The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-01-15
POPLAR SCIENCE.

The whales swim by striking the
water up and down, instead of latter
ally, With fin-like horizontal tail.
The first object of respiration is to
convert venouS into arterial blood. 1t
is done by bringing it to the surface
so that carbon dioXide may be exhaled
and oxygen absorbed.
The proper allowance of air in bars
racks is 900 cubic feet per man in Eu-
rope, and 1000 in India. For hospi-
tails, 1900 cubic feet per bed in Europe,
and 1890 in India. Horses require in
England 1,600 cubic feet each, or
nearly as much as three men.
Enamel is the hardest tissue of the
body, and contains not more than two
per cent. of animal matter. 1t con-
slsts of siX-sided fibers set side by
side at right angles to the surface of
the dentiBe. Cement closely resem-
bles bone, and is present only in the
teeth OF the higher animals.
An interesting perimenVto ascer-
tain the effect Of artificial heat on
vegetation has been made by Bar
thelemy. He arranged number of
hyacintiis in glasses in circle around
the pipe of stove, and after some
time he found that the roofs assumed
a nearly horizontal position, or di-
rection almost at right angles 10 the
pipe.
The shell Of crustaceans, like the
crab and lobster, is periodically cast
off, for the animals cor tinue to grow
even alter they have reached theiI
mature form. This moulting is very
remarkable operation. How the lobster
can draw its legs from their cases
without uDjointing or splitting them
was long puzzle. The flesh becomes
soft and is drawn through the joints
the wounds thus caused quickly heal
ing.
In recent work on alcoholic drinks
DR.. Ihudichum states that sherry and
port wines are made by methods SC
crude and foul as to be almost incredi
BILE. He condemns the idea of ''plas-
tering sherries," that is. covering the
grapes with plaster of Paris Just be-
fore pressing. 1t is done to prevent
certain bacterial lamentations tt
which the dirty modes of manufac.
ture make the wines of Spain and Por.
tugal peculiarly liable. The wines Of
Madeira and Sicily (Marsala), which
resemble sherry, are said to be free
from this ohjectioa.
The camel has twice the carrying
power of an OK. With an ordinary
load of 400 pounds, he can travel
IL to IA days without water, ( ding
fourteen miles day. They are fit tC
work at five years old, but theil
strength begins to decline at twenty
five, although they live usually until
forty. They are often fattened al
thirty for the butcher, the flesh tast.
ing like beef. The Tartars have herds
of these animals, often 1000 belong.
ing to one family. They were num-
erous in antiquity, for the patriarch
Job had 1900. The Timbuctoo breed
| is remarkable for speed and used only
for couriers, going 800 miles IN eight
days with a meal of dates or grain at
nightfall.
The question as to the habitabiIity
of the planets has lately been discus.
sed with much ability by Prof. Nc
Farland. His conclusions are, that
the four large outer planets have not
sufficiently cooled down to allow life
on their surface such as is seen on thu
earth; Mars gives all telescope and
spectroscopic probabilities of condl-
lions compatible with life as we see it:
that the earth certainly foB millions OF
years has been covered with muItifa-
rious life; that in respect to Venus and
Mercury, no certain evidence or
knowledge presents itself, and that the
satellites are manitestly not fitted for
such life as the earth exhibits, the
moon, in particular, having no water
and no atmosphere