Holbrook argus. (Holbrook, Ariz.) 1900-1913, 1901-06-08
x5ClenCe
IL o., ANp
) :2s111Ver1tiOf1

The French roller boat built by NJ.
Bazin has been broken up at Preston,
England, after being exhibited for
some time as a curiosity. Her construc-
ton was most intricate and the amount
Of metal used enormous.
A commission has been appointed to
examine into the rapid death of the
elm trees in New Haven, and it is
found the trees are dying from lack of
plant food in the streets, multilation by
horses, poisoning by Illuminating gas
and by insects and elm tree beetles.
Some time ago an attempt was made
to attribute the death of trees to stray
electric currents.
During the eclipse of the sun in May,
1900, an English observer, Mr.. Ever
shed, as reported at a recent meeting of
The Royal Astronomical Society, noticed
point on the edge of the moon where
the sun was shining through a very
deep valley, and where the lunar noun
tains seemed to be about $4,000 feet in
altitude. This exceeds by 5000 feet
the estimated height of Mount Everest,
edge of the moon is so broken by peaks,
ridges and valleys that the length of
totality during a solar eclipse is affect
ed by them.
American peanut crops average about
100000 bushels a year, and twenty
two pounds of the nuts make a bushel.
About $10,000,000 worth of peanuts
yearly are consumed, either in their
natural form or in candy. Vast quanti-
ties of peanuts are shipped each year
to Great Britain and the continent
from both Africa and Asia, where they
are converted into pure Lucca olive
OIL" A bushel of peanut shells will
afford about a gallon of oil, and the
meal is used for feeding horses, and is
also baked into a variety of bread
which has large sale in Germany and
France.
Value of the collections in the gold
room" of the Metropolitan Museum of
Art is estimated at 100000, and they
are protected by a most admirable
series of burglar alarms. Visitors are
carefully watched, and the rooms are
constantly patrolled both day and
night. Each individual object which is
valuable is connected with a burglar
alarm, as well as the cases themselves.
The wires run direct to the office of
the director, and if any article is dis
turbed the iron doors of the room are
at once closed, thus catching the thief
in a trap. The device Is tested at in
tervals to make sure that the door
closing mechanism is in perfect order.
Prof. John Milne says that upon
knowledge derived from the scientific
study of earthquakes new rules and
formulate for engineers and builders
have been established, and these prin-
ciples have been widely applied in
Japan and other countries, thereby
minimizing the loss of life and prop
erty. Such studies have also been of
practical use in the working of rail-
ways, especially in Japan, by localizing
faults in the rocks and suggesting altera-
tons in the balancing of locomotives.
Another advantage gained relates to
ocean cables, as it has become possible
to indicate parts of the sea-bottom that
should be avoided in laying such ca
| bleS.
Differences in taste depend simply on
the varying intensity in nerve transmits
sion, according to DR.. Mendelsohn, and
are much affected by temperature
The sense of taste for cane sugar is
temporarily destroyed by holding the
tongue for a minute in water at about
125 degrees f. Cold, ON the other hand,
has the same effect, all power of taste
being lost for a brief time after the
tongue has been held in water at So
degrees to so degrees. Taste is strong
est between 80 degrees and 20 degrees.
This Is also the temperature at which
beverages are most effective, and water
at about GO degrees is really the best
for relieving thirst instead of, as is
usually supposed, that at about 40 de-
grees.