The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-05-09
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The late discovery in strawberries
Of salfcylc acid, a specific I'm acute
rheumatism, has seemed to confirm
the idea that these berries are q de,
sirable article of food for srheunla tics.
The effect Of the fruit cannot be due
to the salicylic acid, however, as less
than the hundredth Of. a grain per
pound is found.
Some bacteria, large fungi and rot
ten wood are known to glow in the
dark, but shrubs and Towering plants
are not usually credited with the
property Of plosphorescence. DR.. III.
Beckurtz. however, has lately discov-
cred an old record of phosphorescence
in an Indian grass known to the Brah-
minis as @diotishmati." The account is
Of much interest to botanists, bur,
while the plant has not been identified
with certainty, it is concluded that the
observer was led into error by phOS-
phorescent bacteria on the grass. VS.
Mount Ararat, on which eight noun
taineers recently had narrow escape
from death, attracted the attention Of
explorers at an early date. Sir John
Vaudeville estimated that it was seven
miles high. Tournefort, the French
botanist, attempted the ascent early in
the eighteenth century, failed, and de-
scribed the mountain as lone OF the
most dismal and disagreeable sights on
the face of the earth" A little later
a Persian Shah offered a large reward
to any one who succeeded in climbing
to the summit. Ultimately, the first
ascent was accomplished by.a climber
who gave his name to the Parrot
Spite of Monte Rosa. The second
ascent was made by one .Spassky At
tonomof, in 1884, and the third by
Herr Abich, in 1916. The first English
ascent was made by Mr.. Bryce in 1876,
and since that date ascents have been
tolerably frequent
Whether the microbes which are con-
stantly present in the intestinal canal
of man and animals are essentially
necessary to promote digestion, are
harmless and unnecessary, or are even
injurious, is question on which vari-
GUS observers have arrived at different
results. In the bulletin Of the I'M
perial Naturalists' Society of Moscow,
Mile. P. F. Tsiklinsky discussed this
question. From an examination of the
literature of the subject, and from a
study Of the microbe flora in question,
the authoress is led to believe that,
while certain microbes do undoubtedly
promote digestion, and, in accordance
with M. Metchnikoff's observations, in
some cases exercise an antagonistic
influence against germs of disease, it is
probably possible, by artificial means,
such as by variation of diet, to dis
pense with the bacteria in question,
and thus to avoid the danger that they
often cause in the living animal.
In computing geologic time, scien-
lists make use of variety Of continu-
Gus processes. First may be mem
toned river deposits. Throughout the
ages the rivers have been depositing
layers of sediment at their mouths. In
course of time these deposits have
been converted into rock, and in cal
culating the time necessary to produce
the various layers biologists have to
take account Of their volume and thick
ness. The amount of the deposits
equals the amount of material washed
away, and by calculating the amount
of material carried away by rivers i'll
a given period of time, biologists can
estimate the amount Of time repre-
scented by the different layers Of rock.
In some such way as this, from the
accumulation of sand in beaches, An
drews estimated the age Of Lake Mich
igan. Another system Of measuring
geologic time is founded on the prin-
ciple of the evolution Of life. Fossils
are the records in the case, and &C.
count is taken of the amount of change
from one full record to the next.