The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-11-17
'Cb1pttsd for TAs Ark@ssnD zFuusIer.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY,

The solanine In unripe potatoes is
supposed to have caused the recent
poisoning of many French soldiers.
Almost the hardness of the diamond
Is said to be given by German work.
men to steel engraving tools. The
tools are made white-h hot, plunged
repeatedly into sealing wax until cold,
and then just touched with oil of tur-
pentine.
TraciDgs Of the curious hieroglyph-
les found upon, certain slate rocks of
Nova Scotia have been obtained by the
Smithsonian Institution at Washing.
ton. The characters are cut to depth
of sixteenth of an inch, and seem to
be very old.
Watch springs, piano strings and
similar articles have been successfully
tempered by electricity. The steel is
wound on a spool, placed in an oil
bath, and by the electric current kept
at the exact degree of redness neces-
sary for the temper required.
AS the best method of water proof
ing soldiers clothing, the Belgian
government has adopted dipping the
goods in acetate of alumina and then
drying in the air. The clothing is
mot injured, and is said to offer no OBJ
stacle to Precipitation after treatment.
Prof. Langley finds that q very
faint light may be perceived in about
half q second, while an ordinary bright
light requires only about half that
interval, and that the same amount of
energy may produce at least 100000
times the visual affect In one color that
it does in another.
MORE SUBMARINE NAVIGATION
The French minister of the navy ia
reported to be experimenting on the
Seine with an electrical submarine tor
pedo boat. It is made of sheet iron.
Is cigar-shaped, and measures about
143 feet in length by five feet in diam
eter. 1t carries sufficient store of
compressed oxygen for quite q trip
under water.
FLoUR-bREATHING. Twenty guinea
pigs were placed by M. L. Poincarre
in the most dusty part of flour mill,
In order to test the effect of the con-
slant inhalation of the dust. At the
end Of two years ten pigs survived.
The others, mostly young ones, seemed
to have died from catarrhal pneumonia,
and In no case from consumption. Lit
tie dust was found beyond the passages
of the nose.
TEMPERANCE ToNIcs.--The chemist
Of the Massachusetts, board of health
has analysed forty seven specimens of
the tonics and bitters with which the
market Is flooded. Many of these are
advertised as being free from alcohol.
and some as overcoming the craving
for drink, yet forty six of the speci-
mems examined were found to contain
alcohol, in proportions ranging from
8 to 47.5 per cent, 21.5 per cent being
the average. A specimen of 60 called
Sulphur bitters" contained no sui
phur.
CoAsTs.-It has heen calculated that
Europe has one mile of coast line to
each 100 square miles of territory; Asia,
one to 469; Africa, one to s95: South
America, one to 434; and North
America, one to 265. The total length
or the European coast is 1880 miles.
of which 5000 miles is unavailable for
commerce. The coast line of the
United States, exclusive Of Alaska.
has been estimated to be more than
1900 miles and with an additional
1000 on the great lakes. Including
the shores of navigable rivers, as has
been done in the estimate for Europe.
Mr.. j. FL. Patton finds the total avail
able coast-line Of the United States.
exclusive of Alaska, to be 28, 900 miles.
or one mile to about 1O8 square miles
of surface.
SUN-ENERGY IN GROWTH. The
director of the Royal Deaf Mute Asy-
lum at Copenhagen has shown that
children's growth varies greatly in
different parts of the year, the rate of
increase In the weight Of boys being
three times ss great from the first Of
August to the middle of December as
from the middle December to the end
OF April, and most of the gain of this
second period being lost between the
end of April and the end of July.
These fluctuations do not correspond
to local changes OF temperature or to
changes of season, but instead appear
to coincide with fluctuations in the
average temperature of the whole
globe. The evidence thus far collected
10 taken as an Indication, therefore,
that some unknown'Ienergy of growth
comes to us from the sun with the
heat rays, separates from them. and.
unaffected by wind or weather, causes
uniform fluctuations in the growths
Of all organic Life.
FRENCH NovELrrEs.-An anero;d
barometer made by Partisan clock
maker literally pictures the weather.
On the face Of the instrument Is painted
4 landacanA hahfnd -hS.h 49,.