The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-11-22
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY,

The artificial ant hills made by Nj.
&. Janet for the Paris Exhibition, are
OF porous pink plaster covered with
glass, and were modelled from q natural
hlll. They show several species, one
with " slaves Grating noises made
by the ants are thought by Nj. Janet
to constitute Is kind Of language, aud
the creatures sense OF hearing seems
acute.
Honey dew has been q subject of
recent investig cations, which shows it to
be 6uSary substance obtained from the
Juice OF the trees-Such as sycamore,
ASH and lime--On which it is found
The statements that honey dew is
sometimes produced by other insects
than aphldes seems to be ill founded,
as reports Indicate that the insects
noticed are prisoners that have been
! caught by the sticky honey dew.
-~Electrolysis is ingeniously applied
by Mr. Cooper Coles to the drilling and
| and alottlng OF metals. n jet of an
electroly yte-cithcr dilute sulphurc acid
or. Il solution OF common salts caused
| to Infringe upon tne plate or oGbcr Ot-
| Jcct TO he drilled, the latter lorming
! the positive pole OF an electric circuit
while che nozzle from which The jet
! llows Is the negative pole. The plate
| Is worn away where the jet inpiugce
| upon it. 1t Is found that the hole can
| be given any desired shape by means
| OF & rubber. washer, and q needle point
at the. negative pole serves to collect
the powder from the hole.
important US is our coal, its for
nation. ls not yet clearly understood.
Considering the evidence furnished by
long study, Mr.. a. &. Seward, t.. X. S.,
states that the microscope shows Ordi.
dlnary coal to contain spores, frag-
ments Of tissues, bacteria, and the
ground substance of coal the seam,
also incinde bOuldors and c0al-baIls.
From this he infers that the seams are
not the result OF growth in one place,
nor OF drifting, but OF the accumulation
or vegetable debris derived chiefly from
| plants growing on the surface near the
edges OF large lakes and pools. The
dead plants were carried outward by
gentle currents, sinking over the en-
tire water area
In the.century now closing accord
ing to Prof. S. Fl. Vines, +. r. S., the
number OF recognized living species Of
plants has Increased from the 10000 Of
| l'lnnaus TO- l'3,09G, made up OF l05, 23l
| How arlng plants, 3,352 ferns and fern
allies. NJ, $50 mosscs and moss.likc plants,
and 39,243 fungi, lichens and algac.
| t'rof. SaccardO estimates That the mum
Der OF species. existing is more than
Twice those yet known, Or about lO0, 900.
Inc growth IN number OF species has
not been due to the discovery of anv
essentially new type OF plants, and tho
only extension or the bourds OF the veg.
ctablo kingdom has been through the
annexation OF groups formerly assigned
the zoology. The bacteria, discovered
200 years ago, form the most notable OF
such groups, having been regarded as
lntusorlan animals until their affinity
with the ungl was recognized by COhn
in 1893.
A curious property possessed by
such living forms as .GmOcbap, bactcrin
and infusoria is chemotaXis, or attrac
tlon Or, reDulsion by various chemical
substances. 1t may be illustrated by
placing the end OF Is capillary tubo OF
weak potassium chlOratc in q drOp OF
water containing any OF the organisms,
which at once collect at the mouth of
the tube and it doubtless serves to
keep the creatures near food supplies,
and appears TO aid bacteria in such
processes as suppnratiOn. Perfectinp
an experiment made by Paalzow in
1913, frof. Julius Bernstein, of Halle,
mas caused drop OF mcrcury to imi.
tate IN vc:y singular manner the
.""' S'hohbo VI VIC living organisms,
In q levcl-bOttomed vessel OF dilute nj.
trlc acid he placed small mercury
giobulc and laid n piece OF bchromate
OF potash at little distance awav,
When the circle OF solution from tho
0lchromate reached the drop, the lat
ter started directly toward tho crystal,
reaching it in s. few seconds. As the
crystal reccdcd the drop followed, con.
tlnually changing it's shape, and dart.
ing forth and Withdrawing long ten
taclcs in exact imitation OF the move.
mcnts OF living amoebao. The motions
OF the mercury are explained as re-
suit OF lcsscning OF surface trnsion on
the side toward the chemical action,
the experiment confirming the theory
that chemotaxis in living forms is due
to the same cause.
However weak their foundation,
guesses at the age of tho earth are
always OF absorbing interest. In a
British Association paper, Prof. w. }.
Solas began geological. history with
the planet In u molten state, rotating
In to 4 hours about an axis inclined
some II or II deg. to the ecliptic, and