Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-11-23
SCIENTIFIC WAITS.

/ II spite of ice and severe cold,
| Labrador possesses 900 species of
| towering plants, 80 ferns and over $50
species OF mosses and lichens.
-Four different peaks in the noun
tains of idaho are from thirteen to
twenty three feet lower 10y actual
year ago. Geolgists do not attempt to
explain the "why' of their setting.
At the head OF the gulf of Bothnia
there is a mountain on the summit of
which the sun shines perpetually dur
ing the FIVE days June 19, 20, 81, -
and %.
Helmholz showed that wave of
thought would require about minute
| TO travel a mile OF nerve, and Hersch
found that touch on the face was rec
ognized by the brain and responded
to by a manual signal in the seventh of
second.
He also found that the Speed of
sense differe3 for different organs, the
sense OF hearing being responded to in
the sixth of second, while that of
sight required one-fifth of second to
be felt and signslled. In all these
cases the distance traversed was about
! the same, so the inference is that i'm
ages travel more SLOWLY than sound or
touch. 1t still remained. however, to
show the portion of this interval taken
up by the brain.
Professor Donders, by very delicate
apparatus. has demonstrated this to
be about seventy five thousandths of a
second. OF the whole interval forty
thousandths are occupied In the sim
pie act of recognition, and thirty-tive
! thousandths for the act of willing re-
sponse.
The water spider, which spends m ost
of its time under water, carries a bu b.
ble OF air for breathing on the under
side of its body, and when this air is
exhausted it comes to the surface for
more. 1t is enabled to carry The air
bubble because the under side o. Its
body is covered with tiny hairs set so
close together that the surface film of
the water does not pass them, although
the air does, and thus the air is i'm
prIsoned among the hairs.
When the thermometer registers 100
degrees, the cable which draws the
cars of the East River Bridge, New
York, is seven feet and six inches long
er than when the thermometer is at
zero. The same difference in temper
ature causes difference of two feet
and six inches III the length of each
cable.
A new article called asbestos porce-
lain, and made by working asbestos
into a paste with water and drying at a
gentle heat and then exposing to
temperature of 2200o for II to 13 hours
A semi-transparent substance is formed,
which resembles the thinner qualities
of chinaware. Its porosity sdapts it
admirably to the filtration and steriliza-
ton of water, as the pores are so small
as to be impervious to the micro or
ganisms. 1t also makes a good filter
for wines, acids and vinegar.
One of the most curious of the many
natural barometers consists of half
pint glass full of water, piece of mus
lin and a leech. The leech must be,
put in the water and the muslin tied
over the top on the glass, so that the
creature cannot get out again. When
fine weather is to be the order of the
day the leech will remain at the bottom
of the water, coiled up in spiral shape
and perfectly motionless. If rain Is
to be expected 1t will creep to the top
of the glass and remain there till there
is likelihood of more settled weather.
II there is to be storm of wind the
little animal will comfort itself violent
ly and squirm about. For some days
before thunder it will keep out of the
water almost all the time and will oc-
casionally move its body n a convul
sive fashion. For frosty weather it be-
haves in the same manner as for fine,
and it foretells snow in the same man
ner as it does rain.