The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-28

so 1dHlIlOIiu HAS IeCGIU-
ly told his countrymen how to get the most
healthful results out of bicycle riding, and
now DIR. Just Champonniere, the celebrated
French physician, discusses the bearing of
the bicycle on the female physique. The
question he seeks to solve is: Are women
to be encouraged in the use of the wheel
or warned to leave it alone2 After emu
m Grating the various modes OF exercise
available to women, who take almost in
variably far too little exercise, DIR. Cham
ponniere pronounces the bicycle the ideal
instrument for the purpose. 1t entails lit
tie exertion; the effort is gentle, and the
muscles are at no time in a state of great
tension. All the muscles of the body are
brought into play; the legs, and especially
the thighs, are employed in propelling
while the arms and shoulders are braced
against the handle-bar, and the muscles OF
the back and loins have their share of the
work. The respiratory muscles and
those of the thorax are forced
into action in order to keep pace
with the quickened movements of inspira-
ton and expiration. Finally, all the mus
cles of the trunk are brought into play in
maintaining the equilibrium of the wheel,
and herein lies the great superiority OF the
bicycle over the tricycle.. With the latter
there is infinitely more muscular effort
and less harmony in movement. Although
DR.. Champonniere says that women will
find the wheel perfect means OF exercise
he sternly condemns the idea of bicycle
racing for women. "ScOrching" by women,
he maintains, cannot be too severely de-
nounced, as it may lead to serious evils
and irretrievably injure the health instead
of building it up. If wheeling is kept
within wise limits it will give to women a
muscular development, which many of
them sadly need it will improve the gen.
eral health and radically modify many
forms of malaise engendered by too Sc
dentary life. 1t gives, besides, suppleness
to the figure and precision and address to
the movements and cultivates courage and
quickness OF eye.
A RUsT-R RESISTING MISUNDERSTANDING
lists, who look forward hopefully to the
evolution of the homeless shad, will proba-
bly, derive some encouragement from the
fact that a new Iust-resisting variety of
wheat is being eagarly sought for as seed
by Australian farmers. 1t was noticed by
a farmer in South Australia several years
ago, while reaping badly rusted field of
wheat, that among it were some heads
wholly unaffected. He picked and care
fully saved them and sowed the grain the
next year. 1t yielded well and showed no
sign of rust. From that beginning the
stock has increased until twenty acres were
raised last year, the crop of which was
taken at good price.
CLEANSING ETcARs.-Compressed air,
which has been used successfully, in con-
junction with the sand spray, for cleaning
the outside of buildings of brick or stone
that have been begrimed by the smoke of
cities, is now employed for the cleaning of
cars. The hose containing the compressed
air is run through window or door, and a
woman, handling it as she would garden
hose, turns it upon the woodwork, the cell
ings and every part of the car. 1t is found
twice as effective as any whlskbroom,
beaten or buster ever invented. The ire
sstible blast of air drives the dust from
every chink, and the cleaning is done at
but little expenditure of time or labor.
EDIBLE AND Poisonous MUsHRooMs.-It is
not generally known that there are some
seventy or eighty common species of
mushrooms which may be eaten with
safety. DIR. M. G. Cooke states the cEief
features exhibited by poisonous mush-
rooms are: Disagreeable odor, change of
color, especially to dark blue, when cut
or bruised distinctly unpleasant taste
when fragment is eaten raw, and fungi
containing milky juice.
To DETERMINE THE TRUE Position OF
THE PoLE.-Camille Flammarion claims
that it is possible to determine the true
position of the pole by photography. He
suggests that camera be exposed to the
night sky so that the circumpolar stars
can describe their movements on the fixed
plate. AT the pole the stars will describe
circles around the celestial pole or imagin-
airy prolongation of the earth's axis to the
zenith.