HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16434, 24 May 1921, Page 6

HERE AND THERE.

DR INK A RLE SEA-WATER A simple plan of making sea-wa-ter palatable has long been -ought for. Tho baneful effects cf sea-* a ter as a drink ate chiefly due to Hu pres* nee • i chlorine, which is combined v. hh .sodium and magnesium. It produces thirst and scurfy, when taken in cxces.-. In ordci to femoYo the chlorine, a scientist suggests mixing sea-water with a certain proportion of citric acid, or silver citrate, and thus produce what mav ’ called a mild mineral water, wide, j P drinkable, and being fie a fly free ot peci pita ted chlorine, is not injurious to health when taken in moderate qua firties. lie- treated a pint of sea-watfi. brought- from beyond the EddyVtouo vrith 960 grains ef ritrc.tc of silver, and four grains of free citric acid. Silver chloride was precipitated and the overlying liquid decanted awl filtered. Ea- : fluid ounce of it contained about eighteen grains of citrate of soda, one and a half grains of citrate of magnesia, half a grain of nitrate of potash, one grain of sulphate of magnesia, half a grain of sulphate of litnc, one-fifth grain of citric acid, and lea« than baif a grain of undecomposed chlorides. The salts of soda in this liquid ore diirrefcie, the of magnesia aperient, hence v> possesses medicinal properties. It could be safely used to moisten the tongue and throat, and drunk in small quantities. The citrate of silver employed t* treat tlie Water should be kept in a Stoppered bottle, covered with indiarubber, so as to exclude light, air. an 1 organic matter, as it is easily decomposed. As an ounce of citrate of silver converts half a pint of sea-water. : man may keep ulive for a day on it. ounces will, it is therefore inferred keep him alive for a week. It 1 to stoW bottles of the salt under the thwarts of lifeboats and in the lockers oi certain lifebuoys which carry restorT.ONC AND TITF SHORT OF TT. Id has long been known that thin rods of iron and steel, when subjected to external magnetism by means of an electric current circulating in a hohew coil surrounding the rod. ar,- elongated, and the elongation has been v• iy accurately measured. Experiments have shown that if tlie magnetisation bo tarried to a certain point the wire no longer lengthens, bur begins to shorten again, and retracts beyond its original length. Nickel rods or wires are known to retract under the same kind of magnetisation: but so far as experiments went this retraction did not change into elougation. It is this elongaiiou of iron under magnetism which is believed io be the cause of the sounds emitted by the iron wire inside a bobbin of wire when traversed by an interrupted current of electricity, an effect which takes the form of a. musical note when the current is interruoted a great mauv times in ft second —for example. IGOQ times. THE STORY OF THE SPONGE. It is not unlikely many of our readers could give a more satisfactory reply to this than to another question, namely, What is a sponge? For long, it was doubtful whether this familiar object belonged to tho animal _ or the vegetable kingdom, but naturalists are a greed that it unquestionably to be rcfefVed to the former. Commonplace article as an ordinary sponge is, it possesses a hietory, from its cradle in tries ocean depths to its cradle uses in the nursery and elsewhere, that in point of interest and instruct iver ess it would be difficult, to surpass. No anecdotes of its intelligence could be narrated, because it is to be classed among the lowest forms of animal life, but one learned professor has ably shown that; the sponge family has a charm of its own, and a very special claim upon the thoughtful study of scientific men. Sponges, as is tolerably well known, are obtained in various part?, of tho Mediterranean and at the Bahamas Islands. Greeks and Turks mainly pursue the fishery in the former districts, and their mode of diving, etc., are familiar to many ; bat of the Bahama industry information is not so general. \ large number of vessels and persons '.mostly coloured"} are employed in tho fishery. Tlie ships cruise about- anion - the inlands, their trips lasting from two to six weeks, according to tho weather, the divers being unable to work when tho water is rough. The sponges, when caught, are found lo be a black gelatinous substance, giving off on unpleasant odour that increases with putrefaction. After the divers have collected a. sufficient quantity the sponges are taken ashore and buried in the Band, or exposed to the sun fur 0 fevc days; they are then beaten with ; clubs to rc-moL'e the decomposed animal matter, which flies away in the shape of black dust. They are next tiro roughly washed in sea-water, after which they are stowed in tlio vessel's hold. On arriving at port, the sponges are sold <0 merchants who trade in them, and by whom they are pasted into the hands of the clipper, who cuts off all coarse matter, and otherwise trims them. This r-peration having performed they are ready for tie press, where they arc baled for shipment. DO PLANTS DREAM? Within recent years the life-history of plants has developed inio a most fascinating and wggesmo study. There are thpse wonderful insect-eating or flesh-feeding plant* which, experiments cure conclusively mown, thrive better upon a meat dirt ihan upon the ordinary sustenance of >egetable life. R-me 01 them have a n»tural will-you-waJk-mto-my-parlour lock about them, and tho unwary fly 'Jut is once enticed across the fatal threshold mav abandon all hope, for it trill H infallibly prevented from returning to the regions of tho upper air. Dr liraacis Darwin who has worked up the übjeot oi th« life-history with the ti’oroughnr-* th it <3. always to bo total j,, tho anjont scientific observer, rates the question whether or not plants mav be rnrnVo of dreaming. He was r.ttirc- m ],J S house one night, wa-itug to make :>n observation at a given time, -w hen b.> noticed the lea. »f a. sensitive plant, suddenly drop to its fubst extent ., M d iiewty to i., . • pm . this action bo »! firms, iho plant h, ■ haved exactly as if it ha« been, te-eh I on us sensitive jetnt; a»d accordingly be- concludes that some iternaJ proce-=, produced the same imp>* s ion as actual external stimulus “-7rT like manner, ■•e says, n dreaming oy the fire will yelp and bre* Ids le s aj if he were hunting a real indeed 01 an imaginary rabbit.’* CARTLOAD* OF FLES. * The recrudescence of le blowfv pest in virulent form in the'’o r he« A. t'iot. Ne«v South Wales. r,x«u v OI ted some hostile interest. eeaso ” Mr Donald Mackenzie, of Kiiora * U cured phenomenal results fron a limn* ~ and inexpensive method of - ~ At the time he commenced his holding was badly infestod. , few weeks not a live fly could I ♦..nn-i’ lie began tho trial by hookL- two dead sheep to his car and draggL thVm into a paddock. Tho w» v > scarified, and on them he pou.3 . L quart of poison made from a pt r »d v* washing soda, boiled in two gall» s water. This decoction was suflicft,; - 0 Aiako eight'gallons. Next day li«, lrned the carcases over and treated with another application At tb^ nr i of three days he declares he could I filled a tipdray with dead flies. a live fly could bo seen in the hundred acre paddock At Merrv.L adjoining Kincora, even better were secured. A cow’s carcase used for bait, and in two days’ time V earth for a space of 30 yards was sh_ ing with the bodies of the green fl Close against the bait tlio drift w* fully 4in deep, gradually thinning ou for a hundred yards in anv direction In that paddock afterwards at tho n>n of a month only six lambs required •* tention. Other pastoralists in the sam--district adopted the same plan v i+b similar results.