The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1897-12-18

Extended experiments by DIR. Blai-
kie, President of the Edinburgh Royal
Society, show that the X-ray has no ef-
feet upon tubercule and diphtheria ba-
cllli.
A newly patented fy-catcher is made
OF a sheet Of ordinary hy-paper on a
flat board, and inclosed In a wire
frame, to prevent its sticking to people
or furniture.
Imitation states are made from soft.
ened ubber mixed with chalk, zinc
white, china clay, ETC., and sulphur, the
mixture being spread on wood paper.
shee metal or other surface, and vul-
canized.
a new lovers alarm clock" strikes
loudly at 10 O'Clock, and two little doors
opening reveal the figure of a man in
a dressing gown, holding In his hand
a card bearing the words goodnight"
Fires can be easily kindled by means
of a new invention. which consists of
a couple of hollow bricks, which car be
attached to each other after being filled
with asbestos, when they are placed in
n pail containing oil to absorb a suf-
icient quantity to ignite the fire when
a match is applied to the bricks.
The London correspondent of the
New York Evening Post cables that
George Murray, keeper of botany in
the British Museum, has proceeded to
Panama at tho inotopoa of tha Gnvarn.
ment Grant Committee of the Royal
Society for researches on little-known
pelagic algae. During the voyage these
organisms will be obtained by pump
ing sea-water through fine silk tow
nets.
According to some researches Of
Biernacki, In a German physical jour-
nal. alcohol containing water may be
deprived of Its water by dipping into
1t amalgamated aluminium. Aluminium
may be amalgamated by connecting 1t
to n pole of a battery, and repeatedly
dipping 1t into mercury, which is con-
nected to the other pole. The spark
produced upon withdrawing it yields
sufficient heat to bring about the ANAL
gamation.
There Is a curious light In the sky,
which only a keen eye car detect, and
which few astronomers ever have ever
seen, but which Prof. Il. Il. Barnard,
who five years ago discovered the fifth
satellite Of Jupiter, has been studying
for many years. His latest account of
1t comes from the new Yerkes observa-
tory. 1t is n faint patch, roughly circu-
lar, several degrees in diameter, and
keeping always in that part of the
heavens which is directly opposite the
sun. The stars shine through 1t as
they do through a comets tail. Ger
man astronomers have given to this
strange light the name of the gegen-
schein. Precisely what causes it re-
mains to be determined.
In a recent lecture, Prof. Wilmer
Stone, of Philadelphia, cited many
facts to show that birds are natures
great check on the excess Of insects,
and that they keep the balance be-
tween plants and insect life. Ten thou
sand caterpillars, 1t has been estimat-
ed, could destroy every blade Of grass
on an acre of cultivated ground. In
thirty days from the time it is Matched
an ordinary caterpillar increases 10000
times in bulk, and the food it lives and
grows on is vegetable. The insect pop
ulation of a single cherry tree infested
with aphides was calculated by a
nromiuent antomolOpiSt at no less than
49, 900! The bird population Of cul'
tivated country districts has been esti-
mated at from 700 to 1000 per square
mile. This is small compared with the
number of insects, yet as each bird con-
sumes hundreds Of insects every day
the latter are prevented from becOm-
ing the scourge they would be but for
their feathered enemies.