Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-10-02

The reproduction of the truffle is
perplexing problem for botanists.
Some landowners OF Lot and Correze
have been experimenting to determine
whether the spores are not diffused
through the intermedium of cattle and
particularly OF certain domestic ami
mails of quick digestion, but NJ. Grim
blot seems to have proved that the
Infusion of the spores Is effected by
wood mice. This throws doubts upon
another common belief 1t has been
supposed, probably without good rea-
son, that both this valuable fungus
and the common mushroom produce
spores which will not develop until
they have passed through the intes-
tines of the COW or horse.
The walking of u fly on the ceiling Is
Il familiar phenomenon not yet fully
understood \ recent paper by Mr.. ID.
II. Dierhold mentions that the micro
scope quickly disproves the old theory
that flies hold to smooth surfaces by
means of suckers, and that Hooke's
idea that flies stick to glass by n Wis
cous secretion was shown Il dozen
years ago to be only partly sound.
DR. Rombout has established the fact
that the flies hang on by the help of
capillary adhesion-the molecular at
traction between solid and liquid
bodies. 1t is true the foot hairs are
very minute, but, as each fly is said to
have 10000 or 1900, we need not be
surprised at what they can do.
The method proposed by Herr f.
Moyat for producing large artificial
diamonds consists essentially in seal
ing pulveri2ed coal, iron chips and
liquid carbolic acid in strong steel
tube. and submitting to the action OF
l,p oil ~ - 81 a. IA II nHE
this process generates enormous pres
sure during the operation of the cleo
trio current, and 1t is believed larger
diamonds will crystalline out as the
mixture coOls.
The British Isles have now 3.2i9 rain
fall observers. with one station in every
q square miles in England. every SO
square miles in Wales. "A square miles
in Scotland. and 179 in Ireland.
Methods of overhead connection for
electric cars without the use of trolley
wires have been devised by a French
and n German engineer, NJ, Rochert
and Herr Rottsieper. The former
places along the top of each car con-
Quoting rail, to which the current
passes from arms projecting over the
track from side posts, and connects
two or three cars together in such a
way that constant connection is kept
up as the cars pass in turn under the
charged arms. The drawbacks to this
system are the great number of posts
required and the necessity of running
more than one car at the time. These
objections arc overcome by Herr
Rottsleperby the use of a secondary
battery, which Is fully charged at the
terminal stations and partially wher-
ever a stop is made, the stopping sta
tons being at charging posts where
the conducting rail-whioh may be on
ON the side of the car instead of on
tUp-is automatically brought into the
circuit from the distributing station.
This system requires few posts, while
the Gccumulators. being recharged at
short intervals, may he of the lightest
character The current, Of course, Is
transmitted from post to post by UNI
foreground wires.
Few scientific deductions are more
etrikin- than the recent one of Lord
Kelvin on the worlds underground
fuel supply, much of which is still hid
den. The coal is the residue of an
Gent vegetation, and the oxygen of the
air was probably all derived from this
vegetation, which experiment shows
must have furnished three tons of oNy-
gen for each ton of coal. This is the
proportion of oxygen consumed in
burning coal. The surface of the earth
has an area of 100000 900 millions of
square meters, each square meter
bearing ten tons OF air, of which two
tons is oxygen, and a simple calcula-
tion shows with great probable aCcu-
racy that the total fuel supply in the
earth IL 600 millions OF tons. II
was determined in 1881 that England,
Scotland and Wales hadli6,0O0 millions
of tons of coal surely available, with
$4,000 millions Of tons more possibly
available. This is more than Great
Britain could burn with its own air,
that country having therefore more
than an average supply.
In his latest researches, NJ. c. Can
GOODS
oats, fennel ana other plants. are still
capable of terminating after lis days
exposure to cold of forty degrees be-
low zero Fahr..
Our condition of hairlessness has
been subject of study by DR.. EXner,
n German biologist. our ancestors, he
holds We're totally covered with hair,
and its disappearance may be account
ed for by the fact that It's absence was
regarded as n beauty, preference be-
ing giving in choosing mates to those
having the least OF 1t. The hairs are
modified sense organs, which have lost
nll connection with the nerves. Primi-
tive man was probably clothed In an
irregular covering of hair. which varied
in length, color, structure and thick
ness with the functions for which 1t
was intended. The hair now remaining
was left for definite purpose. Ger
tain hairs serve as organs of touch,
notably the eyelashes, and in less de-
Free tne eyebrows. luln SERVE 10 pIp-
tect the eyes. In animals the hair
serves to maintain and regulate the
body heat, but in man the hair of the
scalp alone has such purpose.
1ncandescent burners, having man
ties similar to those used for n coal
gas flame. are now made for oil and
spirit lamps. The kerosene is drawn
up Into a small chamber by a number
Of wicks, vapori2ed there by small
external flame, and after two minutes
md half supplies sufficient vapor to
keep the mantle at white heat. The
disadvantage OF this burner is the de-
lay OF two minutes and half before 1t
is ready for use.
Thin sheets of wood are glued to-
Eether,in a factory of Warsowi, Russia,
so that the grain crosses. an elastic
plate which cannot be twisted out OF
shape being thus obtained. These
plates are used for roofing tiles. They
stand the weather well after being
pitched, and can be made fireproof by
Raturation with potassium silicate
Csoluble glass;. The roofing weighs IL
pounds "A square yard.
A substance believed to be new
element has been obtained from cast
Iron and boiler-dust by Mr.. q. G.
Buocher. an English chemist and has
been submitted to Prof. VIM. Crookes
for spectroscopic investigation. Anoth-
er assayer, MIR. +. G. Ruddock, has
noticed n like material In steel drill
lngs from the Continent.
Acetylape ia now used for lighting