Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-06-16
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Compiled for the SPECTATOR. |

DIFFUSED COLOR.-Ihe quantity OF col
oring matter which must be mixed with a
perfectly white powder-such as carbonate
of magnesia-before the human eye can
detect it has lately been the subject of some
interesting experiments, from which it ap
pears that red and yellow are most easily
DETECTED, sixteen and seventeen parts re.
spectively being sufficient to perceptibly
tinge 100, 100000 parts of white.
VALUABLE PLANTS. a recent geologi.
cal paper. Prof. j. Starkie Gardner sketch.
ed the value and Importance of the grasses
at the present day, remarking that they oc.
cupy under cultivation third of the en-
tire area of Europe, inclusive Of lakes and
mountains, while, exclusive Of malt an6
spirituous drinks distilled from them, theil
products to the value of nearly one hundred
millions sterling are imported annually into
England alone. There are over 5000 species,
fitted to occupy most diverse stations and
to overcome nearly every kind of vegetable
competition, with the result that about
ninety-fve per cent of the plants growing
in ordinary meadow-land are grasses.
In Germany there are now eight schools
of forestry, where training of five years is
necessary for students seeking government
positions. France supports single school
at Nancy.
From a comparison of the number of emf
nent men of certain rank in each million in
dividuals of several races, Mr.. Joseph Jacobs
estimates that the average Jew has four per
cent more ability than the average English
man, and two per cent more than the aver
age Scotchman.
In a new and elaborate work on the
bronze age in Scandinavia, DIR. Oscar Mon
telius gives the probable duration of the
period as from 1850 B. G. to 400 or $50 B.
c., when iron came into use in Northern
Europe.
A NATURAL TRAP.-A curious form of
animal trap exists in the Santa Paula val
ley, Ventura county, California, where many
unfortunate creatures are captured by small
streams of thick mineral oil which flow from
the mountains during the Summer down
ravines which are water-courses in the wet
season. Thus, it is stated on the authority
of Prof. E. W. Hiigard, gophers, moles,
squirrels, rabbits, all kinds of birds from
the buzzard and hawk to the canary, as well
as all kinds of insects, may be found Just
caught or completely submerged in the
pitiless viscid mass which rarely releases
victim once touched. The frequent occur
renee of bones of lambs and calves proves
that even larger animals are entrapped. 1t
is supposed that the shining surface of the
pitch gives the impression that the streams
are water.
WATER AS ANTI-FAT.-It has been a
matter of extensive belief in France that the
drinking of water in considerable quantities
has tendency to reduce obesity, by in
creasing the activity of oxidations in the
system and favoring the burning away of
accumulated fat. The error of this idea has
just been shown by DR.. Debove, who has
proven that the quantity of water taken has
no influence on nutrition or body weight SO
long as the solid diet remains unchanged
Astronomical photography continues to
meet with great favor in France. Since the
successful trials of the special photograph
ing telescope at the Paris Observatory,
French astronomers have decided to build
three other instruments of the kind, one for
the Algiers Observatory, and two for desti-
nations not yet fixed.
During recent years great loss to farmers
of Norway has resulted from disease af-
fecting the roots of barley. This proves to
be due to microscopic round worm, Tylen-
chus hordei, which also attacks the roots of
the bind-grass of Norwegian and Scotch
coasts. A remedy has still to be sought.
SEED VITALITY.-The limit of life in the
embryo of seeds has long been subject of
experiment and discussion. In late lee
ture, Prof. Bentley, an English botanist,
stated that it is perfectly true that oats and
other cereals have been raised ffom seed
found in a mummy's coffin, but that it ap-
pears to be equally certain that the grains
were placed in the ancient coffin by some
means only very short time before the ex-
humation of the body. Not many seeds
will terminate under ordinary circums :ances
after the third year, and very few indeed
after the fourth. Peas and beans are very
tenacious of life. The lotus has been
known to grow after hundred years, but
there is scarcely another instance of such
survival of vitality.
HEAT OF THE GULF STREAM.-Tt is well
understood that Great Britain and other
parts of Northern Europe owe much to the
warming influence of the Gulf Stream. The
extent Of the effect has been given in the
calculations of DR.. James Croll, who has
found that the amount of heat conveyed |
northward in the Atlantic by this stream
is equivalent to ", 479, $50, 900, 900, 600, 900
foot pounds of energy per day, which is
equal to all the heat received by 1860, 935 |
square miles at the equator, and more heat |
than is conveyed by all the air currents
The heat of the Arctic seas and North At |
lantic would be diminished that much by