Scientific and Useful.

Mataura Ensign, Volume V, Issue 234, 2 March 1883, Page 5

Scientific and Useful.

MAGNETIC CHESSBOARDS. Iron chessboards and chessmen, with concealed magnets to steady them on the board, are sold to travellers in Berlin. ANOTHER COMET. ' A comet was discovered by Professor Schmidt, of Athens, on October 8, only 4 degs. south-west of the great comet, and having the same motion. Dun jfscht Circular No. 64, in announcing the fact, says, " Should further observations confirm the last statement, this new comet would seem to be a companion of the great comet, and may have formed part of it at a former, not necessarily very remote, time, judging by the history of the celebrated Biela comet." ELBCTEICITY AT WOEK. The Eastern Railway of France has just made a new essay in the application of electricity. A trian equipped with the most recent and improved electrieai apparatus proceeded from Paris to Gretz. The carriages were connected by electrical communications, the brakes acted by electricity, and all the compartments of the thirteen carriages composing the train were lighted by electric lamps. The results of the experiments were completely satisfactory. SUBTEBBANEAN LIFE. One curipus phenomenon which the sinking of the. Algerian wells, has revealed is the discovery of fishes, crabs, and fresh-water inollusks at considerable depths. This interesting fact has been ascertained in the artesian wells called Mezer, situated in the desert of Ued-Eir, quite near one of the brackish lakes (Chott or Sobka of the Arabs) which are so numerous in the region between Biskra and Tuggurt. When the sounding line brought these creatures from a depth of 230 feet they were perfectly alive, and M. Jus even boiled a crab and found it of excellent taste. The fishes were covered with sand and mud, but the shell of the crabs was quite bright and glittering, a proof that they inhabited pure water. K. Jus showed him all those animals, preserved in spirit, and adorning his rich collections of Batna. HOW TO DEBTBOY WASPS. , A correspondent of the Times says :— I have the last ten or twelve years destroyed these troublesome feeders on fruit with methylated chloroform, and this involves the necessity of waiting till night when all are at rest; But pulverised " commercial cyanide of potassium," one or two tablespoonfuls, may be put into the entrance of the nest at any time of the day, and, if quietly done, does not in the least disturb the ingress of the insects. They readily enter, never to return, so that in twenty -four hours every individual is destroyed. The entomologist may then dig them up, or they may remain ; they can do more mischief. I was curious to know the contents of a large nest, measuring nine inches across, having eight tiers of cells. I counted 3400 wasps and five of the tiers were full of pupa, which I did not count. Such simple and inexpensive means I consider a public benefit to be made known as much as possible. A SLIDING MOUNTAIN IN OBEOON The Government engineers engaged upon the ship canal around the rapids wnere the Columbia Eiver cuts through the Cascade Mountains, and the engineers of the Oregon Kail way and Navigation Company, whose railroad runs beside the Government canal, have discovered that a r point of the mountains, of tremendous height and three miles in extent, is moving down an incline into the river. The fact of a moving mountain is strange, but not incomprehensible. It seems, says an intelligent correspondent of the New York Times, that the great river and the ravines that point tp it have cut their way down through a superincumbent mass of basalt into a substratum of sandstone. This sandstone, we will suppose, presents a smooth surface, with an incline towards the river; the river cuts under the basalt into the sandstone, and . the natural effect , is for the superincumbent basalt, lagjjiljjiggttke a similar formation of ice in a

