Morris tribune., 1883-11-07
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
A party Of Russian savante has
started from the Baltic on II scientific
vo age around the world.

the evaporation OF sea water.
Herr Holtz has found that steel tubes
retain more than twice as much mag
netisnI as steel rods, and are therefore
better for permanent magnets.
DR.. Koch, who claims to have dis
covered the germ Of cholera during
Investigations into the epidemic i'll
Egypt, reports that the minute organ
ism resembles that seen in cases of
consumption.
Piof. Huxley thinks that three years
may be regarded as the adult age CT
oysters. Their natural term of life is
net known, but there are reasons for
believing that it may extend totWeI-
ty years, or even considerably more
in some cases.
An Italian writer asserts that some
minutes before the first shock Of the
great earthquake was felt in the
island of lschia symptoms of terror
were exhibited by the domestic ami
mails, rabbits, birds, fishes and even
ants and reptiles.
According to Commander Gallieni,
the total length of the Niger river is
over 20O0 miles. The upper part may
oe Ilayigable for small steamers; the
middle course, which flows in numcr-
Gus channels through a fiat country,
is the scene of an active river-trade in
slaves, cattle, gold, etc, and is little
known; while the lower course has
often been assembled a cOnsidera Die
distance by trading vessels.
During the solar eclipse of May 9th,
Mons. TrouvelOt saw near the sun a
bright red star which he has since
been unable to find during a careful
search of the part of the heavens where
the sun was situated at the time of
the eclipse. This would seem to in
dictate that the object is a planetary
body moving along with the SUI, but
Mons. TrOuVelOt declines to give any
conclusion at present.
A committee was appointed 10y the
British Association for the advance
ment of Science several years ago for
the purpose of ascertaining whether
meteoric dust could be found on the
earth. Such dust, in the form of
spherical particles Of iron, has since
been obtained from the snow of the
Himalayas, at height of Is, 400 feet,
and at distance of fourteen miles from
| any human habitation.
Sir w. Siemens has for several
months been quietly testing in his
own house the value and durability
of electrical storage batteries. During
| the day he has charged the batteries
engine, and at night has had an ac-
| Lot nf oil 0tciI 70
supply forty incandescent lamps for
five or six hours. The working of the
batteries has been very satisfactory
DR.. NatchtigaI has described some
| curious trees of the region about Lake
Chad in Africa. The butter-tree bears
peculiar nut whose Gil is much
used as substitute for butter; legum-
inOus tree Parkia biSiobosa-pro-
| duces seeds from which a meal is made
which an excellent food while the
wool-tree has fruit which bursts
like the pods of cotton and reveals a
soft and lustrious mass of tibers
which may be used for a variety OF
purposes, such as stuffing cushions
and mattresses.
Since 1875 the marine life of the
| Hollond coast has been studied from
a building SO arranged that it may be
readily moved from time to time
This novel geological station was To-
Gated at Helder during the first year
was transported to Vlissigen for the
second years work; and has since
been established at Bergen-op zoom
The biologists of the station have
made important researches concerning
the animals of the North Sea, and al
their last location have. given specia
attention to the edible oyster and its
culture.
Prof. Colladon, of Geneva, has as
certained that when lightning strikes
a tree it leaves very few marks of its
passage on the upper part and middle
of the trunk, but as it descends to the
neighborhood of the heavier branches
it tears open the bark and in many
instances shivers the tree. He as.
cribes this popularity to the fact tina,
the upper portions Of the tree are
more highly charged with sugar.
good electric conductor-than the
lower parts. An exception to the
rule seems to be found in oaks, which
are often seen with tops quite blasted
and the passage of the lightning lower
down marked by gouge-like turrow
The rapid development of botanica
science in recent years is well shown
by a comparison of the successive list.
of plants complied during the last cen
fury and a half. The number O
genera of floWring plants given by
Linnaeus in 1887 was SS7; by the sam,
author in 1854. 1889; by Jussieu il
1889, 1907, by Endlicher in 1913, abon
400; and by Bentham and Hookel
in 1883, 1885. If the last list had beer
prepared according to the views o
Endlicher, it is thought that the
number of genera would have reached
at least 10000. Bentham and Hooker
have given an estimate of the number
of species belonging to each genus
making total of about 100, 900 specie.
of Towering plants now known tt
botanists.
Some views on cholera based on &
successful practical experience will
the disease in Madrid and the Philip
pines have been expressed to The
Paris Academy of Sciences by Mons
Ramon de Luna. He believes tina
the cause of cholera is always to b,
found in the atmosphere; that it ex
erts its action exclusively through the
respiratory organs; that it's incubation
is most likely to take place during ;
passive condition Of the individual
particularly during sleep; that tn,
microbe or ferment acts chiefly on tn,
+ blood-corpuscles, preventing prope
oxidation, and so leading to gradua
suffocation; that the only safe remed,
J is the Inhalation of nitrous acid mixet
with air; and that The best means 0