The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-11-17
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Persia as Civilization's Cradie-Top Of
the World Flowers--Instability of Tin
-Artic Microbes-The Cuticle's Growth
In Layers-Body Heat From Sugar
Quartz-Wo rking-L ightning's Breadth
Chemically Coated Eggs.
The relics obtained by the French Scientific
Commission in its two years of excavation on
the sites of ancient Persian cities seem to be-
long to civilization much older than that of
Chaldea. Under the ancient city of Susa were
found tablets bearing pictorial cuneiform
characters. and these are held by NJ. Jaques de
Morgan, the leader of the expedition, to prove
conclusively that the Chaldeans were not the
inventors of printed language, but that it dates
from much earlier time. In the latest his
torical city, about 20 feet below the surface.
were brick buildings, without trace of metal or
writing. The earliest settlement was 30 feet
lower, and contained rude pottery and flint I'm
Elements; while in the second of the prehis-
toric settlements were an enormous number of
the flint teeth of sckles indicating an agricul-
tural and grain growing population. The sickles
were modelled after the lower jaw of the OK, as
in ancient Egypt, but all pottery below the his
toric strata was hand made, showing no acquain-
lance with the wheel used in predynastic
Egypt.
The highest point at which Towering plants
have been found, according to a recent paper to
the London Linnean Society, was in Tibet at
1920 feet. Nine species were recorded at 49,
600 feet or higher. The plants were mostly of
the order Compostae, and deep roofing peren-
NAL herbs having q rosette of leaves close to
the ground, with the flowers closely nestled in
the center, are characteristic of these attitudes.
In the Bolivian Andes Sir Martin Conway found
two species Of Towering plants at 1890 feet
and 80 above AGO feet. the latter belonging to
% genera and 81 natural orders.
Nearly half a century ago the crumbing of
ordinary white tin into powdering grey tin was
noticed as an effect of intensely cold weather.
The phenomenon has been lately Investigated
by E. Cohen and C. van Elk, who find that not
only does cold produce this result but that hot
weather tends to change the grey tin to white
tin, the transition-point being about 70o +.
Either change becomes perceptible nearer the
transition-point if chloride of tin and ammo
MUM be present.
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In a record of observations on the microscopic
life of Attic regions, Dr. Levin states that air
from numerous localities showed only few
moulds. In water from the sea surface bacteria
were always found, but in very small numbers
perhaps 900 to the quart while water from
glaciers, snow. streams, ice and melted snow
also gave evidence of bacteria. but of very few
In waters from the deep sea these organisms
were more abundant than on the surface. With
the exception of a single species of bacterium
found in one bear and two seals, the intestinal
contents of the white bear, seal, shark, elder
duck and other Attic vertebrates were abso-
lutely sterile; but bacteria were almost in
al.
These observations ON germ-free intestines are
of especial Importance and interest, as they
confirm the idea of Pasteur and a few others
that bacteria are not essential to digestion.
.'s
In the epidermis of man and mammals Prof.
L. Ranvier has recognized seven distinct layers,
which are described to the Royal Microscopical
Society as stratum germantown, filamentosum,
granulosum, intermedium lucidum, corneum
and dsjunctum. in the order of their develop
ment. The limits are well defined, each layer
having distinct physical characters and chemi-
cal reactions. These layers are not formed by
special elements. however, and cell originating
in stratum germantown becomes changed and
passes into stratum filamentosum, and so on
through the SERIES
Experiments have been made by Prof. Mosso
at Genoa to test the food value of sugar in
cases of exhaustion from hunger. His results
confirm the theory that sugar is assimilated by
the exhausted system more rapidly than bread,
and showed a rapid rise in temperature within
ten or fifteen minutes after small quantity of
sugar was eaten by long-fasting animal, the
effect reaching maximum in one or two hours.
Sugar restored life to dogs suffering from loss
Of vital heat, when albumin could not save
them.
The mixing CT solid metals is one of the mar
wells of modern physics. After keeping cylin-
der of gold and one of lead together for four
years, at about Go F., Sir w. Roberts-Austen
rs way Yit5. 3utr sie8, 'Etht Tsad: '-'''
Quartz crystal cannot be used like glass on ac-
count of the high temperature required 10 melt
it. Lenses are made from it by grinding. and in
recent years fine silica fibers for physical appa-
ratus have been drawn out while the material
was softened by the oxyhydrogen flame. The
late success in making thermometer and Cess
Ter tubes has been reached after long expert
ment. The splintering of the silica when heated
has been overcome by dropping red-hot pieces
into water, and with the opaque, non-splintering
material thus produced, Messrs. w. A. Shenstone
and H. G. Lacell have been able to build up
rods of small size by SUCCESSFULLY adding frag-
ments to a minute spot in the silica kept fused
by the oxy-gas blow-pipe. Tubes formed
binding several of these little rods about plat
mum wire, then causing the rods to adhere by
manipulation in the blow-pipe flame, and finally
withdrawing the wire. The tubes can be drawn
out or enlarged by methods similar to those of
glass blowing, and it is believed that small TASKS
could be made If their value would justify the
expense.
The width of flash of lightning has been
measured by George Rumker, of the Hamburg
Observatory. A photograph was secured last
August as lightning struck tower third of a
mile away, and from the distance of the tower
and the focal distance of the camera objective
it was possible to calculate the breadth of the
discharge shown in the picture. 1t has been de-
termined that the flash was one fifth of an inch
wide. Ramifcations shown in the photograph
on each side of the main discharge are attributed
to the strong gale that was blowing the phe-
nomenon appearing like a silk ribbon with
shreds floating in the wind.
In most egg-preserving processes the pores of
the shell are imperfectly closed by mechanical
means Karl Reinhard, of Kaiserslautern, dips
the eggs into sulphurc acid for short time,
chemically changing part of the lime carbonate
of the shell into dense coating of lime sui
phate. This is claimed to keep out the air eff
fectually, thus preventing spelling for long
time.
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BY abdominal massage NJ. Batelli claims to have
restored animals to life after the heart had been
still for quarter of an hour.
Individuality of the Cow.
Farmers ReUieaC.
The ability to utilize food and convert it profit