Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1903-08-14
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Coffee berries are understood to con-
tain about one per cent of caffeine, 10
which the stimulating properties are
due. In late analysis Of nine kinds
at the Pasteur Institute, NJ. Bertrand
has found that Coffea Canephora con-
tains as much as 1.97 per cent OF caf-
feline, but that two species-C. Hum
boltiana and c. Mauritiana-are prac-
tically free from the stimulating aka
loid, not more than 0.07 per cent ap-
pearing in either.
1t is known that radioactive sub
stances, like radium, impart radio-ac-
tivity to other substances, and K. Gel
rel has attempted to show whether the
absorption of energy is accompanied
by any increase in weight. He was
unable to detect any such effect. With
a much more sensitive apparatus Carl
Forche has repeated the work, making
numerous weighlngs Of tifty-six grams
of lead, and has found that large
mass Of active material half an inch
below the lead increased the weight Of
the latter about one part in twenty five
million.
On account Of the frequent repairs
required by the pneumatic tires OF
heavy automobiles and their great cost,
the experiment of substituting solid
tires on the rear wheels has recently
been made, and one of the results
shown Is an increase of ira active power
in climbing hills. 1t is said that hills
which could not be climbed by yehi-
Gle having complete set of pneumatic
tires were surmOunted by the same
machine after solid tires had been put
on the rear wheels. At the same time
the vibration was not increased to an
uncomfortable degree.
Prof. ]. C. Bose recently presented
to the Linnean Society in London the
results Of experiments which show
that the peculiar movements of the
leaflets of the so-called telegraph
plant" are due to an electric disturb
ance travelling as a current of ac-
ton in the plant. Each leaf consists
of large terminal leafet and two
smaller lateral ones. The lateral leaf
lets spontaneously rise and fall like
the arms Of semaphore, the period Of
a complete movement being about
three and half minutes. Hence the
name Of the plant, which is a species
of desmodium, or tick -trefoil, native to
the East Indies, but easily cultivable
in Conservatives.
The problem of piercing a glacier by
means Of boring has at last been solv-
ed with results of real scientific inter-
est in experiments made last August
on a glacier near Vent, in the Tyrol. At
a distance Of about one and One-quar-
ter miles from the tip of the gla-
cier, where its breadth Is 213O
feet, and the height of its surface
above sea. level $3.50 feet, a boring In
the middle reached rock at a depth Of
five hundred feet. Taken along with
measurements of rate of movement,
surface melting and temperature the
experiment enabled the following con-
clusions to be drawn: First, the tenn
perature of the ice is at the melting
point throughout the whole mass OH
the tongue of the glacier; second, the
bed Of the glacier is trough shaped;
third, the ice moves more slowly at the
bottom than at the surface. The bore
holes were filed up with pieces of
wood, which will serve for many years
to come as indexes of the rate of move
ment and Of surface melting.