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Curious And Useful

Curious And Useful image
Parent Issue
Day
28
Month
February
Year
1879
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

It should be knownthat ilsmanyfancy papers contáis arsenic, .and that the use is by no means conflned to those of a green color. The dust shower which feil at Boulogne, on the French coast, in October last, provea to have been largely composed of microscopic seaweeds. It also contained lime and beaeh sand. These materials were probably borne aloft from the shore by some atmospheric action to a great height, from which they tnen feil over the town in the form of au earthy rain. In a recent lecture to an English audience, Mr.lt. A.Proctor developed the novel idea that the earth is, luis always been, and so long as it shall remain a part of our cosmical sys'emniust ever continue to be, growing in si.e. It is computed, says the lecturer, that hundreda of thousands of extra-terrene bodies beconie incorporated with our globe every twenty-four hours, and foui hundred inillions injthe course of each year. They may vary in weight between a few grains and a ton. Millions of years, however, would be required to add a single footto the earth's diameter by these small accretions. An interesting observation, referring to the power of germination in seed, which is hundreds and even thousands t f TT ít lililí i . I i 1 i-I .- Itl 1 4-.V 11. 'k 1 .k.x ■ - .. Jl vi yvnin oiu, is Btuu io nave úeen mane by Professor ITendreieli in Greece. In the silver mines of Laurium only the slags lef t by the ancient Greeks are at present worked, in order to gain, byan improved modern method, sil ver still left in tlutt dross. This refuse ore is probably about two thousand yeara old. Among it 11 ie seeds of i species of glaciumor poppy, werefonnd, which liad slept in the darkness of the earth during all that time. After a little vvhile, when the slags were brought up and worked off at the smelting ovens, there suddenly aróse a erop of glachun plants, witli a beautiful yellow flower, of a kind unknown in modern botany, hut described by Pliny and others as a common flower in aneient Greece. Discussing the value of fresh air and smisliine to continued health, the London Standard very properly says: "It is known to everyone pretending to ulucation that an animal ov plant de)iived for many liours of all access to fresh air would perish of a kind of suffocation. But it is much less generally known that neither animal nor plant can flourish or enjoy health in darkness. Certain lilanched ilowers and vegetables are obtained by the very procesa of rearing them in darkened cellars, but their whiteness is selí a disease, and indicates the deitructíve effect produced by lack oL ;he vital element of light. Bright, clear, full sunshine for many liours daily is essential to re;il healtli. The Fmich use a telephone for marine purposes. A sliip was to be towed out of the harbor by a war steamer. A conducting v.ire was rolled round ouc oí! Lhe towinj; cables, with an end on board cat-Ii vessel. The electric curren t was formed by the action of the sea on the copper sheathing of the ships. A teleplione was introduced in the circuit on eíich, and communication established between them. During the whole time of the navigation conversation could be carried on as easily between the officers of the two Véasela as if they liad been seated üj the same cabio. The next Btep was to apply the telephone to the work of the diver. That being satisfactprily accomplished, tlie diver was ilile to give a satisfactory account of all lie saw without rising to the rarface for explanationS. Prof. Cook of the Agricultura! College writes to the New York Tribuut; advocating legisl&tive protalbltlon of adulteration with glucose. He says: The subject of starch glucose is claiming, and very justly too, much attention from the secular press. That it is a very inferior sugar, and often, if not always, more or less eontaminated with Bulphuric acid and other impurities, which renden it unproikable if not unsafe and dangerous as an adulteran t, ia bevond questlon. The fact tlien that it is largely used to contamínate our sugars, syrups, and of late our honey, niakes it important that the public iinderstand the matter, that they may ask for and demand sucli prohibïtory legislation as is necessarj in the premises. Sucli legislation is eontemplatcd, and is already reeeiving the attent ion of Congreas and several of our State legislaturas, whieli leads toe to the present inquiry into the ineritsof the questiou. I sïial! consiilcr the subject only as it bears on the producer and consumar of honey

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus