The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-12-26
MODERN SCIENCE.
wEALH OF THE vEGE-
TABLE WORLD.
as Cosmetic-GoId In
the Occan-vision of Insects
Mapping the United States-The
Work or the Peruvfals.

Though Emerson suggested that
every weed is a. plant whose use is
not yet understood, the number Of
plants that have been brought into
service by man is very small Edison
S. Baston finds authority for the
statement that 1852 species have been
at some time cultivated as food. and
that the total known to have been used
as food is 1890 But many of these are
of little value, and Smiths Dictionary
of Economic Plants, gives only SIS
species as those important for any pur-
poses. For medicine some 5000 plants
have been employed, of which the
United States Ddspensatory enumerates
1900, while only 244 are given in the
pflarmacopoeia. The plants not yet in
vestigated offer great possibilities,
which, however, can only be developed
by long and extensive government ex-
pertinent. The named species may be
taken at about 175,000, and possibly as
many more are to be discovered, while
many species are capable of great
varieties through cultivation. The apple
had yielded about 1,500 different varl-
cites up to a few years ago. yet some
species of the genus may be quite as
different varieties of wheat are believed
by some to have had their origin In an
unimportant forage grass, and a wild
plant still growing on English ana
French coasts has given US the WhfCe
and red cabbage, caulifloWer, and per-
hams even the common turnlp. From
the little explored fields Of bacteria
and fungi may be expected many use
full products.
BY its tonic influence Upon the heart,
bfood-vesseIs and general circulation.
electricity tends to maintain the normal
nutrition in the skin as well as In ether
tissues. Tt is therefore largely en-
ployed to improve the complexion,
states Professor J. V. Shoemaker. In
variety of cases that are not actually
disease, but are on the border line and
probably due to faulty nutrition.
lAnnong the defects so treated are mud
diness Of complexion, yellownesS due 70
disordered liver, olliness from refaXed
sebaceous ducts, redness OF nose due 10
sluggish circulation, dGyness ana
rougnness of the skin, and augmented
spots and blotches, including freckles'
That gold should exist in the ocean
is an induction that Dr. Henry Wurtz
claims to have presented in 1Sbo, anu
in 1872 the discovery was made by r.
Sonstadt. Assuming 09 for each ton or
sea water. It is computed that the en-
tire ocean contains over S0,OoO, 0Go'OuO'-
OOO. 600 of gold. One Of the problems OF
the future, DR.. Wurtz now predicts
will be the getting Of some Of this
gold by electrolysis.
That insects do not see well, es-
pecially at a distance, is a conclusion
reached by A. Mallack from observa-
ton and calculation. Their composite
eve, however, has an advantage over
the simple eye in the fact that there
is hardly any practical limit to its
nearness of vision. The best insect eye
examined would give a picture, about
as good as if executed in coarse wood
work, and viewed from a foot's dis
lance.
The United States geological survey,
established about fourteen years ago,
is doing work not suggested by it's title,
about half its energies and annual ap-
preparation, according to Marcus Baker,
being devoted to making a topOgra PHI
ical map of the country. More or less
work of this kind has been done in all
but four or five of the forty-nine states
and territories. The total area mapped
to date is about 100000 square miles, or
about one-ffth of the United States,
and during the last few years the areas
surveyed have been from 10000 to 50,
600 square miles per year. Massachu-
sets, Rhode Island, Connecticut and