The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-08-23

NJ. Rogonneau, Il French scientist
claims to have discovered how to maxi
= plants grow from seeds as much il
thirty minutes as they would unde
ordinary conditions in a month.
A snake four feet long was captured
at the electric light works in Roches
ter, Pa, last Thursday and treated to O
current of electricity powerful enoughto
kill dozen men. The reptile stiffened
out, apparently dead, but revived in
about an hour.
Only one substance in the solar at
mosphere, as revealed to us by the
spectrum, battles the search of scien-
fists as being as yet unknown on this
earth of ours. There were unit lately
two, but M. Deslandres has found one
by treating the gas from clevite with
sulphuric acid, which yields the ex
IRENE red ray which has so far been
so puzzling; and now only the green
line the line of the crown re
mains undetected. The sun reports it as
belonging to it's substance it will
doubtless ere long be found among
substances on this planet.
Referring to ''gelsoline. the new
fabric or material prepared from the
fibre of the bark of the mulberry tree
without the intervention of the silk
worm, a technical journal remarks up
on the singular fact of there being
three absolutely distinct tibres pro
durable from or peculiar to that tree.
Thus, in addition to the ordinary silk.
a strong and thick fibre for certain
purposes is obtained by killing the silk
worm and drawing the thread out of
its inside: in the preparation of the
gelsoline, the bark is retted and the
fibre treated after the manner of flax,
and latter publication with soap and
soda, is ready for the weaving shed
some works in Italy, as appears, al
ready producing thousands of yards of
the, woven fabric for upholstery pur-
poses. This new material is said to
be ten times as strong as middling
Orleans cotton, and is obtainabe at
one tenth the price of flax: being per
fectly round the fibre insures close
fabric.
An expert says that in the nerves at
the finger tips of blind persons well
defined cells of gray matter. in all re
spects identical with the gray matter
Of the brains, are formed. They car
Beautiful photographs of the bottom
of the Mediterranean have been taken
by Frenchman, who uses barrel of
oxygen surmounted by a glass globe
containing an alcohol lamp, mechani
cal contriyance throwing magnesium
powder on the flame when view is to
be taken.
II is urged that photographers gen
orally should be prepared to catch
views of lightning in order that it may
be studied photographically as affect
lively as astronomy is now done.
II has been found that the growth
of lettuce subjected to the rays of the
electric light is considerably FASTENED
but unfortunately the operation of the
electric light on other useful plants is
not uniform.
y direct disintegrating effect on the
brain and nerve tissues is among the
causes assigned for death in electric (
shocks, but an Investigation by Dr. \. |
NJ. Belle has failed to reveal such 7
changes. 1t would appear. he thinks, I
that death is entirely due to a con
traction Of the arteries produced /
through an influence of the current on /
the nervous system. this impeachment I
to the flow of blood being more than I
the heart can overcome and that,
where drugs are given to counterfeit .
this effect, unusual doses Of electricit; .
can be borne.
Considerable interest is being taken I
all over the country in the motorcycle
or horseless carriage, contest for prizes
Of 5000 offered by the Times Herald /
Of Chicago. Entries will close on
H., and present indications
point to the participation is heard at
Chicago as well as ID Paris. where
these carriages are being put much
more generally to a test, that not many
years will see the horseless vehicles do
ing large part of the work now done
by the noble animal.
To settle discussion concerning the
value of cement as material for safety
vaults, the Bank of the German gov
arnment has constructed and tested a
safe of cement and steel wire netting.
The safe was placed on a pile of burn
ing logs and kept at temperature of
1900 degrees fahrenheit in which
ron will melt-for half an hour After
,ooling two hours the safe was opened
md the contents silk paper. draft
blanks and maximum thermometer
we're found to be absolutely uninjured
The thermometer showed that the in
erior temperature of the safe did not
Use above So degrees during the test
\ nautical bicycle has been invented
" Il Spaniard The machine is com
POSED of two cases of steel, which serve
Is floats and are connected by cross
oars. In the space between the two,
md near the stern. is "A paddle wheel
,perated by pedals something like a
bicycle. The speed is about six miles
IN hour. ,
Insects are considered by Prof c. Y. !
Riley as undoubtedly possessing the
enses of sight, touch, taste, smell and
fearing, that of touch being perhaps
he only sense strickly comparable with
ur own. Evidence of other sense or
ans, utterly unlike any we have. is
ot wanting. \ male Japanese silk
,orm moth was liberated one night
mile and half from Il Gagged female :
the species. and in the morning was
t the cage: and blind ants reduce
'ooden beams to mere shells without
nee gnawing through the surface.
The colder regions of the globe are
ecoming depopulated, and everywhere.
,r. ID. G.. Brinton assures us. the ar Z
c and sub-artic zones have fewer in
abitants than half century ago. One
ause is the destruction of the native
.ibes by the introduction of new
lodes of life, new diseases. alcohol and
lleness. Another influence is the G.
,ct that the arctic regions like the N