The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1908-09-04
IklA, Science
!8t 80 o. ANp
Ts,sszlIflVentiOn| s. )


! The British government in India IS
considering project to link together
the rivers Indus, Jhelam, Chenab, Beas,
Raw and Sutlej in order to equalize
| the flow of water for irrigation pur-
poses. Thus when there is a food in
one of the rivers a part of the water
can be diverted to a point where it
may be more needed. In this way it is
believed that the district of the Pun
jab, name which means the Five Riv-
ers, can be assured sufficient water
supply at all seasons.
The Philippine Journal of Science
recently published list of 6S kinds of
trees growing in the Philippine Islands,
producing wood of commercial i'm
portance, belonging for the most part
to families and genera but little known
to the botanists of the temperate zone.
The list includes only dicotyledonous
woods, and not the palms, bamboos and
screw-pines which also abound in the
Islands. An interesting fact is that
growth rings seem to be characteristic
of only part of the Philippine trees.
Many show rings of seasoned growth
when young, but not afterward
An important phenomenon of recent
recognition in bacteriology, says Dr.
Simon F1exner, is that of the "microbe-
carrier" by which is meant an indi-
vidual who harbors disease germs while
apparently suffering no i'll effect him
self. The existence of such cases has
been known for some time with regard
to the bacteria of diphtheria, but more
recently the phenomenon has been
shown to exist for the germs of ty-
phoid, dysentery, plague, cholera, and
many other infectious Protozoa. Bac-
teriologists are also learning, says
Doctor Flexner that while the forces
of immunity may be in active opera
tion as far as tests with blood made
outside the body indicate the very
bacteria from and against which such
forces have developed may be still sur
living in the body.
Commenting upon a recent German
book on the interior state of the earth,
DIR. A. G. Lane, well known for his re-
searches on this difficult subject, makes
very interesting remark He says
that without making sweeping state
ment at the start, as to the gaseous in
terror of the earth, 1t is perhaps safe
to say, in view of what we know, that
"some of the elements of the earth's
interior are in a gaseous condition, ana
the earth. for them at least, might be
likened to a toy balloon, but one in
which the gas was so condensed, under
such pressure, that one could easier
dent a steel ball than it. Under con-
ditions Of temperature not easy to dis
prove, that should be the condition of
all the earths elements toward the
center" DR.. Lane adds that the study
Of seismic vibrations will probablp set
tle this question.
The average citizen, 1t is safe to say,
has very hazy idea concerning the
size and constitution Of the United
States Army. A writer in Harper's
Weekly gives some interesting facts
bearing upon this matter. The gov
ernment dreams Of an army number
Ing 10000 men. The present strength
is $1,000. OF the theoretical 10000 |
soldiers the fifteen regiments of cav
airy, which never lack their full COM
plement, comprise nearly 140O0 officers
and men; the six regiments of field
artillery, $500; the coast artillery
corps close upon 10000; the thirty
regiments of infantry, $1,000; the
engineers, 1000, and the remainder
consist Of the staff corps, Indian
scouts, and small number of native
soldiers in Porto Rico and the Philip |
pines. The total number of commits
stoned officers amounts to about 5000. |