St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-08-18
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
An enormous quantity of water pass
es through the roots Of plants. An En-
glish experimenter has ascertalned that.
for every pound of mineral matter as
simulated by plant an average OF
1000 pounds of water is absorbed. At
the French Agricultural Observatory OF
Montsouris it was found that. in rich
soil 727 pounds of water passed through
the roots of wheat plants for every
pound of grain produced while in
very poor soil 1893 pounds passed
through the wheat roots for each pound
of grain.
According to DR.. Quesneville, water
has been kept in a potable condition
for more than three years by adding to
it half gain OF salicylic acid. This
treatment is especially recommended
for water carried by expeditions to
warm climates.
Prof. Leidy has related the case OF
the sudden death of a COW, which was
MIXED one night (when it appeared
perfectly ,welD and died the next
morning. "A number of deaths under
like circumstances having previously
taken place in the same herd, an ex-
animation Of this COW was made, when
the spleen was found to be gorged with
blood teeming with the organisms
known as BaciM anthracis, which are
regarded as the cause of splenic fever.
This observation has led correspond
ent Of the London Lancet to suggest
that parts of cattle which had been
killed while suffering from this disease
may sometimes be used for oleomar-
.garine, and as sufficient heat is not en-
ploved in the manufacture of that sub
stance to kill the bacili, consumers of
oleomargarine must run some risk OF
contagion.
Human languages says Mons. Ju-
lien Vinzon, s'appear to have grown
like trees in a wood, which in the first
stage are as numerous as possible but
are soon reduced to a few individuals,
of which very small number attain
their full term of life. Numerous as
were at first the local manifestations
of human beings, the primordial lam
auages were as innumerable.
The locality of one original home Of
the potato is settled by Mr.. John G..
Lemmon's discovery last season OF this
nlant in the mountains of Arizona. one
variety was found near the summit of a
peak 10000 feet high. From the wild
plants Mr.. Lennon obtained some
seeds, with several quarts Of young tu-
bers, and these viii be distributed
among careful experimenters for cultl-
vation. It is hoped that the result will
be new and vigorous race Of potatoes
to take the place of the degenerated va
rieties now grown. 8
Mr.. a. FL. Keane has described Krao,
d seven year old female child now at
the London Royal Aquarium, who is
sensationally claimed by her exhibitor
to be tile long-sought "missing-link" !"
between man and the higher apes. krao
is fairly intelligent, and her short stay
among civilized people has already
caused her to dislike her old savage as
.sociates. She has several physical Pc
&culiarities, the chief Of which are a
forehead covered with thick black hair
down to the bushy eyebrows, a growth
OF hair about quarter Of an inch long
over her body, prehensible feet and re-
snarkably flexible hands. Mr.. Keane
sfnds, however, the point of chief inter-
est to be Krao's history, which seems to
5ndicate the existence Of hairy race OF
neople in a part Of India now chiefly
occupied by almost hairless mongoloid
r,eoples. Krao and her parents also
hairy people-were found last year by
Mr.. Carl Book, and another hairy faml-
~ which came from the same region is
said to have been known.