis
cased persons eating the uncooke'
meat are liable 10 infection. The raw
iuice pressed from slightly afiecfe'
, cows lung was used 10 inoculat
healthy rabbits and young pigs, and al
the subjects died in short time from
the disease. The experiment was re
pcated with portion of the juic
which had been partially cooked, AM
the result was the same. Thoroug
9 IN hn
is recon mended as precaution IN
safe to neglect, us only this ensures th
, entire destruction of the diseas
I germs.
7 Herr Gruber has been studying tn
, sense of hearing in insects, and find
S that cockroaches, beetles and certai
: aquatic insects are very sensitive
sounds, while grubs, ants and variou
. water larvae appear TO be unaffected b
1 them.
Recent evidence seems TO indicat
that vegetable matter may, unde
certain conditions, be converted int
coal much more rapidly than man
, geologists have believed TO be possibl
;, AT least an approach to such conyersio
: has been discovered in the mines c
: the Upper Hariz, in Germany, wher
some of the timbers originally used 8
. supports have been changed into
= substance which appears to be genuin
:, Ignite, or brown coal. 1t is believe
that the process cannot have extende
beyond four centuries-a a very brie
= period compared with that usually as
signed to coal formation.
@ A committee of the British Associs
/. ton for the Advancement of ScienC
If has ascertained that the maximum
pressue of the winds on small plan
n surfaces exceeds ninety pounds to IL
square foot. The pressure over lare
t, areas is matter of much uncertaint.
II An exchange tells us that sunflowe
is arc an antidote TO malaria, but fails