Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-05-19
Scientific Miscellany.

Almost every sort of plant furnishes
living to its own peculiar species OF
aphis, or plant-louse, by which great
destruction is occasionally wrought
DR.. j. Sibley Hicks, an English ento-
mologist, states that the hop aphis
caused loss in 1882 amounting to
nearly S9,000,000. This enormous
damage is explained by the fabulous
rate of increase of the aphis. it being
possible for single female to see in
her lifetime q progeny Of over $500
million individuals. Another destruct-
i've species, known as American blight,
occurs on apple trees, and was first OBJ
served in 1875 in an orchard near Lon
don. The vine aphis (phylloxera) has
done immense damage in the vineyards
of France, where it was first found in
1865. Fortunately, the aphites have
numerous enemies, especially active
ones being the caterpillars of the lady
bird, the lacewing fy and its grub, and
the ichneumon fly. A lady-bird cater
pillar will devour forty or fifty daily.
Proctor remarks that a common
error is the supposition that the earth
moves in an obviously elliptical path.
whereas it really appears to travel in Q
circle. Taking the earth's orbit when
its eccentricity was very nearly at its
greatest $50, 900 years ago-the num-
bers 1926 and 1924 represent the actual
proportion between the greatest and
shortest axes of the figure described by
our planets motion around the sun.
So that if a circle is drawn with rad
ius of three and one-fourth inches it
nowhere departs more than the hum
dreth part of an inch from the ellipse
which would represent with perfect
accuracy the orbit of the earth $50, 600
years ago when it was SO much more
divergent from an exactly circular
form than now.
An experiment has been made at
South Kensington to determine the de-
gree OF heat which various fishes may
endure. The water containing them
was slowly warmed, when individuals
OF the several species were Frustrated
at the following temperature: Perch,
80 degrees; roach, S2 1-2 degrees; sal
mon. 80 degrees; minnow, IS degrees;
gudgeon. IS l-2 degrees; dace, So de-
grees: common tench, 80 degrees; gol-
den tench, SS degrees; carp, 81 degrees.
Brandy-about which as fish restorer
much has lately been said-seemed to
have good effect in restoring to anima-
tion the exhausted objects Of the ex.
pertinent.
The conclusion has been reached by
Mons. Foyal that the absorption OF
atmospheric oxygen by coal dust usual.
ly produces the rise in temperature to
which spontaneous combustion is due.
He finds that Ignite is ignited at the
low temperature of 800 degrees, an
thracite at 575 degrees, and other
varieties Of coal, in powdered form, at
intermediate temperatures.
1t is reported that Herr Palisa, of
Vienna, the well-known discoverer of
asteroids, wishes to sell for $3.50 the
right of naming small planet No. 244,
the money to be applied by him to the
fitting out of an expedition to observe
the total eclipse Of August 1885.
The Dutch government has had col
lected the reports of 1900 eye witnesses
in order to prepare an accurate history
of the Krakatoa volcanic eruption,
which many suppose was the cause Of
the wonderful skyglows seen over .
large part of the world.
An opportunity of studying case of
leprosy has been afforded DIR. Guttman,
who assures the Berlin Medical society
that there can be no doubt that the
living bacilli found in the system OF
leprosy patients are really the cause of
the disease.
Distilled water saturated with oxygen
is now prepared in Paris, and is rapid
ly gaining favor. Aside from its health.
fulness for ordinary table use, it is said
to be valuable in the treatment of dis.
eases of the digestive organs.
A writer from Fiji asserts that when
Aocks Of tern and other sea fowl rest
upon the sea the water becomes
smooth. an effect which he ascribss to
oil emitted by the birds.