Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-07-12
". 6. SMITH & GO.
Science Condensed.

Wisdom teeth, the most variable of all in size, shape, and general character, are said 10 show hereditary characteristics more strongly than any of the other teeth.
 Claims are laid to the discovery of the method of raising sugar cane from seed in stead of from cuttings. The seeds were discovered by means of a microscope, in the flowery head of the cane.
 The mollusks that bore into the insular tion of submarine cables are pronounced to be species of teredo. The embryo is said to penetrate between the iron wires of the sheathing and turk in the jute until strong enough to cut through the gutta percha.
 Trials of the latest express compound To- comotive in England with a special train of eighteen carriages developed the unparal- leled speed of about ninety miles an hour The highest speed, as measured by stop watch, was just over ten seconds per quarter mile run.
 The electrical process has been success fully adopted in South Australia for the recovery of the minute particles of gold dust that have hitherto been lost in the work of separating the metal from the ore. The economical value of the process has been abundantly proved
 When the current in electric railways passes from the car wheel to the track, it causes a considerable increase in friction between the two. Expert opinion seems to favor the theory that this additional resist auce is due to slight welding action caused by the heat generated by the current
 The grapple plant of the Kalahari desert is said to be a real vegetable curiosity. In it's general appearance it looks more like a star fish than plant, and each ray or arm is tipped with barbs, which, when fastened to the wool of sheep, have to be cut out as the only way of removing them.
 The most recent observations as to the amount of heat the earth receives from the sun show that in clear, pleasant weather 63 1-2 per cent. of heat is absorbed by the atmosphere and only 361S per cent reaches the soil. This figure rises in October to fl per cent. and sinks to 28 per cent. in Janu- ary.
 The alarm girdle for men-of-war or har- bors, to protect them from the sudden at tack of torpedo boats at night, as proposed for use in France, consists of wire supported by buoys placed at intervals all around the vessel Should an enemy break through the line at night light flares up and dis closes his position.
 A new and simple method of measuring small variations of the length of bar has lately been devised by means of a wire giv ing determinate number of vibrations When the bar expands the wire becomes less tense and gives fewer vibrations and there is a simple relation between the mum Der of vibrations and the length of the bar
 The Zester telephone, which closely re sembles watch in appearance, has been adopted in the French government tele- phone service. Inside the case are two con centric bowls of soft iron, each having 8 coil of wire around it. These bowls form the electro-magnet. and the armature or viabrating diaphragm is placed over them as lid to the cases.
 Experiments have recently been carried on at Toulon with view of determining to what extent accuracy of aim could be attained at night with the use of an cleo tric light. A gun was mounted on a re volving platform, which also carried an electric projector. The target was fixed at distance of between three and four kilo- meters, and it was found that the same ac- curacy could be attained under these con ditions as during daylight.