The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-02-21
POPULAR SCIENCE.


\ catalogue of North American
grasses just prepared by DR.. George
VaSey, enumerates Ia genera, en-.
Tracing $50 species.
The glaciers of Iceland have been
measured by Norwegian geologist,
and found to be the largest rivers of
ice in the world, those of Norway, the
Alps and Pyrenees seeming quite in
significant by comparison.
Mons. Muntz has shown that alco-
hoI is very widely diffused in nature.
1t exists in nearly all water, even rain
and snow, and it is probable that the
air contains much OF it in the state of
vapor. Poor soil yields traces of it,
and rich mould has Il considerable
quantity.
For about a year Sir w. Siemens
has been quietly testing in his own
trical storage batteries. BY means of
L half horse power engine he has
charged the batteries during the day,
and ut night has had an accumulation
of electricity sufficient to supply forty
incandescent lamps for five on six
hours. The working Of the batteries
thus far has been very satisfactory.
Mons. Ramon de Luna has expresses
to the French Academy of Science tn
belief that the cause of cholera is al
ways to tie found in the atmosphere
and that it eXeIts its action exclusive
ly through the respiratory organs. III
considers the inhalation of nitrous aci
mixed with air as the only safe rem
dy. These conclusions have reSultt
from an extensive and successful pra
teal experience with the disease
Madrid and the Philippines.
Two German students have made
curious investigation. By testing Il
degree of sound necessary to awake
sleeping individuals, they have aSct
tanned that a healthy mans slumE
is very light during the first hour, al
that it becomes more profound via
he has been asleep about an hour ID
three-quarters. After that it gr6S
| lighter, but relapses, and has aen
become quite deep when it has n
tinued five hours and half.
A discovery which may prWeDf
great Importance was recently a.
nounced TO the Paris Biological sCciy
by Dr. Brown Sequard. BY Wy
simple means, this widely-known Pr
siologist claims to be able to probe
prolonged insensibility to pain vii
out affecting the consciousness, e
voluntary movements, or even e
sense of touch in every part of re
skin. Wounds made on monkeypr
other animals while in this state by -
heal witho1t causing pain. Buthe
method-which consists in irritang
the mucous membrane in the uier
| part of the larynx by carbonic ACTOR
chloroform vapor-has not yet len
applied to man.
Prof. Schubeler, a Norwegian Pit
geographer, called attention sbri
| time ago to the remarkable fact lai
most plants in high ATTITUDES prodc'
much larger and heavier seeds tina II
warmer regions nearer the equatr-
An effect which he ascribes to there
longed influence of sunlight dung
| the long summer days of the highat-
tudes. In some cases the differeIe OF
acknowledgment is most astonisng.
Dwarf beans taken from Chrlstl.a 10
Drontheim-lesS than four drees
further north-gained more tha1xty
per cent in weight; and thymGom
Lyons when planted at DroDeim
showed a gain of seventy-on per
cent. The grain of northern fills is
heavier than when grown innore
southern localities; and seed rom
Norway planted at Breslau deceased
greatly in the first year. Gribach
and Martins have noticed tn the
leaves also of most plants arerger
and more deeply colored in hi latl-
tudes. The same is true of tEfloW-
ers, and many which are white
in southern climates come
violet in the far north.