Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1882-01-05
Scientific Miscellany.

Considerable interest is now
ielt in ballooning, and the low
ers OF eronautics are evidently
determined that something shall
be done to increase the useful
ness of this department of SCI
ence. The balloon society
formed in England some months
ago is now followed by a SINH
lar association in Berlin which
intends to hold an eronautical
exhibition at some time during
1882. Among the plans pro-
posed to the British Balloon
Society, is that of a balloon to
be kept under control by means
of compressed gas. The gas
would be stored in a suitable
tank under pressure, and the
balloon would be reduced in
size or enlarged at pleasure by
admitting or withdrawing gas
which might be effected by SIM
ply turning a crank. The bal
loon would of course fall when
reduced in size and rise as it
became expanded, so that bal
last and waste OF gas would be
rendered unnecessary. I'M
provement in another direction
is still sought by eronauts who
are striving to travel conSidera-
Bile distances in predetermined
courses. Little success has att
tended these efforts. The most
important ballooniug scheme
now before the public is Com
mander Cheyne's project fori
reaching the North Pole. h.
proposes to travel by sea as 4
as practicable, and to compl
the distance to the pole in i5
mense balloons. He is "
sanguine of success. 1t {
be sincerely hoped tina
thought and money now
devoted to air navigation
lead to useful results. Prd
thus far has been very
and it must be confessed {
little material advance has be
made since the time of Mon
COLLIER.
DR.. Born, Of Breslau, h
found that when young tadpol
are fed, exclusively upon Cd
tain articles of diet an astonis
ing preponderance of females
developed. The proportion
the case of 1910 tadpoles thu
reared reached ninety-6ve pen
cent. The experiments of M.
Yung also show that special
food has a remarkable effect
upon the development of sex in
tadpoles.
How greatly would human
knowledge be narrowed had
the microscope never existed !
This wonderful instrument has
not only revealed the magni-
tude and importance of the I'M
seen world about US, and shown
US many hidden marvels, but it
has furnished a means of study
ing disease which will never
cease to be an inestimable
boon. 1t has shown that the
animal body is preyed upon by
a variety of organisms, produc-
ing diseases whose cause would
have never been suspected with
out its aid. The knowledge
thus gained has in several in
stances led TO the discovery of
methods of rendering the at
tacks of the minute parasites
comparatively harmless, thus
conquering certain dreaded
maladieS Observations of this
kind are only of very recent
date, but the progress made has.
been very remarkable. All ep-
idemic or contagious diseases
are now believed to be due to
microscopic organisms in the
blood, and it appears quite
probable that NJ. Pasteur's plan
of vaccination may ere long be
successfully applied to all all
ments Of this kind with the re-
suit of greatly reducing their
ravages. 1t is hoped that these
new ideas concerning disease
may soon lead to a material
lessening of the death-rate from
such widespread disorders as
scarlet and typhus fevers and
diphtheria. Truly great is the
work OF the microscope.
In 1885 a prize of twenty-five
thousand francs, offered by the
king of the Belgians, is to be
awarded for the best work on
means and measures for max
ing the study of geography
general and furtheung instruc-
ton in that science in educa-
tIonal institutions.
In a new work Paul Du Chail-
lu describes a curious scene, en-
countered by him in I-apland,
illustrative of the habits of the
most generally known of Arc
tic animals. On entering a for
est he suddenly found himself
in the midst of a great number
of reindeer which were digging
through the snow for the moss
of which they are SO fond. All
except the younger ones were
working Justify, evidently being
very hungry. They dug first
with one fore-foot, then with
the other, the holes gradually
becoming larger and larger, and