Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1903-05-23
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BY new Dutch process ii Is claimed
that moose hide can he turned into
leather ready for the saddIer's and
shoemaker's Use in from one 10 three
DAYS. while 10y following the usual
method of preparation 1t takes about
six months.
An old theory is that the earth IS
slowly drying through chemical com
h!2nlion of the water with the crust,
\ French gcographcr. NJ. MArtct, has
been Investigating numerous cavelns
and drying valleys. and had convinced
himself that 4 more rapid absorption
is taking place, and that our water
supply is hcing swallowed mp at an
appreciahlc rate hy the assures aud
cavities of rocks and soil. He urges
a more thorough study, with II view
of les scnng absorption If possible.
Yves Delaie finds that gaseous stimu-
ants fcrtiliZe as well rs solids ar
liquids, for StariiSh egg hatch when
placed in ca,bonatcd watcr-thaI is to
say, Il solution of carhOnic acid gas,
Rcing replaced in sea water the eggs.
on the following day, become converted
into larvae which swim very actively.
From thirty to forty per cent. of eggs
ferliiZcd-or apparently fcrtiliZed- in
the natural way hatch. With the car.
bonic acid method the proportion is
100 per cent-that is. all the eggs
hatch. These carhOnic larvae are
plump. strong and lively. Many OF
them have lived several weeks. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether they will
develop into adult startish.
The remarkable phenomenon OF
atavsm is occasionally encountered IN
certain improved varieties of fruits
and vegetables. When. after n long
course of selection and Improvement
n new type appears fixed and repro
duccs like kind for several generations,
reversion to the original type Somc-
time occurs. Two instances of enc
specie of tomato have recently been
noted in Science. Seed of the Trophy
tomato was planted in Havana, Cuba.
The first crop produced tomatoes Ike
the Trophy, but when seed from these
was planted the resulting fruit was
exactly like the small Cherry tomato,
the original type. A similar case with
the same specie is reported from
Louisiana.
The study of the growth of pearls
has convinced DR.. Lyster jameson and
others that it is due to the prcscncc
of a parasite in the shell-secretng
mantle of the pearl oyster. and not Of
a particle of sand or other matter, as
was formerly believed A spherical
sac forms around the parasite. which
becomes a nucleus about which the
substance of the pearl is gradually
built up in conccntric layers. The
parasite is minute in size, and in some
cases it remains in the centre of the
pearl. DR.. Jameson thinks it is prac-
tcabe to produce pearls artiticially by
injecting beds of pearl oysters with
these parasites. Pearls so produced
would diff, in no respect from those
formed by natural processes.
Nov any one who has looked at the
skeleton of n snake-and it is really a
very beautiful obiect-will have been
struck by the great number of ribs.
which may be as many as ten hundred
and fifty pairs. In these lies the secret
of the ability of the serpent to do
some of these wonderful things. states
ST. Nicholas. The lower end Of each
rib is connected with one of the broad
scales that run along the under side
of the snake. and when rib is twisted
slowly backward, it pushes on the
scale. the edge of the scale catches on
the ground or whatever object his
snakeshp may be resting on, and the
tody of the snake IS pushed Just n
little bit forward. or course, each rib
moves the body but mere trif1c; but
where the ribs are so many, and they
are moved one after another, the re-
suit is { nat the snake moves slowly |
but steadily ahead.
Dri1o unofh fn1l o,,1