Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-11-25
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
[Compiled for the SPECTATOR. I


[Compiled for the SPEcTAToR.]
AIR FOOD OF PLANTs.-The experiments
of Piof. W. o. Atwater have shown that,
contrary to the general opinion of chemists,
Giants assimilate nitrogen from the air.
While they take up the greatest quantity
fully one half the total nitrogen acquired
by well-fed plants is drawn from the atmos-
phere.
After an absence of nearly three years
the Danish exploring expedition to the east
coast of Greenland has returned. The ex-
pedition succeeded in reaching the sixty
sixth degree of latitude, a point farther
north on the east coast than had previously
been attained. The newly visited region
was named King Christian ks Land.
A new spectroscope has been exhibited
to the Paris Academy of sciences. A very
dispersve medium, such as carbon disul-
phide, is enclosed between plane parallel
surfaces and the internal dispersion gives
very fine spectrum. The colortd rays
issue by the second surface of the medium,
parallel to the incident rays.
Four great tubes-one about 200 feet
long-have been fitted up at the Meudon
Observatory in France for the spectroscopic
study of the oxygen, hydrogen and other
elements present III the air. Solar, electric
and other lights can be conveniently en-
ployed for illumination.
The scientific importance of exploring
the accessible regions about the South Pole
Is urged by Sir Erasmus Ommany, of the
British Navy, who remarks that no man
Ias ever wintered in the Antarctic zone.
In his late researches Wroblewski has
bsen able to separate liquefied air into Two
distinct liquids, different in appearance and
composition, one superimposed upon the
other.
LITERARY PROPHETS After Halls dis
covery OF the two moons of Mars III 1877, it
was painted out that Swift, in "Gulliver's
Travels" had prophetically made the Lili-
putian astronomers discover the two satel-
lites A still more curious circumstance is
now mentioned by DR.. Sophus Tromholt,
who relates that in 1851 a story was pub
lished by Hungarian author, Maurus
Jokai in which reference was made to the
star which has recently appeared in the
Andremeda nebula. Tne star, according to
the story, was revealed to royal family by
the Evil Spirit, who predicted death in bat
star was probably thing of imagination
only; although there are some reasons for
believing that the tale was founded on
Jewish tradition, which would make it pro-
bable that the 'tnew star" at which the
world is wondering was seen by the Jews,
and has reappeared to view after many GEN.
turies of invisibility. In other words, tho
existence of such a tradition would confirm
the conclusion that the Andromeda star is q
variable of long period.
Fresh evidences of the tremendous energy
of the great Krakatoa eruption in Java con-
tiuue to be brought forward. Rev. Philip
Neale, late British Chaplain at Batavia, now
mentions finding immense blocks of coral
rock-one of them weighing at least fifty
tons-which must have been tom from their
ocean bed and swept several miles inland
by the gigantic tidal wave in Sunda Straits.
In the well-known game of ''hop-scotch'
Mr.. ]. w. Crombie reads curious page of
he history of past ages. A form of the
game was known to Pliny, and seems to
have been changed by the early Christians
into an illustration of their belief, the figure
representing their idea of the shape of
Heaven, and the divisions showing the pro-
gressive states to be passed by the soul in
its flight to Paradise.
Although four ffths of the worlds sui
phur supply comes from Sicily. the deposits
of Popocatapetl in Mex co are much more
extensive and of better quality. A tunnel
is to be built to facilitate mining the Mexi-
can sulphur.
THE SLEEP OF FIsHEs.-Experiments on
the sleep of fishes have been made in Lon
don by Mr.. w. August Carter. He has
found that the fresh water fishes Observed
the roach, dace, gndgeon. carp, tench, min
now, and catfish-sleep periodically like
terrestrial animals. The same is true OF
some marine fishes-such as the wrasse,
conger eel, dory, dogtish, wrasse bass, and
all specie. of fiat fish-but the goldfish,
pike, and angler fish do not appear to sleep
at all, although they rest periodically. The
desire for sleep varies according to weather
conditions, and fishes do not necessarily
select nighttime for repose.
| An electric needle and battery are now
| used quite extensively for destroying the
roots of offensive hairs upon the face. In
the case of a young woman with heavy
beard, 5000 hairs we're removed. the process
requiring two or three years, each root hav-
ing to be killed separately.
The island of Arron, off the west coast of
| Scotland, is said to be so mild that palms
and camelllas thrive in tue open air, with
out injury in the winter, although The lati-
tude il that Of the northern part of Labra-
dor ON this continent.
The greatest astronomical establishment
in the world, the Greenwich Observatory,
is surpassed in the power of its telescopes
by many iobservatories. has at last been
decided to provide for it large instrument,
and it will soon have a refractOr with an OBJ
ject- glass 20 inches in diameter.
French vineyards have recently suffered
sadly from mildew. As q remedy for the
diseaae sulphate of copper has been tried,
and has proven successful both in the form
of five per cent solution and in mixture
with lime.
Compulsory re-vaccination of the soldiers
was established by the German Govern
ment eleven years ago, and since then not 9
single death from smallpox has occurred
in the German army.
4 Some one says that liquor strengthens
! the voice. This is mistake: it only makes
l the broafh afrnn0