St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-04-28
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

A report by Mons. Girard, director OF
,the paris Municipal Laboratory, gives
some interesting information concern
ine the adulterations by which the
French people are victimized: Inc
most extensive imposture OF TINS klna
seems 10 be the adulteration OF Hour,
which is mixed with various mineral
substances often of a poisonous ma
ture. It has been certainly ascertalned
that artificial fours are Imported into
France from Rotterdam, containing as
much as 80 per cent of plaster and 20
ner cent of sulphate of baryta OF 81
.f1ours examined at the laboratory only
13 proved to be genuine, all the others
being adulterated.
Adaptation is an evolution theory
which has received strong confirmation.
One of its principle is that organs or
functions of living creatures gradually
disappear if unused. A familiar illus
tration is furnished by the blind fish OF
caves, whose eyes through long disuse
have been reduced to rudimentary
and sightless state. It appears, howev-
4er, that the evolution view does not al
ways hold good, if it be true, as lately
stated. that in some European instances
mice have been raised in absolute dark
ness for many generations without ap-
oearing to have lost in the slightest de-
gree the sensitiveness of the eye to
aight.
OF hundred peas preserved in the
free air by Messrs. Van Tieghem and
Castor BONNER, ninety afterward ger
minated of hundred enclosed with
air in a sealed tube, only forty five !;
while Of like LOT kept in carbonic acid
gas, none grew. Similar results were
obtained with other seeds, showing
clearly that all seed should be stored
where pure air may have full access to
them.
Aa substitute for cod-liver oil which
has met with considerable favor is ex-
tracted from the dugong, an herbivo-
rous cetacean inhabiting the warm seas
near Australia and the Eastern Archl-
pelago. The dugong oil is free from
the unpleasant ordor and taste so OBJ
Iectionable in cod-liver oil, and is less
liable to change in keeping.
Al volcanic eruption from the Kara
bestow mountain in the Caucasus is re-
ported. This mountain has not before
shown volcanic phenomena during his
toric times.
A curious observation concerning
some Of the Australian acacias (Acacio
.tIeaIbata) acclimatized in India is re-
corded by DR.. Brands, director OF the
India ForestiD Department. These trees
were probably introduced on the Nilgi
yis several years before 1876. They
were known to flower in 1915 in Octo
Der. the month of their Australian flow
ering time; but in 1860 they howeret
i'm September; in 1870, in August; il
1873, in July and in 1882 they began t.
flower in June-the spring month il
India, corresponding to October in Aus
tralia. It is remarkable that it shoult
have taken the trees nearly forty year
after removal to regain their habit o
Towering in spring.
1t has been found that sunlight has
considerable action upon glass. Color
less glass, for example, has become vel
low, and light yellow, green and blu
have turned to the darker or mellow
shades of those colOrs, while coffee col
sored glass has been known to material
ly change to rose and amber in tn
short space Of FIVE years. It is sug
,gested that the rich tints SO much ad
mired in the stained windows Of ol.
scathedrals may be due to the action 0
the sunlight during many years il
soning down the originally quite brigh
or harsh col0rs.
A medical authority states that th
oyster contains fourteen per cent 0
AesE forming material, which is abou
the amount obtained from eggs. 1t ha
but five per cent less Of muscle-makinl
matter and two per cent less Of fat thai
lean beef. It seems surprising tina
among the thousands of species of shell
fish only very few kinds are eaten
such as oysters, CLAIMS periwinkles
cookies and mussels. But two or thre
species are known to be poisonous.
In his last contribution to science
Darwin showed the wonderful worl
that il performed by earth-Worms i
the formation Of the vegetable moul
or soil which covers the earth in al