The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1883-04-20
sc1zNrrvIc MISCELLANY.

Written expressly for the GAZETTE by celebrated
Eastern Scientist
Dr. Reklam considers that headaces and
other consequences of sleeping in rooms
containing flowers do not arise from any
special properties of the flowers them
selves, but are due TO stralnlng OF the
nerves of smell in the presence of perfumes
for an unwonted length of time. The effect
is 3, al,gous to that produced upon the eyes
by an unusual exposure to light, or on the
ears by long 3-continued sounds
A comparison of skinned with unskim-
med milk has shown Herr ). KONG that
the former is by far the cheaper and more
nutrition food for adults. 1t also appears
that, ia German markets, the price paid for
the albulninoids in SKINNED milk is lower
than that paid for them in any other com-
mon food except stock fish. For example,
a certain amount of nutritive matter from
skinned milk costs At pfennigs; while in
pork it would cost II. 4; in butter. Sl.7; and
in eggs, 20l.2.
Mons Timiriazeff informs the French
Academy that he has found the leaves of
plants to be capable Of transforming into
chemical work as much as forty per cent of
the energy absorbed by them from the suns
rays. This chemical work is the locking up
IN plant tissue of great quantity of solar
energy, which remains ready to serve
whomever shall Hberate it, the leaf being
the wonderful storage battery CT nature
which bottles the sunbeams so securely that
we are abe to apply them at pleasure to
heating cur furnaces, driving our engines
and sustaining our bodies.
Herr Jensen affr'ns that potato disease,
which is caused by q fungus, first attacks
| the tops of the plants, and is conveyed to
the tuhers hy means of spores washed into
the soil by rain. TO prevent the infection
OF the tubers he recommends running p!ow
| between the rows so as to turn up furrow
on TIE top of the hills, and then bending
the plants over the furrow. This causes
the water which washes the tops to run
away from the hills. The furrowing sholId
be done on the first appearance of the dis
ease, and, as a further precaaton, the pota-
toes should net be dug for at least two or
| three weeks after the tops are entirely
wilted. A trial of this method has given
very good results.
| Sir John Subpock states that more than a
thousand species of ants are known, and
| that is certainly far short of the number
| actually in existence.
The solar eclipse of May II, 1901, will
| exceed that of the present year in its total
phase by about half minute. The sun will
| be entirely covered for d period of six min
| utes and twenty-four seconds at the most
favorable point of observation.
! It is considered remarkable that leproey,
which the progress of civilization has driv-
en- from most parts Of Europe, should still
| flourish in Norway. State returns show
that such is the case, although the number
of lepers in that country has decreased from
| 2005 at the end of 1875 to 1882 at the end
of 1880. The disease is attributed to the
use Of food-particuiarly fsh-in an un-
| wholesome condition, and also to uncleanli.
ness.
| A Parisi4n has announced new explo-
| sive-''panelastite" which he claims to be
more powerful than dynamite.
For lighting mines Mons. Mangin has
proposed the use of incandescent electric
lamps immersed in water contained in glass
/ globes. The safety or such an apparatus
| has been demonstrated by placing it i'll the
middle of balloon filled with hydrogen.
The idea has become current that sub
marine telegraphic cables do not last more
than ten years, but, according to Sir Dan
iei Gooeh. II. P, repairs on one of the At
lantic lines Last year showed the cable to be
still i'll good order after submergence of
| thirteen years
Some curious stones are found in many
| parts of Switzerland. They are smooth,
Hat evidently hand polished, and are COW
ersd with dots, lines, circles and half circles
In the opinion of Herr Rodiger, these stones
| are charts of the country made by prehis-
toric inhabitants, and he claims to possess a
collection OF stones picked up in Solothurn
which form together map Of the entire
canton. The dots are seen to correspond
with towns and villages now in existence,
and the lines with roads now open Even
| fords and mountain passes are indicated
The stones mostly discovered at inter
walls of about six miles, and at spots where
several roads meet. Ii Herr Rodiger is
right in his conjecture, the yet-existing
places whose sites are marked ON the stone
charts must date from very early period
In the experience of Herr Willermoz a
plentiful application. to s:ckly plants of
water heated to about $50 degrees Fahren-
heit has resulted benefeisNy. He supposes
that the warm water aissoives away from
the roots certain acid substances which in
terfere with the plants growth
The Horse.
Wehave received quantity of treaties
on the horse, which we propose to give
away to every subscriber paying in sdvaac-,
requested, whether personally, or y