The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1883-02-03
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


the Pic du Midi observatory was recently
examined, when it was found that of the
1S4 thunder storms observed from 1878
to 1882 only % were produced at !. height
above 770O feet.
The metals which are usually regarded
as fixed-even iron-have been found by
Mons. Demarcay to emit real vapors at
relatively. low temperatures. Cadmium,
for instance, volatilizes. at 257 degrees
aud gfnc at 3oo degrees.
Mons FREDERICK has proven that tho
blood Of crabs and other crustace ans has
the saline constitution and the strong
and bitter taste of the waters they in-
i habit. The blood of seat fishes does not
partake of these peeuliarities of the
water, and thus shows great superior
ity over that of crabs.
| Wheat grains have a vitality which
resists intense cold. After having been
exposed for five years to the varying
summer and winter temperature of
eighty-one degrees sixteen minutes north
| latitude, three hundred grains of wheat
weS, sown in Australia and sixty of them
germinated, producing plants from three
to fonr feet high, with ears containing
thirty grains each.
Prof. Feser of Munich has been cndeav-
| oring to show that u connection exists
between diet and liability to infectious
diseases. In trials made on rats in
ocnlated with the poison of cattle dis
temper he demonstrated the fact that the
animals which had been fed on vegeta-
ble diet were quickly attacked by the
disease, while those which had been fed
on meat exclusively resisted tho effects
of the incubation.
1t has been. calculated, according to
Prof Schuster, that if the sun were made
Of the hardest steel and thoroughly mag
netized the distance between it and the
earth is so great that it could not affect
our magnets. The connection between
the sun and the earth, whereby magnetic
storms occur Oh our planet Immediately
after the appearance ofsunspots, is there
fore one of the greatest scientific mystic
ries of this age. Thus far the efforts of
physicists have utterly failed to accouas
for such phenomena.
Mons. Potel has produced new sub
stance, which he calls "poteline," from
mixture Of gelatine, glycerine and tan
min. He claims that the compound is
absolutely impervious to air, and among
the purposes to which he has applied it
is the preservation of meat.o 1t becomes
nearly liquid at temperature of liz de-
grees, and spreads over The meat killing
the germs Of putrefaction and preventing
the entrance of new germs. Mons. Potel
asserts that all the freshness of meat, thus
treated will be retained for two months
In the course of comparison of the
size of the planets, a somewhat imagin
ative astronomer remarks: "Apply the
principle that attraction is in proportion
to the mass, and man who weighs $50
pounds OH the earth weighs 396 on Jnpi-
tor and only 58 OH Mars while on the
Asteroids he could play with bowlders
for marbles, hurl hills like Milton's an
gels, leap into theffsl story windows with
ease, tumble over precipices without
harm, and go around the little worlds at
seven jumps"
Asses milk is an excellent substitute
for human milk, and at the Paris Hos
pifal for Assisted Children all infants
which for any reason are deprived of
human nursing are now allowed to suck
directly from the teats of asses. The ef-
fccncy of this method of feeding is best
shown by statistics. During a period of
six months, elghty-six children afflicted
with congenital aud contagious diseases
were fed at the Paris institution. Six
received cows milk from IL bottle, and
only one recovered; Of the forty two
nursed at the teat of the goat, eight re-
covered and thirty-fo died; and of
thirty eight nursed at tho teat of the
ass, twenty-eight recovered and only ten
died.
To test the effect of rarefel mir on the
animal system, Drs. j. Gcppart and 4.
Fraenkel have experimental OH q dog by
enclosing the animal in u box from which
the air could bs gradually withdrawn
while the results were being watched
through a glass window in the box. No
effect seemed to be produced until the
pressure was reduced to half an atmos-
phere, WREN the animal beca me restless
and his respiration grew deeper and
faster at little further rarefaction, the
become uncertain and giddy;
at third of an atmosphere, the animal
fell into a deep sleep, which it was found
could be suffered to last for six or seven
hours without proving fatal; but at a
little more than a'fifth of an atmosphere,
paroxysns of dificult breathing and
convulsions soon caused death. Aeron-
ants are affected in this way during bal
loon ascents, but the symptoms occur be-
fore the air becomes nearly so rarefed,
which is quite likely due to the action of
the cold encoun tered by balloonists.
The little steamer Welcome, running