Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-05-08
PRACTICAL RECEIPTS.

Natural gas Is now USED III 1O4 steel
works in this country, but the supply
hows signs of failing and companies are
thinking of retiring to the old fuel.
Of course the cause and origin of red
snow, so called, is we'll known. 1t is pref
ty generally agreed among botanists that
the plant which supplies this pollen does
not pass into a higher stage Of develop
ment than single cell. 1t is occasionally
associated with Iichens and moses, but it
is not supposed to be related to them in
any way.
Prof. Poe of Bridgeport, CT, has drowned
and resuscitated a pet rabbit eleven times,
and sufficated it also with the fumes of
burning charcoal, and restored it to life.
The professor uses a pair of artificial lungs.
Artificial respirations produce muscular
contraction and expansion, forcing oXy-
gen into the lungs ard drawing out the
deadly gases.
SiF J. Crichton Brown has been lectur-
ing at Birmingham Oh brain growth y
an5 giving figures as to the average weight
Of brain enjoyed by different races. Thus
we have the following figures: The Scotch,
sc ounces; the English. 40 ounces; the
Germans, 1873 ounces; the French, ATS
ounces.
Dr. A. Rohde says that the use Of do
mestic utensils made of nickel is quite
harmless. A nickel plate vessel with a
surface of 29G square centimetres. con-
tanning two per cent. solution Of acetic
acid, lost in atwenty-four hours onky from
twenty-four to twenty-nine Fmilligrammes
of the nickel; and tartaric, citric and Tactic
acids have all about the same effect Oh the
metal as the;aeetic acid As sach small
quantities of nickle are dissolved even un-
der every favorable circumstance he thinks
there can never be any real danger of poi
son.
According to the Perseverance,, of Milan,
important sponge banks have lately been
discovered close to the island of Lampe-
dusa, onthe southern coast of Sicily.
These deposits of sponges extend over a
suface of from fifteen to eighteen marine
leagues. and are situated aaa
equal distance from ttae southeastern ex-
treuity of the islamc. IIhe smallest
depth above these banks is twenty els
the greatest depth is from thirty to thirty
ones els At the lesser depth rock is met
with, on which the sponge grows; at
greater depths sandy soil is found.
There were altogether about 800 dis
tinct .epi&emics of influenza in Europe
between $40, when the disease was first
noted at Militia, and 1850 In 1923 the
whole Of Europe suffered severely. Ac-
cording to statistics published 10y the Move
Vermya 5he disease caused sos deaths In
London in one week, and In Vienna co.
900 persons were affected. In 1876 and
1743 there were further outbreaks. and the
deaths ia one week In london amounted to
1000. in 1855 domestic animals were
first attacked by it Ia 1856, 80, 900 per
sons fell Ito it In St. Petersburg in TWEEN
tyfour hours. la St. Petersburg quinIne
is now served out daily 80 the troops, 1glix-
ed with yetika.
Blueing is added to the water in which
linen is washed to naturaIize the dull vel
low tint which clean linen always possesses.
Blue and yellow are complementary colors,
that is, when mixed together they make
white, so THAT the peculiar shade of yellow
which is common to all intensely white
bodies, and which may be partially, at
least, an optical, illusion, is naturalized by
the blue. Paper, sugar, starch and many
other substances are treated In tthe same
way.
Among the many startling contrasts be-
tween the industries of one hundred years
ago and those Of to-day, one of tie most
impressive is the vast expansion of the
production of that indispensable article,
iron A century ago, it is stated, only
charcoal iron was produced, and eof that
only 5000 tons a year. Even Great Brit
ain produced in 1860 only $500 tons.
To-day, there are several furnaces liz this
country. each of which turns out annually
as much as that, and "a single railway now
buys year, y more iron than both Great
Britain and this ooumtry produced can
iary ago