Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-08-12
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
compiled for the SPECTATOR. I

Compiled for the SPECTATOR.
AN UNRELIABLE PRoPHET.-Mr. H. H.
Clayton has made careful investigation of
the camphor barometer or "storm- glass;
which is supposed by many to give genuine
barometric indications of the weather of
the immediate future. He finds that the
height OF the precipitate in the glass-which
gives the forecast of 'fair,'' ''change," or
''storm"-does not depend upon atmos-
pheric pressure or moisture but upon tenn
perature, and that the instrument is there |
fore rude thermometer only. AS the ap- |
proach Of storm is often heralded by a |
sudden fall of temperature, causing rise |
of the precipitate to the division of the |
scale marked STORM the predictions are |
sometimes correct, but as the same change |
OF temperature occurs during continued |
clear weather, the Instruments warnings |
are quite as likely to be false alarms. Dur |
ing steady or slowly-changing temperature |
the precipitate is settled compactly at the |
bottom OF the glass, which is marked sfair,"
although in the cold of winter it may rise |
to the centre of the glass, and continue
pretty constantly in the division marked
''change." Storms unattended by sudden
cold pass without affecting the 'sindica-
tons OF the camphor solution.
In recent English experiments it has been |
found that the risk of dust explosions in |
coal mines may be obviated by removing
or watering the dust for q distance of six
yards around the shot-holes.
A new process for removing grease spots
from paper, or any fabric, seems to be in
favor IN Germany. Calcined magnesia is
saturated with benzol, and the powder is
rubbed over the spots. Old stains may re-
quire a second application
Sir j. B. Lawes finds that although nitro |
gen is the most abundant constituent of the |
atmosphere, plants derive their supply |
nearly if not exclusively from the soil, while |
the carbon of plants is. taken from the air.
STORM NoTEs.-In his latest meteoro- |
logical paper, Prof. E. Loomis observes |
that north of thirty degrees of latitude |
storm tracks in all longitudes almost inva-
riably follow an easterly course, but gener-
ally have an inclination north of east. In |
the tropics, however, the tendency of storm |
tracks is westerly or toward the northwest. |
An interesting fact connected with tropical |
cyclones is that they are unknown in the
Pacific Ocean except near the Asiatic coast.
The average velocity of storms in the Uni
ted States for the entire year is found to be
so so ulllCo pei AOul, DuG III L cDIudlJ
travel twice as rapidly as in August.
DELICAcY OF THE SENsEs.-Dr. E. L.
Nichols has made Investigations which indi-
cate the incorrectness of the general belief |
that in woman the. special senses are more
finely organized and delicate than in man.
He found the eyes of mon to be more sensitive
than those of women to red, yellow, and
green colors, although not so to blue; and
Of all l.
acute in men than in women.
According to Newcomb, late observations
of the planet Jupiter appear to show that
the period of rotation at its equator is more
thau five minutes legs than in the latitude
of the great red spot. This interesting re-
suit tends to confirm the suspected resem-
blance of the greatest world of our system
to the sun itself.
Admiral de Jonquieres, of the French |
navy, has called attention to a remarkable |
phenomenon which may be witnessed at |
Papeete, in the Society Islands. At this |
point there is but one tide day instead of |
the two which occur at other places on the |
sea.
In 1858 Ray found that there were IS va
rieties Of apples. In 1866 the collection of |
the Royal Horticultural Society embraced |
1900 varieties, many of them not worth |
cultivation.
NEPTUNE's TEAcHINGs-Of deep-sea |
life, and the gradual changes by which 1T |
seems to have reached its present stage,
Filhol, French naturalist remarks: 'Dur-
ing the greater part of geological time the
earth's surface did not exhibit those deep
depressions and great projections that it |
does in our day. The continents did not |
possess their present great reliefs, OF the
oceans their abysses. Gradually, in meas
ure as the earth, under the influence of the
cooling that it underwent cracked, the bot
tom of the oceans sank more and MORE
The equality of temperature that was es-
tablished between the deep marine zones
of the warm and temperate regions and the
superficial marine zones of the cold regions
permitted species living at these latter
points to exrend over greater and greater
spaces; although they met with conditions
of life different from those of the surround
ings in which they were formerly placed
absence of vegetable food, and of light, and
absolute tranquility of water. Their organ
ization then became modified, and adapted
itself to these new biological conditions; in
a word, it became transformed. Phospho-
resent organs arose to produce light in tho
midst of regions that the solar rays no long
er reached. Organs of touch were devel-
Oped, carnivorous characters were substitu-
ted for phytophagous ones, and modifica-
tions of the mouth were brought about for
stealthily seizing large prey that had to
satisfy the animal for many days. So sub
marine explorations have lent arguments of
great value to biologists who assert that
animal forms do not constitute those immu-
table types called species. 1t would seem,
in fact, when we observe the surprising an
imals of the deep, that an organism is mere
ly soft paste in the hands of Nature,
which she is necessarily kneading, and the
existence of which she perpetuates by adap-
tations that are continuously renewed dur
ing the course of ages"
a kind of beer made from bananas is re-
ported by missionaries of Uzigay, in the
equatorial lake region of Africa, to have
proven an effective prophylactic against ma
larial fevers, its use having kept them in ex-
cellent health in most deadly climate.
EVANGELIST SAM JONES ON CoLLEc-
1900 and 5000 people
were in the tabernacle last niUht whan |