Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1884-11-04
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
The Exhilerant Of Oats-Efect OF Mag.
nets Upon Matching Eggs-A Much.
Burnt Land-Etc.

nets Upon Matching EggS-A Much.
Burnt Land-Etc.
Compiled for the wooD RIVER T1aEs]
\ collection OF stockings colored
with injurious anime dyes is shown
at the London Health Exhibition.
A German botanist has given in
stances of the modification of plants
by insects so as to produce new va
rieties.
Spectroscopic researches have led
Mons. &. Fievez, of the Royal Obser-
vatory Of Brussels, to infer that sun
spots have a higher temperature than
the bright solar disc.
In paper read before the Academy
del l.Mcei, OF Rome, Prof. Carlo Mag
giorani has described some expert
,nents proving that the presence of
powerful magnets exerts remarka-
BILE influence upon the Matching of
eggs. The effect is to arrest the de.
velopment of the embryos or to so re-
tarl it as to produce imperfect
chickens.
In a recent lecture at the Lowell
Institute, Boston, Prof. r. S. Ball,
Astronomer Royal of Ireland, declared
it to be his belief that the masses
of stone and iron which fall to the
earth as metcorites, were originally
thrown out by terrestrial volcanoes at
a remote period in our planets geo
logical history. If so, the fragments
must have been projected beyond the
influence of the earth's attraction by
explosions, giving them the tremen.
dous initial velocity Of six miles SEQ
ond.
Late researches have shown that
oats contain heterogeneous substance,
easily soluble in alcohol and appar
emily of an alkaloid character, which
has an irritant action on the motor
cells of the nervous system. The
quantity present varies with the quail
ity of the grain and the soil on which
it is sown. The darker varieties cor
tain more than t.,e light. The bruis-
ing and milling Of oats very rapidly
diminishes the quantity Of this sub
stance-which Samson calls Avenin-
but quickens it's action.
A great rock standing in the middle
of Aar glacier, in the Alps, Of Switz-
erland, formed the principal part of
the Hotel des Neuchatelois, rough
shelter used by Agassiz and his
friends while investigating the phe-
nomena of glaciers from 1910 to
1S43. Frost has since split the rock
into thousand pieces, three of which
have just been identified by Mons.
Forel. From the record of the Ho-
tells original position left by Agassiz
and the measurements made by Forel,
it appears that the fragmentary blocks
have been carried down the mountain
by the glacier at the rate OF about $50
feet year.
During the past summer geolo-
gist of Iceland, Mr.. Thoroddsen, has
systematically explored considerable
portion of that country under com
: mission from the Government. In the
peninsula of Reykjanes and its upland
connections he determined the exist.
ence and site of no less than thirty
volcanoes, and at least seven hundred
craters, although up to the time of his
visit it was only supposed that there
were two volcanoes in these parts
, which had been active within historic
times. In other localities volcanoes
of colossal size are found, in addition
to many hot springs, solfataras and
boiling clay-pits. Mr.. Thoroddsen
believes this peninsula to be one OF
the most thoroughly burnt spots on the
face of the globe.
00d nod and Honr~o