The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1885-01-24
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

a Weekly Summary of Current Events III
NIL Department. of Science.
At late meeting of The Berlin society |
it WIS stated that four polar expeditions are
now in preparation, one of them to go to
the Antarctic regions.
A new metal has been discovered by
Prof. Websky as one of the colnponents OF
native vanadate of lead. He proposes call
ing it ''idunium.''
4 factory is said to have been established
in Sweden for making into paper half ue-
composed moss which has accumulated III
many places iii Norway and Sweden to
thickness of q foot Or more. The substance
| may lie pressed into boards, which have the
desirable qualities Of wood without such
defects as warping and splitting.
{, BY method of spectroscop;c observa-
ton, Mr.. W. h. Hartley has reached tie
| conclusion ozone is a constant constituent
of the upper atmosphere, that it is present
| there in larger quantity than nearer the
earths suffice, and that it il the tau of
the blue color of the sky. Either in its
gaseous FORM Or cO1iutItStO 1Ato & AAlaAof
ozone appears of deep blue.
A project has been brought before the
French Academy of Sciences for the con-
structiou of q sewer abou: 100 miles long to
convey The sewage Of Paris to the sea,
| pumping stations being established at two
places. 1t is estimated that during two
! thirds Of the year almost the Whole quantity
| Of sewage would be absorbed BY irrigation
without it's reaching the sea at all.
Believing Dr.. Koch's comma bacillus,
which has been found only IN the contents
of the intestines, to be insufficient to &C
count for cholera, DIR. Rudolf Enmerlch,
R,variau natI,o!ou ist, has sou .ht for r.ore
pc.ent germs in the tissues ana organs OF
the BODY. As a'result Of his Investigations
he has reported the discovery of bacteria
resembling in form and size those found IN
diphtheria, in the blood of cholera patti eht :,
and. furthermore, he has described expert
| ments in which, he appears to have produced
the disease in guinea pigs by inoclia.lon
with these b,cterla
The limit Of temperature at which men
can work depends upon the length OF their
| exposure Tie amount Of exerticn they put
forth, their condition and the nature Of
the atmosphere, particularly with regard to
its degree Of moisture. Men have been
employed on railways at lo4 degrees, in
mires-under very favorable conditions
at 1875 degrees, and are said to work orca-
sionally in stoke hcles of tropical steamers
at ia; degrees Prof. DslBois Raymond has
estimated that temperature of 122 degree;
can be endured when the air is as dry as
possible, but that even 1O4 degrees is likely
! to be fatal i'll an atmosphere saturated witt
moisture, 1t is considered certain that mel
, cannot become accustomed to stand, fo1
any considerable time, a higher telnpera
lure than from 40 to 1G5 degrees, even
, when they keep perfectly still and are Il
quite pure air.
The seeds Of the willow will not GERM
, nate after having been once dry. The seed
of coffee and various other plants IL
not terminate after having been kept 70
q any considerable time. Wheat over twl
centuries Old has been found quite tit TO
food. but the grains usually lose thei
power Of growth after a lapse of sevel
years. Specimens Of rye and when
L loxn to be ls;5 years old could not be in
dnced to ger:ninate. THE stories Of mum
my wheat sprouting after having lain j,
Egyptian tombs for thousands of years
e are, to say the least of them, very dubious,
/ declare. DR.. Robert Brown, F. L. s. IN.
well authenticated instances O. such find
are extant, while among ether articles solo
: by the Arabs to credulous ira, e!ers, as com
! my out Of the same tomb as the ancien
wheat, have been dahlla bulbs and maiz
the deposition Of which in tie re ep;acl
! from which they were said to be extrast (
: necessitates the belief that 5000 years age
tie subjec-s o. tn, Pha -ao! we're engaged
1 III commerce with America When KEEP
: dry ard protected fro Eg.'t and air. how
ever. seeds lave been known TO le ain theil
vi aity for somewhat Heightened periods
Seeds of the bean and pea order have
, Sprouted after 1l0 years storage IN an her
-. bf.sium. and many similar instances-mos
of them somewhat doui,;ful-have keen re
corded