THE OEEAT COMET. Dr Wentworth Erck, writing on October 12tli from Sherringtou, Bray, says that an observation made that morning confirmed Dr Oppenheini's elements, which indicate a parabolic orbit, or, in other words, that the comet is a stranger that has never visited us before, and never will again. Letters continue to arrive from diflerent parts, the West Indies, Cape, Brazil, &c, giving glowing descriptions of the splendour of the comet. It will be a great disappointment if, after all that has been said, it should not return in three or four months^ and Jail into the suu. — World of Science. . THE BED SPOT IN JUPITER.' Prom observations, it appears, says the English Mechanic, that the great spot in Jupiter has been retrograding with an accelerated velocity, the apparent rotation in March, 1882, being 9h. 55ra. 37'Ss., or four seconds greater than at the opposition of 1879. That appears to indicate a total drift of the red ' spot 40,000 miles in longitude, or about 10,000 miles in the first year, and 30,000 in the second. Professor Hugh says: — These observations prove that the red spot is not the solid portion of the planet, as has been held by a number of astronomers. One of the most curious features of this interesting object is its stability. Here we have an immense floating island, 29,600 miles in length, by 8,300 miles in breadth, which has maintained its shape and size without material change for more than three years. FBECKLES. Freckles are common enough, although they can hardly be regarded in the light of a disease. They consist of round yellowish spots, the size of a split pea or less, and occur not only on the face and hands, but on the parts covered by the dress. Those with fair skins and light hair are most subject to them. It is said they may be got rid of by the local application of common nitre. Some recommend that the nitre in fine powder should be slightly moistened and then laid on all over the face or part affected. Others think it better to touch each spot with a nitre crystal, which may easily be obtained by allowing them to deposit from solution in water. Friar's balsam, mixed with water, is another good application. The special preparation known by the name of " Virgin's milk " is said to be composed of Friar's balsam one part, and rose water 20 parts. It is used not only for freckles but .'for other eruptions in the face. — The Family Physician. OIL ON TBOUBLED WATEBS. At the instance of the Board of Trade important experiments were made recently at A berdeen harbour entrance with a view of testing the practicability of using oil as a means of reducing the danger to vessels entering in a gale. The occasion was the most favourable that could have been selected. A stiff southeaster was blowing. The sea was running high, the waves dashing over the piers, and it was next to impossible for any vessel to cross the bar in safety. The danger was appropriately illustrated shortly before the experiments commenced by the arrival of the brigantine Conoid, of Peterhead, in a helpless condition. She had been driven before the gale, her sails being carried away and her steering gear broken. The position of the vessel was at once seen, and the lifeboat was got ready. The Conoid was drifting on to the pier when, by an almost superhuman effort on. the part of the crew, the broken wheel was moved, and she got clear over the bar amid intense excitement on the part of crowds of spectators who had assembled. Shortly afterwards the oil experiments were commenced, Captain Bryce representing the Board of Trade, and the leading harbour officials were present. Some improvements had been made in the pumping apparatus since the last experiment, a larger rose being supplied, and seal oil being used instead of coarser oil. When the pumping commenced the waves were dashing wildly against the piers. After pumping for twenty minutes the crests disappeared, the breakers assumed a rolling motion, and the entrance was rendered comparatively safe. Two hundred and eighty gallons of oil were used in the experiment. The result will be reported to the Board of Trade. EGGS IN WINTER. While plenty of eggs are valuable at all times, they are doubly so in winter, and those who secure a good supply for home use or sale during the next three months are to be congratulated on the good management of their fowls. Some who are not very well up in poultry matters . think that there are breeds specially, adapted for laying in, winter, and their want of eggs at that season is attributed to their not having the right sort ; but we cannot go this length, as we have always found good summer layers to produce plenty of eggs in winter too, providing they are only properly treated. Xt is the fault of the owners, and not the stock, when eggs are scarce in winter, and those who have to complain of this would do well to give the matter more attention. The very earliest hatched birds are not generally the best winter layers ; those hatched in March will begin laying in July and August, and after going on for a time they moult in October, which makes them stop laying, and they do not begin until spring. Those hatched in May and June seldom lay until October or November, and it is the class which proves the best winter layers amongst the young fowls. With the old ones the same thing is liable to occur. This year some of our hens moulted in June, laid well in August and September, and now they are moulting again, which spoils them for winter laying ; but we have others which are oiily now , fairly over the moult— their combs have become big and red, and they will lay from now on for months. Apart from considerations of these kinds, good feeding is the grand secret of winter laying. Jtfalfstarved fowls never lay. well at any season, but such are absolutely sterile in winter. Barley -meal mixed iv a dough with hot water or ale, and giveu the first thing in the morning, wheat at midday, and Indian corn the last feed in the afternoon, is the sort of fare we have never found to fail in giving abundance of eggs in winter, and we would strongly advise those who desire to have plenty, of eggs at. .Christmas to take th.is bill of fare at once, adhere to it all the winter, and note the vesult*— Gardener* Chronicle,