Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-12-17
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
TFo1 the SPECTATOR


completely exhaust the blood of some in
gredient necessary to the growth and prop
agation of the parasite that the production
of second crop in fatal or considerable
quantity may be impossible. 1t would
thus appear that protective vaccination or
incubation is simply the introduction into
the blood of weakened and comparatively
harmless disease germs to consume the
material which might become food for SIM
liar germs in more vigorous and danger
Gus condition.
WIND WoRK-A gale at E. st. Louis in
1871, according to Mr.. @. Shaler Smith,
overturned locomotive, exerting a force
of no less than SO pounds per square foot
At st. Charles jail was destroyed in 1877,
the pressure required being "a pounds per
square foot. At Marshfeld, in 1880, a
brick mansion was leveled, the force nee
essary being So pounds per square foot.
Below these extraordinary pressures, MIR.
Smith has instanced numerous cases OF
trains blown off rails, and bridges, etc,
blown down, by gales of "a to 81 pounds
per square foot.
Successful experiments in distributing
the electric light to great distances have
been made in connection with the Turin
Electrical Exhibition. A Siemen's ma
chine of 80 horse power generated a cur
rent which was simultaneously used by
several electric light systems spread over a
circuit of about % miles,
A motor driven by small charges of gun
cotton is an English novelty. 1t is said to
be applicable wherever small powers ale
required.
A German botanist has given instances
of the modification of plants by insects so
as to produce new varieties.
GREAT WoRMs.-According to Mr.. F.
e. Beddard, London zoologist, earth
worms two feet in length have been found
in the British Isles, and various species as
large Or larger are known to exist in South
America, Western Africa, Australia, and
New Zealand. The largest species known,
however, inhabits South Africa. Forty
years ago a specimen was described which
measured six feet two inches in length, but
it seems to have been nearly forgotten until
the other day, when gigantic creature OF
the same species was sent. to the London
Geological Garden from Cape Colony. The
longest measurement of this worm yet
taken reaches six feet five inches, its diam
eter being nearly half an inch.
MONEY VEeETATIoN.-A short time
since Paul Reinsch discovered several kinds
of minute plants-including two algse
which had before been unknown-growing
upon coins after having beer long enough
in circulation to receive thin incrustations
of organic matter. a Hungarian botanist,
Jules Schaarschmidt. has more recently
found the microscopic growths upon paper
money, even the eieanest specimens not
being free from them. He has detected
seven species, incl dding-althoug they
are rare-the two new alg@ described by
Reinsch.
PICTURES OF SoUND.-Some remarkable
photographs of pistol bullet in its flight
under the illumination of an electric
sparl1-have been secured by Prof. E.
Mach, of Prague. He has also photo
graphed the ali streams which one may see
over Bunsen burner placed in sunshine
and has even obtained pictures of waves Of
sound, these last being made visible by q
method in which advantage is taken of the
irregular refraction of light by air set in
vibration by sound.
a French astronomer has found reasons
for believing that a circular protuherance-
presumably volcano-which exists in the
southern hemisphere of Venus has an ele-
walton of not less than seventy miles. He
regards such vast mountain as not III.
compatible with the planets volcanic ma.
ture.
EARTHQUAKE VELoCITIEs.- expert
ments by Profs. Milne and Gray it has
been determined that normal earthquake
waves are transmitted through hardened
mud at the rate of 439 feet per second, and
transverse waves at 357 feet per second
Mallet'g earlier experiments showed thai
earthquakes traverse sand at a speed Of
925 feet jointed granite 1906 feet and
solid granite 1865 feet per second. Prof
Ewing considers the last number to be very
much too small
The deep-sea .crustacea, according to
Prof. Moseley, either have very large eyes
or are eyeless, and there must be source
of light in the deep sea. That source he
claims, is phosphorescence, but it's Eight
must be very dim.
To prove that DR.. Koch's comma bacil.
lis'' is not the cause of cholera, and that
the vomit of cholera patients is not infec-
tious, a French physician has swallowed
some pills made from the vomit of per
son who died from cholera. He was only
slightly affected, if at all, but two guinea
pigs and dog which were inoculated with
the same vomit succumbed at once.
PROTECTED SOFIA German expert
menter, Prof. E. Wollny, has found that
soil covered with living heritage or dead
vegetable matter is colder in summer and
warmer in winter than bare soil under 9TH
erwise similar conditions. The difference
of temperature is greatest in summer and
least in spring and autumn. Bare soil
heats more quickly in the spring and cools
more quickly in autumn than that covered
with living or dead vegetable matter.
Many clay and iron sewer pipes are
found to be pervious to sewer-gas. Paint
ing is recommended.
THE DlssoLvING CoNTINENTs.-Besid
the vast quantities of solid particles which
are washed from the land into the scare
ducing the height of the entire Mississippi
basin at the estimated rate of one foot in
5000 years-much matter is dissolved by
the water, and carried away in state in
which it ordinarily escapes notice. From
data furnished by the Mississippi, the La
Plata, the Amazon, and the st. Lawrence,
Mr.. T. Mellard Reade, an English geolo-
gist who has devoted much attention to the
cQ6ILlcdl utuuudllUu VI GHC Cdttu SuIldCo,
has. calculated that the whole American
continent is losing in this way an average
of 100 tons per square mile each year
Similar results have been obtained for Eu-
rope, leading Mr.. Reade to infer that the
whole of the land draining into the Allan
tic ocean from America, Africa, Europe,
and Asia contributes matter in solution
which, if reduced to rock at two tons to
the cubic yard, would equal one cubic mile
every six years.
RooTs TURNED ASIDE BY GAsEs.-It
has been demonstrated by DR.. Hans Mo-
lisch that the roots of plants may be de-
flected from their normal direction by ex-
posure on one side to certain gases. If
such gases are in moderate quantities, the
roots benz away from their source; if in
lar ger quantities, toward such source. The
side of the root exposed to the action of
the gas grows more strongly than the other.
The little living worms which have been
most unexpectedly discovered in ice are de-
scribed by Prof. Leidy as being white or
E. 49, cd u