TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11753, 30 November 1903, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

X , ■ Plant* :«. Albert Maamew. die* and ".'■ tames . tbe '■■<:<Oh& ■■ Anesthetics, tfrabatbetica upon plant ' . . ffrowth. The use of ojuesthetics for farcing flowers » a method which we owe to tha researches of IS. Johannsen, of the agricultural school at Copenhagen. M. Johannsen believed that: it was peisiMe; Jy; the use of «aiw4hrfW to a-pprees entirely the phenomena of wmdenaadoo in the maturing organs of plant*, and in wider to test hit theory- he experimented difterwit organs, both;! _*t«ring and in a state of repa*. : Hm experimeats bore out hie 'theory; and far- i thsaf showed that, tbe piaet organ* when -under the iafrsenoe of anastbitics fswm tod; T«ay..4wU»>«fcydwlytte pbenomena. I Further s_p*ri_«_tj in tha mm direction

ckmonlrtted tiiat it is p&W by'sjrW| sanVe'aMans to a-spend entirety <neoaf_MH| of reptiih Both ether endlohloroforni used fafiliie purpose, and ijwy cause to grawf;with marvellcnspipidity.' " ; %*|3H oniestheasing procesa wiltSose flowers j&flffl bloom itft England fromjjfoly to Angu*s|||H whose normal period Via «th« "Thin method makes possible the flowertoj |j|j of theae plants four or five months eadtpr'' than by the ordinary method* of forcing it shorten*'% from fifteen to twenty tho duration.of the forcing period in first seasons of November, December and "vSIs January, and by several daya in the l*W*?|fi seasons, and it makes all of the buaV"f|| develop and bloom, while if the plant la ; treated by the ordinary procedure, JS| of the buds are failures." The be etherized are removed Irom tlio.|(rl|tei : and kept for some time hi a the earth may dry. Tha. . e^e »|M^ , _i__| performed in a wooden cape,' sealed, and the length of>, time vari_f from 48 hours in 72 hours m '5 he curious observation is covered with U'fcr**, just- a* if frost-hittfii. lilaca causes the tn y K ji_?^. about ten days, and pitted in a period of-°«npßyv "to '.***s*s"!§[ days. The Lost way^TOS4ng'hoine'y;io, : :-|S the ordinary reader which •;'i»:Vj| held to account for of an«* :?M thttics Upon plants i* it to tha ''■■M action of alcohol upon luini&n beings. As L im in an intoxicated maupiany faculties are. ■'..' :'m for the time being, "sunpended, whilst 3j simultaneously dor*_&it»euprgka.*re await- || ened and exhUarat«d,;wvttitlt, pla&t*, the '.|1 effects of ether, and chlbtSform ,4wo_erate M tlie growth or any _rre|it.of the f| functions which takes place under normaf "1 conditions. , ' :m

Tho problem of the J How New York deetrucVou of city re- '3 Uses fuse is not a question Jj Its Waste. of audi burning local J "* interest as it was when 2 the erection of a destructor wax being <—i- -JS cussed, and before Christchurch had be- "1 come _s*d to the economical disposal of J Jj its rubbish Yet there is matter of m- '; 1 teres! in the account given in a recent f'ijj "ScnbnerV by Mr Woodbury, New j Yoik's Street-cleaning Commissioner, o| *M New York'n methods of getting rid, as '| usefully as possible, of the city* waste "M products. Inthefirstpiacethesejareeefara* Sq ted into four categories—garbage, ashes, street aweeptngs, and rubbish—and part of & this -*?para„>n is imposed upon the ehiaens §& themselves, previous to the removal of M the refuse by the public service, which *J subsequently completes the operation. The *'j method underlying the handling of thaw , | categories is one rather of reduction than m of incineration, and a use Is' found for all '-m so that "they beoomo a source of nerenue rather than of expense." This earned a *3 little further means that the Department _r| of cttreetrcleaxung, instead of hung on «x* jjj pense to the taxpayer, should bring ra- M venue to ih» city. The city dean* and, vj washes itself from its dustings, low gar*-* t% boge is treated in retort* for eighteen hours, under 4 pressure of 301b to QDIb of steam at 312d*g. V. The tnatorisl lift*, 'J digested furnishes on oil which ss blaoolftd m under glass te tbe colour of ohve oil, finds a ready sale in Holland and F whence) it returns in tha farm-of and perfumery. Beside*} the ,>jm products remein, which, after b«_ij£j|i|^ s /|| jected to great pressure; b&s«> j are sold as fertiliser., an4*|rtt*r,l?^s#»er f '' s I holding fMttmo-ia ip ' 1 wind with brawn phoaduT ,J has, in that form * como-mtl'«Wfc Tin W second category of w_fl|' ,*&*?-&* MA ashow-ißnda a 'sela aaonm who use it for fitfsproafing-dnv-Hstnat enMepingiH-if ";j»^# l "tiro vaiuabla materia-, of! whkh. 1 they be separated, either #onl4 br • prios, but which, tokeft valueless j -one Is the me_«r», tft»jn|ySa the ne-wpapers cost sway. ment colleoto about 9$ tons of hejfcMmijlsj -ton* .dally.*' %h« talked nfiijei \Jj afft|i ffla have, however," -proved an *m>£l^'%r/ n ||p tiliser on tiba fun of the Camritiee, so audi to that U)m*mM vitamer of 2few Yorfc aro makinjjt #t_nt application for ?t, and "tfea are making apadjil rates fof 'its Finally, the rubbish consist* of of bottle*, and shoes, sofas, bedstetdtv. beds, furniture, paper, pots' and pW»~lttljj||l rels, boxes, broken iframes, etc., etc. Those readily separated and ' Mid 4 a*s j thereby famishing hghts _wd, aad ilso *$v* c, -conUactor in iha h00d.., All old ding are im_ediote)y articles are sotted, and often, after repair, «Wt>l' the poorer dtitens. i ' * ' ' ■Vffiw

