The Osceola times., 1884-03-01
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY

The tCd-plani mas Dtcn Hu'CcSSlulN
acclimalized at Auckland, New Zealand.
Pro Edland, of sweden, believes that
/ he has proven that perfect vacuum j.
good conductor of electricity.
Observations taken at Colon by the en-
gineers engaged in Panama lnteroccanic
canal indicates that the great earth
quake wave caused by the Java eruption
made it, way IN about thirty Eours from
Java round the cape of Good Hope TO
the east coast of Central America.
The supposed germ of pneumonia
belongs to the Clas. of microscopic or.
ganisms known as micrococci--has been
discovered by DR. Fricdlander and eX-
hihited to the medical societies Of Berlin
When the germs were introduced into
the bodies of mice, either by inoculation
or inhalation, true croupous pneum onia
wa invariably produced.
\ professor of the Faculty of Sciences
| of Marseilles is reported to have exam
/ ined section of French rail way with
/ the result of finding that all the rails
| which had been in use for a considerable
| time had become converted into magnets
capable OF strongly attracting pieces of
/ iron. After being taken up the rails
gradually lost their magnetism.
Among the many substances formerly
considered valIeless but utilized by mod
ern science i the nettle. This weed is
now actually being cultivated in Ger
many, where its fiber is made into Il
variety of textile fabrics. \ Dresden
manufacturer has produced from il the
finest thread known to the trade, of
which length of sixty miles weighs on
~ two and a half pounds.
DR.. Sach, of Buenos Ayres, furnishe,
assurance that the world is not in dan
yer of having a quininc famine. The
plantations established cxpcrmcntallv
in Java and the Island of Reunion have
been very successful in producing this
been cultivated by the million for ten
years At three places in the last-nam-
ed country, taken in order, the number
OF trees growing is given, seyerally, at
O,OO2, 2OO000 and 3,50O,ooo.
\ disease peculiar to persons who dig
potatoes has been described by a Prus-
sian physician. 1t appears to be an al
iectiou of the nerves of the legs and
feet, and is produced by the strained po-
sitiOr into which the lower cXtrrmitle-
are thrown as the laborcr gathers his 20
tatoc~. The patient finds one or both
/ feet and legs to be heavy, cold, numb and
sometimes painful, while his gait be
comes clumsy and limping The disease
may be of shor, Duration OF 1t may con-
tinue for years,
nust-eithcr volcanic OF. .Cosmic-i- the
rejecting medium to which the brilliant
sunsets witnessed i'm November from a
large part tf the world seemed 10 be
/ quite Generally attributed some scien-
tsts suppose that the dust had drifled
with the air current from the Java vol
canoes, and others believe that the earth
encountered dust cloud in space, In
this connection - may be noted that q
| fall of dust covered the snow of a valley
in Central Norway ON the night Of No
vemher l7th 1t will be interesting tC
learn how thi, dust compares with that
from Krakatoa, which has been chem
ically and microscopically examined.
The remarkable storm which crossed
the British Isle between September !
and 3 has been traced by Mr.. c. Hard
| ing, i, N. VI. =, 10 Two oIlglndl CENTER
of disturbance, one being first shown at
a point about $50 miles TO the south o
b Bermuda on August %, and the other IA
, east of the Rocky mountains ON the
+ 9th. These two disturbances merged on
the 18th, when about 800 miles north oi
Bermuda, and formed one great dcstruc.
tive gale, which continued 10 grow in
r violence a. it crossed the Atlantic until
j, reached the British coasts. This
storm crossed the Atlantic at an average
speed Of fully forty miles an hour, which
is more then double the usual rate ui
p storms which traverse that ocean.