The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-12-26
Correspondence Baltimore County Onion.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


AIR-F00D OF PLANTS.
The experiments of Prof. W. O. Atwater have
shown that, contrary to the general opinion of
chemists, plants assimilate nitrogen from the air.
While they take up the greatest quantity when
abundantly supplied from the soil, fully one-half
the total nitrogen acquired by wel-fed plants is
drawn from the atmosphere.
LITERARY PROPHETS.
After Halls discovery of the two moons of Mars
in 1877, it was pointed out that Swift, in "Gul-
hver's Traveles," had prophetically made the
Liliputian astronomers discover the two satellites.
A still more curious circumstance is now mention
ed by DR.. Sophus Tromholt, who relates that in
1851 story was published by a Hungarian author,
Maurus JOkai, in which reference was made to
the star which has recently appeared in the An
dromeda nebala. The star, according to the story,
was revealed to a royal family by the Evil Spirit,
who predicted death in battle to those who could
not see it. Jokai's star was probably a thing of
Imagination only; although there are some rea-
sons for believing that the tale was founded on q
Jewish tradition, which would make it probable
that the "new STAR at which the world is wonder
ing was seen by the Jews, and has reappeared to
view after many centuries of invisibility. In
other words, the existence of such a tradition
star is a variable one of long period.
THE SLEEP OF FISHES.
Experiments on the sleep of fishes have been
made in London by Mr.. W. August Carter. He
has found that the fresh water fishes Observed
the roach, dace, gudgeon, carp, tench, minnow,
and catfsh-sleep periodically like terrestrial ami
mails. The same is true of some marine fishes
such as the wrasse, conger eel, dory, dogfsh,
wrasse bass, and all species of fat fsh-but the
goldfish, pike, and angler fish do not appear to
sleep at all, although they rest periodically. The
desire for sleep varies according to weather con-
tions, and fishes do not necessarily select night
Cor repose.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Ncence of nearly three years, the
DANISH exploring expedition 10 the east coast
of Greenland has returned. The expedition
succeeded in reaching the sixty-sixth degree
of latitude point farther north on the east coast
than had previously been attained. The newly
visited region was named King Christian ks
Land.
new spectroscope has been exhibited to the
Paris Academy of sciences. A very dispersive
medium, such carbon disulphide, is enclosed
between plane parallel surfaces, and the internal
dispersion gives very fine spectrum. The col
ored rays issue by the second surface of the med-
um, parallel to the incident rays
Four great tubes-one about 200 feet long
have been fitted up at the Mendon Observatory
in France for the spectroscopic study of the oxy-
gen, hydrogen and other elements present in the
air. Solar, electric and other lights can be con-
veniently employed for illumination.
The scientific Importance of exploring the Access
sible regions about the South Pole is urged by
Sir Erasmus 0mmany, of the British Navy, who
remarks that no man has ever wintered in the
Antarctic zone.
In his late researches, Wroblewski has been
able to separate liquefed air into two distinct
liquids, different in appearance and composition,
one superimposed upon the other.
Fresh evidences of the trem ndous energy of
the great Krakatoa eruption in Java continue to
be brought forward. Rev. Philip Neale, late
British Chaplain at Batavia, now mentions find
ing immense blocks of coral rock-one of them
weighing at least fifty tons-whch must have
been torn from their ocean bed and swept several
miles inland by the gigantic tidal wave in Sunda
Straits.
In the well-known game of "hop-scotch" Mr..
u. w. Crombie reads curious page of the history
ofpast ages. A form of the game was known to
Pliny, and seems to have been changed by the
early Christians into illustration of their belief
The figure representing their idea of the shape of
Heaven, and the divisions showing the progress
sye states to be passed By the soul in its fight to
Paradise.
Although four-ffths of the worlds sulphur sup
ply comes from Sicily, the deposits of POpocata-
petl in Mexico are much more extensive and of
peter QuailLy. tunnel Is 10 DC Quilt 10 laclll-
tate mining the Mexican sulphur.
An electric needle and battery are now used
quitelextensivey for destroying the roots of of
fensive hairs upon the face. In the case of
young woman with heavy beard, 5000 hairs
were removed, the process requiring two or three
years, each root having to be killed separately.
The island of AKRON, off the west coast of Scot
land, is said to be SO mild that palms and camel
las thrive in the open air, without injury in the
winner, although the latitude is that of the north
ern part of Labrador on this continent.
The greatest astronomical establishment in the
world, the Greenwich Observatory, is surpassed
in the power Of its telescopes by many observa-
tories. 1t has at last been decided to provide
;ta-lsss...ss. sesmert, ard it vii sesa hays .
rS actor with an object glass % inches in dame
ter.
French vineyards have recently suffered sadly
from mildew. As remedy for the disease sui
plate of copper has been tried, and has proven
successful both in the form of five per cent. SOL
utiOn and in mixture with lime.
Compulsory re-vaccination of the soldiers was
established by the German Government eleven
years ago, and since then not single death from
small pox has occurred in the German army.
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