Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1884-02-27
Scientific Miscellany.

/ The ko.a nut, the stimulant SO high
ly priced among African tribes that in
times of scarcity a slave has been given
for single kernel, is the product of q
tree of the family sterculiacea. Four
or five of the seed, or nuts, grow to-
gether in rough brown pod. Each
seed has a red or white color, or both,
/ and contains kernel somewhat like
that Of peanut and about two inches
| long. The taste OF the nut is sweet,
| astringent and bitter in succession.
Inc koia crop Is gathered twice year.
When fresh the nut is chewed MS if Il
were tobacco; when dry it is powder
ed and eaten. Its effect is remarkable,
as it sustains the system for long time
under the greatest fatigucs, even with
out food, while it is considered a GER
tain preventive of dysenteries. and is
said e make tonl ,s water arinksb!s II! and
kola nut is in order on all occasions,
and is almost Indispensable in impor-
tant business transactions, in treaties,
in declarations of war. rs present at
weddings, in religious obscrvances and
in judicial proceedings.
In the last ten years relies of the in
dustry of the early inhabitants of Swift
zer.and known as the lake-dwcllers
have been accumulated in great quanti-
ties. Dr. Victor Gross states in re-
cent work that the articles of bronze
alone which have been found in the
lakes of Bienue and Neufchatel mum Der
10, 600. of which more than 5000 are in
his own collection. Many articles of
stone, pottery and iron have been
brought to light in addition. In these
archaeology al discoveries Dr. Gross
finds evidence that the period in which
the prehistoric Swiss inhabited the
dwellings built on the lakes was one of
long duration, covering the successive
stages of civ izatlon from the primitive
age in which metals were unknown and
mans implements were rude!y formed
in coarse pottery and rough stones,
through the age OF tinely-worked stones,
followed by the age in which stones
were still used and metals were in ro-
duced, then by the age of fine b-onza
and highly-deyeloped state OF the arts,
to the age in which iron appeared.
A single plant of new species of
potato--whIch has received the botani-
cal name of Solanum Ohroudi-was
some time ago discovered on small
uninhabited island at the mouth of th,.
River Platte in South America. THO
tuberS, about the size of hens eggs.
were carried to France and planted.
The taste OF the tubcrs was bitter, with
a chestnut flavor, but under cultivation
the quality is reported 10 be improving.
II,n Iat Il n1, l,vS 81 In,
Dor is required 10 raise the crop. it il
thought that the new potato may fur
nish desirable food for cattle even il
it does not become sufficiently improv.
ed for table use.
The international Bureau of Weights
and Measures, at Paris, whose object
is to verify the metric standards of the
world according to one uniyer> al stan.
dard, i able TO perform work of really
wonaerItsl accuracy in its comparing
rooms. With the means there provided.
il Is possiD.e, according TO MIR. II. j.
Chanev, TO ascertain a difference be-
tween two kilogram weights not great.
er than hree-hundred- milionth part
of one of the weights; and in the
comparison of TWO meters difference
so small as thry-n ne-,en-miliionths of
an iuch Cor one ten-thousandth of q
millimetor) can be determined.
For several years a record has been
kept of the health Of SIX hundred and
seventy-two persons employed in the
anillne c3lor wcrks ut Hochst-on-the~
Main, in order to ascer,a the exten,
TO which anilinc colors are liable TO in.
jure people handling them. The re.
suit has shown t1at the more poison
Gus compounds have caused few mid
cases Of ailment, but Doctor Grand
homme finds that the average MORTAL.
ty OF the worx-people has been low.
1t happens therefore that users Of coal
tar CO ors have httle to fear from pois
oninG.