On* of tha awsfe Helen di_*ry human Keßer's Life, -far given to. &**W__MS3 is "The Story rife," by Helen .getter, and dumb girl at Amnio*,'"who a. student at Betdoliffe *al*B|||||B that hi to Harvard wltsfc .Oirton J* Cambridge Unfrttlity. 35* progress node l*y- a 4e*f, less child under sk-far trafattng/I" familiar to us, tlt[Wij£_?_» .Hark Twain, and; other 4fup tttyers. , But h<y» jr# >y» given from within, by the one poigusfttly and- vitally oonceensd perienoa strangely grievous, and dfctaHy relieved.. At sevsn, ****** fflfmS education begin, Helen took months to -ompr*h*f<d tha sign which «*»; to connect h« * and darkness with » friendly iro * 3 '. there waa all to learn, all to <^JK by the old of devoted teachera own indasxdtahla p*P*^'i<^o«' r ficnltiea, tha deaf! and feU-d g*MNMHf| twe-ty-thrw last Jons.-W ftwrt<iiw||W fcjr" to, toe studies occupy bee life. She apeak* language of the d-ob, and fcl,ol ____9|ffi speech of others by placing her |t|smH the Hp» of the apefcer. \ Fravfa, Ocnnea, Latin, and write ail her psoesssryby _«a_» of a typewrit*- 1 . WssMmH| thai" eh* can take pleasure in sails " swimming* rowing, toboipMHKjHffl cycling, 'and so forth. Dr. ttfl, *|!|_____|_ffl Sbakeapeerhua scholar, «_<* i young etsadont nafr to belief to* legsd facts about thr poet's lifej fl|MM[ know, he said, 'is tihst baptised, married, '*/, died. . |___Hffl| answered Mm Ke.''*- wifl.' *l|||Mffl§f humour, "he seems to **_v* essential thing*.*' In her enoo of weak or play, Miss _MM^IBHH|B essential things, thoeg. she ct*eqfflH_fflß cognise* deprivation*. ytJsWfMHjHBa tim," «hs Maya^ prepem than other gfctar Tha -ww>i t W w wBBMjSBi longer, and X tiara palrjihatke** ■MMbSWHW

'&'?. .■■"£'.■ . ■ -■■ mot There are doya when the close ' attention I must give to details chafes my epfrit, and the thought that* I moat spend hours reading a few chapters, while in the world without other girk are laughing and staging and dancing, makes mc rebellious; hot I soon recover my buoyancy and laugh the discontent out of my heart. For, after all, everyone who wishes to gain true knowledge must climb the Hill Difficulty akme, and since there is no royal road to the summit, I must sigxag it in my own way." A specially interesting feature of this autobiography is l»er reference to that otrange sense by which her physical frame has become an exquisite instrument to feel what others hear and see. How could a blind and deaf person enjoy Niagara? What does music, or spring beauty, or the roll of waters mean for Helen! She answers j "In the most evident sense they mean everything. I cannot fathom or define their meaning any more than I can fathom or define love or religion, or goodness." Yet it has bee-a solitude in beautiful places, "solitude, books, and imagination, outside with the whispering'pines and the mulit o_uruu» woods." that has brought her the glad conviction "that the darkness everywhere may hold possibilities even better tban my hopes."