The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1883-12-15
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Oef I'LL acI OI LI6 bflblSn nfdFildInent relating
| to the sale of food, proved to be impure. OF
milk 1000 samples were tested, and about
one-hfth were condemned.
From an investigation covering 1913 OBJ
| servations made in the course of three years,
Prof. A. Hall of Washington has calculated
that the mass of the sun is 3482. times that
of the planet Saturn, the second in size of
| the eight great planets of our solar system.
Prof. A. Graham Bell contends that deaf
mutes should be taught the use of the vocal
organs and the reading of the lips, and
should be educated in the public schools.
The practice now pursued of placing the
dren who hear he believes is distinctly tend
ing to the development of deaf race of
people.
Prof. j. Koinig proposes to purify town
sewage, and the waste waters of slaughter
houses, dye works, breWeries, ETC., by al
lowing them to trickle over network of
! wire, thus exposing large surface to oxi-
dlzlng action of the atmosphere. He rec
ommends that the coarser impurities should
! first be removed by means of settling tanks.
1t is remarked by Mr.. Ernest Ingersoll
that If we judge by the standard of their
possessing a convenient currency. we must
rank the American Indians high among
savage nations in point of advantage to-
ward civilization. In their wampum they
had regular money whose value was al
most rs we'll defined as is that of our own
gold and silver coinage.
| remarkable phenomenon was lately OBJ
served at Harrington, Sweden. During a
| perfectly calm evening a violent whirlwind
arose from the southeast, when brilliant
meteor suddenly appeared in the zenith,
Travelled to the northwest and burst near the
| horizon. AS the meteor disappeared the
| wind quickly ceased, the whole phenomenon
lasting only about sixty seconds.
| A Norwegian speculator short time ago
conceived the idea that whales flesh, of
which immense quantities are wasted,
might be preserved and utilized as food.
He has accordingly made experiments which
he thinks prove that the preserved meat
may be cooked in various ways to form
delicious and wholesome article of Diet the
cost being much less than that of canned
beef. Whales flesh is eaten every fishing
season by the crews of whaling vessels.
In experiments in scientific agriculture,
Prof. W. FL. Jordan has found phosphoric
acid from boneblack superphosphate to in
crease the yield of wheat more than any
other plant food. The addition of potassa,
and especially of potassa and nitrogen,
gave an increase of grain, and still more of
straw. Farm-yard manure produced less
decided increase of the crop than a COM
plete dressing with artificial manures. Lime,
| ground limestone and gypsum had little or
no effect.
According to DIR. John @. Peters, veter-
| mary authorities have recognized scarlet
fever as disease of horses from a period
as early as the year 1914. These animals
| and human beings are affected differently.
In the former the disease proceeds out of
some previous ailnept, while IN mankind
It always occurs BY itself Ir hn,ss 9, $. IISs s
case are common and give no uneasiness,
In the other are sure precursors of death
| While on the ice of Greenland last sum-
mer, Baron Nordenskjold's party expe-
rienced not only snow blindness, with which
Arctic travellers are so familiar, but also q
painful blistering of the skin of the face,
produced by the sunshine in the dry, trans
parent and thin air. The blisters caused
the skin of the nose, ears and cheeks to peel
off in large patches. This was repeated sew
eral times during the journey of the party,
and the pain was increased by the effect of
! the cold morning air ON the newly-formed
| skin. The sun has no similar effect in the
| tropics.
One of the results of Koch's great discov-
! cry of the parasites of tuberculosis or con-
sumption is the determined effort which is
now being made to cope with this dread
disease. The questions as to its contagious
ness and heredity are being Systematically
| studied in Austria, as well as III Germany
and England. A circular has been sent to
5000 physicians of Austria, requesting them
to give particulars of any cases which they
consider to have proved the contagiousness
| of the disease, particulars of cases of sup
posed heredity, and of cases believed to
have been completely cured.
An interesting acoustic apparatus, called
the "electro- ma gnetophone, was shown
at the Munich electrical exhibition. The
| instrument consists of tin disk fixed at
the bottom of hollow cone, and having
| above 1t an electromagnetic, and beneath it
a mercury cup into which dips metallic
point. When the electric current passes,
the electromagnetic attracts the disk and
breaks the contact with the mercury, the
current ceases to pass. and the contact is
restored, SO that the disk is set in rapid:mo-
tions per second. An intense sound is pro-
duced which it is thought may be made
sufficiently loud to serve as fog signal.
While many sea-serpent stories have had
their origin in illusion, and others in fc-
..lanations can hardly be applied to some of
The accounts which have been given con-
corning the appearance of strange marine
monsters. He says: "The fact really is that
so far from the belief being absurd that
creatures hitherto unknown exist in the
depths of the sea, the wonder rather would
be if men knew oil, or even half, of the in
habitants of the ocean. 1t is astonishing
how few of the denizens of the deep ever
show themselves. In a sea journey lasting
many weeks one may see shoal or two Of
porpolses, whale Or two, or the spouting
of whales in the distance, few sharks, fly
ing fish, and SO forth, but not one in mill
ion even of the sea creatures which have
been near the ship. For one sea creature
which has occasion to come near the sur
face there are millions which never show
themselves. doubt if even half of the
races of fish are known. That there are
marine creatures, also, other than fish, pass
ing all their time beneath the sea surface
except when some occasional, and as it were
accidental circumstances may compel one
of the race to come to the top, may be held
to be absolutely certain. The doubts which
have been flung on sea-serpent narratives
persons, are not scientific doubts, but the
doubts of smatterers, who imagine that an
air of doubt is an air of wisdom"
Time to Stop 1t.
It's too bad, Sir or Madam, but don't gel
frightened. Your hair is falling of-that' g Ger
tain. glance in the mirror, or an inyestiga
ting committee of fingers tell the dismal story
We won't discuss the probable cause. 1t il
, enough that ParkeI's Hair Balsam used nov
will prevent furtksr destruction. Is your hal
, somewhat gray. too. and crisp?. Alas, yes. Th
Baisam Will give back the original color. soft
ness and gloss. Not a dye, not oily. elegantl
perfumed, a perfect dressing.
Though Mr.. Vanderbilt's tomb will oc
cupy some nine acres in all, against on
for Mr.. Gould, the latter will spend 800
I, 900 in the construction of his tomb, Will
Vanderbilt's will cost only $4,000.