The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-05-26
oo1sptIed for zAs Arkaasaw TFopsIsT. SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY,

Among curious vegetable products are kind of butter from 8 tree of west Africa and milk from a tree of Venezuela. Both are nutritious food.
 "Glassblowers' cramp," deformity of the fingers produced by continuous grasping, as described by M. Poncet, is an affection of nearly every glass- | blower.
 Dr. G. M. Smith points out that great cities are losing one of natures best gifts in the wasted sunbeams which fall upon unused roofs. He would convert the roofs into pleasure and health parks, where pure air and sunshine might be enjoyed.
 The worlds insect species number S20, 900, according to Dr. J. A. Lint ner, 5000 belonging to the United States. About 25,000 prey upon the productions of man, 1000 or 5000 be- ing fruit pests, and no less than 210 being known on the apple tree alone.
 It is predicted by MT. Charles G. Leland that ten years hence pupils in public schools will not only be given mechanical training, but will also be taught memory and quickness of per- ception, as a preparation for studies requiring thought. In this brief time "there will be such revolutions as no upernaturalist ever dreamed of"
 Dr. Paulinis mentions an epidemic of diphtheria, in 1884, which followed the arrival of flock of turkeys in Skiatos, one of the Grecian isles, where no case of the disease had previously been known for thirty years. Some of the turkeys were sick, and it is be- lieved that the diphtheritic germs were conveyed from them through the air to the first human victim.
 ARTIFICIAL SPoNGEs.-A new sponge industry is being developed on the coast of Dalmatia as an outcome of ex- periments by Prof. Oscar Schmidt, of Styria. Prof. Schmidt planted in favorable spots very small cuttings of live sponge, and in three years was re- warded with a fine crop of large sponges. The expense was small, the total cost of 1000 sponges being not more than 225 francs.
 BOILERS DESTROYED BY GAs.-An official report, made after the most elaborate investigation, attributes the most extensive and complete destruc- tion of steam boilers on record to the sudden ignition of coal gas, mixed with air, that accumulated in the fiues. The explosion occurred July 25, 1887, in Upper Silesia, Germany. Twenty-two boilers, each having more than 1000 square feet of heating sur- face, were instantly blown to pieces {; the boiler house, covering over 15,000 square feet, and adjoining buildings, were utterly destroyed, and the three men in charge were killed.
 CHEMICAL SILK.-A new artificial silk is said to have been prepared at Lyons by M. de Chardonnet. The process consists in adding to an ether ized solution of nitrated cellulose (the base of gun-cottoD solution of per- chloride of iron, and to this mixture a little of solution of tannic acid in alcohol, when the whole is poured in fine jet into water calculated with nitric acid. The fluid thread becomes consistent, and is drawn off, dried and wound. The substance is supple, transparent, silky in appearance, and very strong. The color is gray or black, but may be changed to suit.
 ANOTHER UNDISCOVERED GERM.- The reports which came, not many months ago, from Mexico and Brazil, stating that the yellow fever germ had been discovered and cultivated, and that inoculations with it prevented the disease, have been investigated for the United States government by Dr. Geo. M. Sternberg, a physician and biologist of great experience. He has become convinced that the yellow fever microbe has not yet been found, and that the inoculations made have really increased the effects of the dis ease instead of lessening them. His re- searches have been made under some what unfavorable conditions, however, and further experiments will be made.
 AN IMPRACTICABLE PRoJEcT.-An engineering writer illustrates by rough calculation the expense of re- moving snow from streets by melting with artificial heat. Steam at 212 de- drees is the most effective agent for applying the heat, and one- pound of this would convert into ice-cold water little over eight pounds of snow. Ordinarily this pound of steam would be produced by about one-seventh of pound of fuel, and at least 35 pounds of coal would be required for melting one ton of snow. Allowing 16O cu- bic feet of snow to the ton, 2S3 pounds of coal would have to be burned to melt drift 25 feet long by 10 feet wide and 4 feet in average depth. When to this is added the waste of steam, the difficulty of bringing the sfoa m fa &ha as,oyr and 4ho 4aox &LaA