Frederick citizen., 1895-02-15
Prepared weekly Tor the CItIzenl

NOs.Sai OpSietl. "A SiASuth NASCi ~"
tated b. the slightest movement of the
ninL is used aud are automatically
Recorded on moving strip of paper.
Rats, mice and squirrels have been
N ,de to report their periods of activity
aud rest by this method, Rats and
mice divide their time into about II
hours of rest during the day aud II
b ours of intermittent work during the
nj ght, short intarvlle of work in the
latter period being interrupted by
Nearly. equal rests. The squirrel in
winter works steadily for % minutes
to hours. early in the morning, and
Is sometimes active for few minutes
Late in tine evening, resting nearly 22
hours day. Food has decided ill.,
fueuce Diet rich in proteid induces
great activity, fat having the opposite
ef-ct. and reducing the actual work
OF rats and mice from or hours to
few minutes. No uniform effect of
alcohol could be demonstrated. The
activity of animals is increased 10y high
barometric pressure.
The air has received to little credit
as a geological agent, in the belief OF
Prof. J. \. Udden, of Augustaua Col
lege. 1t Is Sl2 times lighter than wa
ter, and eXert> no wave motion on the
earth's surface, the erosive effect
of wind therefore being important only
in regions of abrupt and broken re-
liefs under dry climate. Rock ma
terial can be transported by the at
iDusphere only as tiue dust, the largest
quartz particles an ordinary strong
wind eau sustain being about l-35O of
an inch in diameter. The carrying Ca
pacity of air for smaller PARTICLES is
greater, being estimated to be at ve-
lOcity of five miles an hour, about l.
1000 Of that of an equal volume of wa
ter. The whole atmosphere over the
Mississippi valley, If the wind blows
ten times as fast as the wafer runs,
may transport 1000 times as much
dust as the river.
About l20 elephants are now living
in Europe, according to Mr.. G. J. Cor
nish. Nearly all belong u the Indian
species, the less docile African ele-
phants numbering only about a half
dozen.
The refinements and changed condi-
tious of modetn civilization are trans.
forming man into quite a different
creature from that of "A few generations
ago. The latest suggestion is that we
are bringing upon ourselves a degener-
alton of the intestinal tract. An emf
nent French surgeon declares that a
certain American Instrument for intes-
tinal use is too large, leads the Loudou
Lancet to ask whether the inteStines
among the French is really smaller
than among Americans. and If so.
how far the French couking-notor.
iously the best in the world-is respon-
sible for the difference. Digestion be-
Ing made easy, so TO speak, is it the
case that partial arrest Of deveope-
ment has been the consequence? The
magnificent teeth of savages have
caused dental decay TO b. sometimes
looked upon as q product ofcivlizatioa
dependent to great extent uuou
knives and forks. and it NAV be worth
while to inquire whether the human
race has any reason to dread analogous
deterioration as result of elahmrate
cookery, and whether dainty dishes
are physiological mistake.
The formation of the electric arc be-
tween carbon rods has been exhihlted
by Prof. ]. A Fleming i'm a ROYAL lust
tuition lecture. Experiment has proven
10
either The rods are first brought into
conta't or the Insulating power of the
Intervening air is broken down by an
electric spark. In "a magnified image
OF the arc IL is seen that the positive
CARD Is most Intensely hot at the ex-
tremlty, and is followed out into era
ter, from which about 50 per cent. IF
.ne Ilgnt Is emitted. The negative car
bon is less hot. TIE space between
the two, the true arc, is ii led with car.
Don vapor, which has the violet cnlor
OF lncandescent caIbon, while outside
TINS Is an aureole Of carbon vapor of a
golden color. The light, teiny due
chiefly to the incandescence uf the ear
Don IN the crater, is most Intense in
the direction from which the largest
area oi the crater can be seen.
A new process for manufacturing
paving block, building materials and
other ObJ -cts from wood fiuer is r-pori-
ed To have been patented Ia Swltzer-
land anu other countries. Tie tiuer IL
nrst rendered anli>eplic by treatment
WIN Nltrlul. corr slNe suhliinat-, etc.
aud Is theu NIX with II suirab >
agSlollIeaut bavIug mortar as a bIs..
Sia'erlal 50 OBJ aiued is pressed INTO
moulis. The objects maue are lipnt.
porous and tough, bad couduct,r- of
sound aud heat, aud can b.. sawed
naied dlllled, and otherwise treated
like wood.
In recent terrible accident in
Chemical factory at Mulhouse. Alsace,
llIan was literally aud cnmuletrty
Dissolved IN sulpburlc acid. Anexpl,-
Sion Ol nltrobeuzOl seems t , have blown
MIN lllto large Tough CONTAINING
sulphurlc acid to "a depth of about turee
ieet. aud the discovery IN this trough
OF nus rubuer Respiration, with some nor
ceiain nuttnns and other more or less
ihs"luble articles, was the only evil
dence Of his fate.
In German experiments, copper has
Deen found TO prolong the existence oi
ieases on potato vlnes, aud increase
The number aud size of the tub.rs. A
swO per cent solution of sulphate of
copper IN lime water was spriukled on
the plants.