The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-06-17
CURIOUS. USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC,

Bricks so light that they will Fl 1at on wa
ter, and as strong as ordinary bricks, are
made OF silioeous earth, clay being some
times added to bind the material together.
The Lancet says that appetite is:the most
misleading sensation, only remotsly related
to the actual demands of the organism. If
We only ale deliberately We should fnd
half our accustomed quantity of food s1fici-
ent to satisfy the most eager cravings of hun
ger. and hence save ourselves from the evils
Of dyspepsia, or, on the other hand, ten
dency to ever increase in weight.
NJ. Pasteur recently recommended q
member Of the Academic dss Science to ex.
pertinent with young animals in order to as
certain If they can not be nourished upon
the absolutely pure food which many PEG.
pie regard ss an ideal diet-that lie, food
wholly free from microbes. He believed
that such diet would not sustain life, and
that the presence OF common microbes in
the digestive organs was necessary to the
proper functional action of those:orgsns.
A German entomologist, T. Dahl, claims
that spiders have perfect sight only at short
distances. There sense OF touch is conse-
quently remarkably well developed. There
smell is so good that thay can distinguish
odors, snd their hearing is excellent. Some
Of them show e remarkable instinct in
building their Webs-even their frst-in
perfect geoHetrical form. A reflective
power is eVinced by their refusal Of kinds of
tough insects which have been once attacked
uDsucoessfully.
DR.. Goessman, OF Massachusetts,. has snsI.
yzed the ashes of asparagus and discovered
that 90 per cent Of them is potash. Acting
upon the suggestion thus given, President
Moore, OF the Massachusetts, horticultural
Society, who had an acre and a half OF aspar-
agUs on very poor gravelly SOIL which b ad
not received any manure applied 800 pounds
OF bone and 500 pounds OF muriate of potash.
The result was very large crop of the as
paIegus, some of which received the prize at
the summer exhibition Of the society.
1t Is said by some one curious in these mat
ttrs that there is not a chimney nor q cook
ing stove In Havana; not carpeted rom
nor feaihered pillow. This is but another
way OF saying that with good ssnss the PEG
pie there know how to adapt their domestic
economy 10 the caloric character Of the cli-
maize; bat here IN our Northern cities the
other heat engeDdering ps7spher1alia are in
full blast est the same when the mercury is
go IN the shade as when il is below zsro
Which is the barbarian?
A tadpole, tbs larva of The frog. has tail
and no legs. gills instead of lungs, heart
precisely like that of fish, horny beak
for eating vegetable food, and spiral intss-
tine to digest. As 1t natures its hinder legs
show themselves. then the front pair; the
besk falls off; the tail and gills waste away;
the lungs ara created; the digestive appa.
ratus is changed to suit an animal diet; the
heart is altered to the reptilian type by the
addition Of another auricle in fact, skin,
muscles. nerves bones, and blood vessels
vanish, being absorbed atom by atom, and a
new set is substituted.
A French polish can be made as follows;
though rather complicated, it is worth the
trouble: Take one pint Of soft water, and
mix with il twice as much vinegar; break in
small pieces one-quarter of pound of glue !;
stir It into the vinegarsand water with half a
pound Of logwood chips, quarter ounce o.
finely powdered indigo, a quarter ounce of
the best soap and quarter ounce Of isinglass.
Put ell this mixture on the FIRE, bring 1t to
the boil, and let il boil gently for at least a
quarter Of an hour; strain it carefully, put
II In bottles and cork tightly; when cold It
is ready to be used. A clean, soft sponge
should be used TO apply IL.
Cocaine, the new local anesthetic that has
suddenly achieved such an excellent reputa-
ton, has been known ss such for q great