The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-01-16
Scientific Miscellany.

ISOLATION for the Advancement of Sci
ences that the surgical operation OF
trepanniag was practiced in prehis-
toric ages.
Dr. Sophus Tromholt, of Norway, is
about preparing a catalogue of all the
auroras which have been observed in
Northern Europe from the earliest
times.
The re-planting of forest trees in
north western India has already made
itself beneficially felt, according to Sir
G. Birdwood, in increasing the rain
fall of various districts.
The deep sea crustacea, according
TO Prof. Moseley, either have very
large eyes or are eyeless, and there
must be a source of light in the deep
sea- That source, he claims, is phos-
phoresence, but its light must be very
dim.
The little living worms which have
been most Unexpectedly discovered IN
ice are described by Prof. Leidy as be-
ing white or colorless, and from one
fourth to one-sixth of an inch long by
one-seventy-iifth of All inch in thick
ness, the species being unknown.
A Swedish naturalist. DR.. Wills, has
| investigated the strength of various
| kinds of sea weed to resist strains,
such as are caused by the swell of the
sea- He finds that sea weeds are very
strong and elastic, the parts which
| ordinarily lie lowest in the water
being capable of bearing the greatest
strain.
According to Sir Trevor Lawrence,
M. P, there is collector of orchids
in England who employs fourteen
| persons-nearly all German natural
lists, and each costing about So,0oo
year-to search for different species
and varieties in different parts of the
world. He has two acres of the plants
under glass, and his total annual ex-
penditure on orchids is nearly $780,
900.
To prove that DR.. Koch's comma
bacillus" is not the cause of cholera,
and that the vomit of cholera patients
is not infectious, French physician
has swallowed some pills made from
the vomt of person who died from
cholera. He was only slightly Affect
ed, if at all, but two guinea pigs ana
dog which were inoculated with the
same vomit succumbed at once.
In a communication to the French
Academy of Science, Mons. A, II. dc
Villeneuve has urged the Importance
of using distilled water for drinking
purposes, and has suggested that the
cost may be greatly reduced by using
that obtainable from steam engines.
He asserts that it is not unpalatable
and contains sufficient air, while the
absence of lime salts is an advantage.
A German experimental, Prof. Z.
Nollny, has found that soil covered
with living heritage or dead vegetable
matter is colder in summer and warmer
in winter than bare soil under other
. wise similar conditions. The differ
ence of temperature is greatest IN sum-
mer and least in spring and autumn
Bare soil heats more quickly IN the
spring and cools more quickly III au-
-tumn than that covered with living OF
: dead vegetable matter.
1t has been demonstrated by DR..
Hans Molsch that the roots OF plants
NAV be detected from their normal
direction by exposure on one side TO
certain gases. If such gases are IN
moderate quantities the roots bend
away from their source; II IN larger
quantities, toward such source. The
side of the root exposed to the action
of the gas grows more strongly than
the other.
In experiments by Profs. Milne and
GRAY it has been determined that nor
NAL earthquake waves are transmitted
through hardened mud at the rate OF
437 feet per second, and transverse
waves at 357 feet per second. Mallet's
earlier experiments showed that earth
ouakes traverse sand at speed OF $50
feet, iointed granite 1905 feet, and
solid granite sos feet per second.
Prof. Ewing considers the last number
to be very much too small.
During last summer fifteen per'ons
were killed in France by eating fungi
which were believed to be the edible
mushroom. The fungus eaten in some
of the cases was of kind which is Or
dinarilv wholesome, but which deyel-
OPS poisonous qualities under certain
conditions. In cooking a common test
for poison is piece of silver, which
theory asserts will become blackened
| Wnen Dlaccu III liiC NNSoSi w.
the poisonous forms of fungi ms
test has proven to be unreliable. as in
several of these French cases 1t was
applied and the silver remained unaf-
fected, while the mushrooms killed
| those who ate them.
Besides the vast quantities of solid
particles which are washed from the
land into the sea-reducing the height
of the entire Mississippi basin ut 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 Missis--
sippi, the La Plata, the Amazon and
the St. Lawrence, Mr.. I. Mellard
Reade, an English geologist who has
devoted much attention to the chem
ical foundations of the earth surface
has calculated that the whole Amer
lean continent is losing in this way an
average of 100 tons per square mile
each year. Similar results have Deen
olt, ,od for Euronp leading Mi.