Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-04-26

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Though the efficacy Of cannon fir
ing for breaking up hail clouds has
been questioned, statistics are claimed
to show marked reduction in damage
to the vineyards of Southern Europe
since 1900. Even lightning and thun.
der have been suppressed in the pro.
tected area.
Both Rontgen and radium rays have
given DR.. M. Koernicke a marked &C.
ton On plants. Seedlings were re-
tarded and eventually ceased growing,
but in some cases revived after an in.
teryal termination of bean and tur-
nip seeds was accelerated at first,
beans ceasing to develop after a time.
The intense heat of the electric arc
is not the highest produced in the
workshop. Probably the highest tenn
perature yet attained is that Of A. G..
Himalaya, a Portuguese whose meth
cd consists in concentrate sunlight,
and who by this means readily yolatil-
ICES every known substance. In his
st. Louis experiments six thousand sill
vered-glass mirrors were used to throw
the rays on a single point.
Poisoning by cream tarts has been
reported in many countries and in
numerous cases. A French chemist
has been led to investigate, taking up
especially the poisoning Of five per-
sons near Lyons by cream cakes from
a certain bakery. Infection with some
germ-and not the materials of the
tarts-prOved to be the cause of the
poisoning. The exact nature Of the
germ was not determined, but it
seemed to be associated with fermenta-
ton and peculiar taste and odor.
So much has recently been printed
about the surprising results achieved
by Luther Burbank in California in
the formation of new kinds Of fruits,
flowers and vegetables by crossing and
selection, that the possibilities in this
line seem endless. 1t is now reported
that a French experimenter named
Molliard, following out suggestion Of
Pasteur, has produced radishes which
possess the dimensions, starchiness,
flavor and nutritive property Of pota-
toes. His process consists in cultivat-
ing young radishes in glass retorts
filled with a concentrated solution Of
glucose. 1t does not appear that at
present the results are Of commercial
Importance.
The latest attempt at solving the
problem Of rendering Give" rails safe
halls from Tynemouth. The system in
question has, says a contemporary,
been devised with view to oyercom-
ing the drawbacks attendant on an in
stallatiOn of wooden guards, which
become saturated with moisture and
lower the general insulation of the rail,
if they do not actually provoke a dead
earth at one or more points on wet
day. The new device consists OF me-
tallic shields Of strong arched or semi
arched sections. These are attached to
special insulating blocks. The shields
are fitted in sections such that, in the
event of fault developing, it will be
restricted to one particular portion Of
the shield. and not render the whole
system 'alive."
The electric railway to the summit
of Mont Blanc is now decreed, and the
project favored is not that of M. Val
lot. which involves tunnels, but that
Of NM. Couvreux, Derusad and Dupor-
tai, which excludes tunneling as much
as possible, and attaches the line to
the rock, thus permitting tourists a
better view Of the scenery. The line
is to be made from Fayet, $50 metres
high. where it leaves the system of the
Paris, Lyons and Mediterranean Com
pany, and there will be stations at
Saint-Gervais, 100 metres; Motivon,
1,4OO metres; Col de Voza, 1,7OO me-
tres; Bellevue, 1875 metres; Mont
Lachat, 2,1OO metres; Rogues, 2,645
metres. Above this snow sheds will
protect the line to Tete Rouse, 3,l65
metres, and finally Aiguille du Coulter,
1926 metres, over 10 kilometres from
the starting point. The remaining 900
metres to the top will be completed as
soon after the rest as possible.