Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1904-06-18

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Forecasting foods is now almost an
exact science. .....,
Raymond s. Dugan, the astronomer
q graduate Of Amherst College, has
discovered a new planet. which he has
named Amherstia, in honor Of his alma
mater.
An Austrian inventor has applied fol
patent for self-lighting cigars and
cigarettes. These are tipped with q
chemical mixture, and on being struck
against anything ignite like matches.
In q test of the sense of time, inter
walls Of quarter Of a minute to a
minute and half We're overestimated
forty-tiv per cent. by fifteen mer
students and Ill per cent by fifteen
women. ,-l.,S
Many European physicians treat al
cohollsm by hypnotic suggestion, some
practitioners claiming as high as
eighty per cent of cures. The sug'
gestion is usually repeated fifteen OF
twenty times within year.
World, shaking earthquakes seem to
be most numerous in the years when
the earth wobbles most For example,
in 1900. the pole shifted G.32 second,
and there We're but seventeen severe
earthquakes, while in 1897 the poles
movement was 1.07 second, and about
forty Ave great earthquakes were felt.
The growing of acid fruits-such as
tomatoes and strawberries-is among
the means suggested for lessenng the
mosquito evil. IT has been noticed
that when mosquitoes have access to
acid fruits their bites are less poison
Gus, and districts of Italy seem to have
been freed from malaria by the cult
walton of tomatoes, the natural food Of
mosquitoes. 1t is supposed that the
malarial parasite is destroyed by fruit
acids.
An invention has recently been
shown in Birmingham, England, for
the seamless welding of iron, steel and
other metals by a new process \
flame is formed by burning acetylene
with oxygen, and 1t Is directed in the
usual way by means Of blowpipe. 1t
Is said that the hardest metals may
be welded in this way as readily as
lead. Notwithstanding the intense
heat of the flame, the process does not
make necessary the protection of the
eyes by dark glasses, for the mixture
IF the oxygen with the acetylene re-
moves the glare and leaves small
flame of greenlsh-blue color.
NJ. Heit, a French inventor, has de-
rised new type of compass, which is
IF an automatic nature. The direction
If the compass by this arrangement is
automatically registered minute by
minute. so that by consulting the chart
he ships officers can ascertain the
quite traversed at any time during the
passage. The compass card. instead of
having at its centre an agate resting
III fixed steel point, is fixed on steel
pivot which rests on a steel agate. The
after is immersed in drop of mer-
Jury, which serves to conduct the cur
'ent of electricity that renders the reg
STEERING of the movements of the ap-
oaratus possible.
Since 1896 the effects of light and
darkness upon crustaceans, batrach-
ans and fishes have been studied in
combs Of Paris. In the underground
portion Of the laboratory animals at
.ustomed to daylight are kept con-
stantly in darkness, while in section
lbove ground cave animals are kept in
ordinary light. Life in darkness brings
4 gradual fading of color. The organs
IF smell and taste soon increase to
.hree times their normal size; the eyes
remain normal for time, but in fishes
doubled in size at the end Of five years,
though with loss of power and evident
coming atrophy. The size Of fishes be-
comes much reduced. The cave ami.
mails show that light is disagreeable
to them, and in few months develop
color. 49,
MIcC MyNCNc