Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-10-11
CURIOUS, USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC
FISHING WITH ELECTRICITY.

lowered at nlS06 1uLO Tic sea. Lie re-
suit was that thousands of fish Of all
kinds were attached to it's brilliant light.
Boats furnished with nets closed in, and
made great haul of fish.
ELECTRICITY FROM MACHINERY.
Dr.. Werner Siemens has been exam
lining the production of electricity under
very peculiar conditions. In a Berlin
brewery electricity was developed to
such an extent as to alarm the workmen
and iMpress them with an idea of de-
moniacal agency, continuous stream OF
sparks being produced from malt when
passing through the shoot from the malt
ing floor. DR.. W. Siemens discovered
that this was due to the insulation pro-
duced by an asphalte floor, which rem
dered the malting-room large Leyden
jar.
MATHEMATICAL CORN.
There are some curious things about
corn. and one is where do the red ears
and the speckled ears come from when
you do not plant any but white corn;
and another is why don't we find an ear
with aa odd number of rows on it ? You
can find four-leaf clover, but / have
never found the odd row on an ear of
corn yet. It is always, fourteen, or SIX
teen, or twenty, or some even number,
and would like to understand what corn
knows about mathematics, and what OBJ
lection nature has to odd numbers. -
atlanta Constitution.
ENVELOPES SECURED.
The fact is familiar to all that an or
binary envelope may readily be opened
by moistening the paper over the gum,
after which operation, if done neatly,
the contents may be noted and the
missive again sealed and sent to its des-
tination. A perfect safety envelope,
however-not one admitting of any such
manipulation-may, it is said, be Sc
cured by treating that part OF the paper
covered by the flap with solution of
chronic acid, ammonia, sulphuric acid,
sulphate of copper and fine white paper.
The flap itself is coated with solution
of isinglass in acetic acid, and when this
is moistened and pressed down on the
under side of the envelope solid cement
is formed, insoluble in acids, steam,
water, etc.
HOW MIRROR WAS RESILvERED.
A new and very efficient process has
the Leverrier telescope. This mirror IS
more than forty inches in diameter.
The plan adopted was this: A rim of
gutta-percha and plaster was constructed
around the rim, SO that the mirror form
ing the bottom q sort of basin was
formed into which the silvering solution
was poured, the operation terminating
with the application of the usual Leon
Foucault method of finishing. The
trouble and risk of turning over the
heavy mass of glass, weighing 600 kilO-
grams, was thus obviated. When it is
remembered that the mirror requires
silvering every three years or SO the
success of the operation will be the
more valued. The curvature of the
glass is as perfect as may be, and it will
be restricted for use mostly in planetary
spectrum analysis.
THE ENGLISH CHALK LEDGES.
There are certain strange and mystic
rious excavations in the chalk lodges of
Kent and Essex, in England, locally
known as "deck holes" and which have
exercised the ingenuity of antiquarians.
The common people regard them with
| superstitiOus awe as being the work OF
denizens of another world. The Essex
Field Club has, however, entered upon
the work of exploring these holes, and
accounting for their origin. The gen
eral opinion of scientists seems to be
that they are the work of prehistoric
men. and that engagements OF many OF
the original holes have since
taken place at a period when iron picks
| xr,oTo T1cod 10 ,,or1oT,
| plausibility, that the primeval races of
men who roamed over these downs, made
these excavations In the soft chalk as
pitfalls to catch the game, which they
were not skillful enough to shoot with
their rude arrows.
AUTUMN LEAVES.
It is stated by those who ought to
know that the autumn coloring of the
leaves of the maple, oak and other trees
on the American Continent is not due to
the action of frost, but TO certain chemi-
Cal changes which accompany the ripen-
ing of the leaves. American naples
taken over to Europe will perfect their
foliage for years-that is, the brilliant
coloring will be put on-but they rapid
ly lose the habit, and in few years the
leaves fall from the trees while still
green, according to the habit of the
European species. Mr.. T. Meehan, the
well-known Philadelphia horticulturist,
now says that in the New Jersey
marshes there are many trees Of
European species which, though failing
to color their leaves at their home,
manage to put on the most brilliant hues
here. Mr.. Meehan also mentions from
his knowledge that, in some parts of this
country, imported European trees dc
not assume the autumn colors, even after
the trees have been raised from seed, for
several generations. Hence it would
seem that the cause. of the color is eli.
matte, but that the same causes do not
operate in all parts of this continent.
HUNGER AND APPETITE.
DIR. Fournie, the French Psychologist,
distinguishes between hunger and ap.
petite by describing the former as a gen.
eral desire for food, no matter of what
Il IL. L. e