February.
THE WEST SHORE
121
THE OUDK8T 1'LANT,
At a recent nesting of tha Academy of Natu
ral Sciences of Philadelphia, Mr. Martindale
exhibited some specimens of the sensitive fern
Onwlea mmibiUt) in the curious condition
known as the variety obtuHilobata. The matter
is of great interest, from the fact that this fern
is perhaps the oldest living llnral organism mi
the globe. It is found in a fossil state, and
some palaeontologists Mieve it lias been in ex
istence for fUO,000 years. On some of the pre
vailing theories of evolution it ought to have
branched off', by "gradual modifications," into
numerous descendants, and we ought to have
allied species, if not allied genera. But not only
are there no very closely allied genera, but ouly
this one single species, and it shows no tendency
to produce the slightest variation worth speaking
about. If we could find a good substantial va
riation in this fern, it would be, therefore, a
case of considerable interest. Dr. Asa (irav. in
his "Mauuai oi liotaiiy. regards the so-called
variety obtwilobata as no variety, but as n pecu
liar morphological condition of "the same thing;
and the specimens found by Mr. MartindaTe
perfectly contirmed this view! The male frond
of the Onoclm is but the female frond con
tracted and railed an as is the ease in nil Cams
having the female fronds of a different character
to the male. In the variety obltwlobata the
sporangia are borne on a Hat frond, like as in
atpmtm, the lubes of the frond not rolling
wiujuuiuij no, iw in bub peneci lorm. it istlie
same thing, with only the frond not as perfectly
transformed. The sensitive fern ("sensitive"''
from its withering so MOD after gathering) is
ttiBuui luwmn iroiu ita UWUg as - Highly org,
lzea, uotwitiistamling its great age, as any fern 1
of a much more modern origin, geologically !
speaking. There is, doubtless, much to sustain
tlie theory of a gradual progress from a simple1
to a complex structure through the course of j
ages, but the Onoelea is surely not among these
facts.
NAKROW-QAUOB PROtUtKSK. i
The BaOutau Age has the following figures on j
the progress of narrow-gauge railroads, which j
it a matter of interest ir many counties 61 this I
State: Narrow-gauge building on this continent
may be said to have begun in l871kohlyitx
years ago, and its progress may be Doted as!
follows: 1871. miles of narrow .gauge built, 170
1872, 450 miles; 1H7;., 555 miles: IS74, 010
miles; 1876, 585 milei) 1876, 500 miles.. Total j
in operation in America, 3,167 miles. These
figures are nearly correct, though, probably, I
not entirely complete. Thia show an addition '
of G(!il miles of narrow-gauge track in twenty
one States-more than one-fifth the total number'
of miles of railway constructed in the country'
during the year, according to most authorities, j
ror a mtvm praoucauv oi recent introduction
and which instill considered by many of doubt
ful economy apJ .yfiicieney, this certainly is a
very oniAuraW) the, and indicates 'that,
in spito of the assertions of some that narrow
gauge roads will not and must not be built, they
have been and will continue to bu built. The
thirty-three roads whose extensions are noted
above have now a total length of nearly 1,000
milts, and this is less than one-third of the
total narrow-gauge mileage now in operation in
America. The number of narrow-gauge mads
in operation In America is over 100, beatdee an
Indefinite number projected.
ThkMoiiai, Vaixkuf PHYSICAL STHKNOTH.
The American scholar and thinker is by rule a
dyspeptic, He is a raor-faeed, lantern-jawed,
thin, nervous man. This is partly the effect of
climate, and partly that of diet "and regimen.
In the old days of bran bread, and prayers
before daylight iu the colleges, and long morn
ing walks before breakfast, and suit idal, con
sumptive habits, it required a pretty tough
man to live through his studied at all. " We are
now doing this thing better, but we have not
reached the highest outcome of the change, and
shall not reach it, probably, for several gen
erations, Hut we have COma to the recognition
of the fact that it docs not tougheu a man to
reduce his diet, to cut short his Bleep, to take
long walks on an empty stomach, and to indulge'
in cold baths when there is no welhaapportad
vitality to respond to them. We have come to
the conviction that, for a useful public life,
brains are of very little account if there are no
muscles to do their bidding. In short, we bare
learned that without physical vitality the pro
foundoat learning, the most charming talents,
and the best accomplishments are of little use to
a public man In whatever field of professional
life he may be engaged. Scnlmrr'a Monthly,
Tug RiaBt KlND of a Wm A farmer was
once blessed with a good-natured, contented
wife; hut it not being in the nature of man to
Iw satisfied, he one day laid to a neighlsir he
rcaiiy wisiiou tie emiM liear Ins wile scut., once
POISONOUS INDIA-ROBBER TOYS.
A. F. Taylor, Ph. D.( of Andover, Mass.,
aids the following note to the Journal of
Cfomlefry; Prof, B. Tollens. in the Journal of
the BrU Chemical Society, of November 13th,
1870, colls attention to the tajuriousneu of
many of the articles manufactured from caout
chouc, which, among other impurities, contain a
very large per cent of zinc oxide. In the rubber
nipples of milk bottles for children, this has
often been found to be the case, and so much
attention has been balled to this fact that the
manufacture of these nipples containing zinc
uahic iinn 10 a great exieni ivaM'tl
But more recently suspicions have been I steadily will often succeed in inducing sleep;
SLEF.PLESSN BSS.
It la a familiar fact to medical men. says the
Journal oj'Chrmi-tiy, that thousands sutler from
wakefulness who are otherwise in good health.
Mtui - ., . . .... ,1 souuiii ie w asnea as nine as possm
...... . ui u.e.n una neeome, a uauu. ana , tiah( afu.r w cmH AM wi,H.(l ith lllUll
.'inn .:..! vi uuii, pot a lew resort)
Soporific drags, and the taste for opium is thus
often initiated. Others find alcoholic liijuors
occasionally effectual, and there can be no doubt
that iu this way the foundation of Intemperate
indulgence in these liquors has Wen laid. Many
people, however, have found a way of going to
sleep without resort to such dangerous mens-
ures. For instance, looking at a fixed DOUlt
aroused concerning the quality of children's
toys, dolls, annuals, etc., made from rubber.
One case, in which a child, having one of these
dolls, had had it for some time in Ita mnnth.
grew sick, and the doll, laid in vinegar, became
wvmvu wis? an incrustation (WltnoUl tlouot
zinc acetate), led to direct investigation. In
0.7325 gramme of such a doll, 0.4445 gramme
zinc oxide was found, or 60.58. Another
portion gave, after being subjected to a red
heat, 68,34 gramme of ash, yellow while hot,
white on cooling. In the ashlvesidcs the zinc
were traces of lime, iron and phosphoric acid.
From another doll which had been warranted
''harmless," 5768 of ash were obtained, con
sisting almost wholly of zinc oxide.
It is but at all Improbable that the sickness of
the child, particularly the severe vomiting, was
COOKING PISH.
The following hints on this subject an taken
from an article by the culinary correspondent
of the IauuIou A'irieultHral Qa tt : Fish
should le washed as little as possible, and white
isn, alter Ix'ing cleaned and wiped w itli a damp
loth, should have the stomach slutted w ith salt
for an hour or two before cooking, Fish should
be put on in cold water, so that the inner part
may be snthciently done, and also it is loss lia
ble to break. This rule holds good, except for
very small Rah, or for sohnou tailed in slices,
when hotting water should be used. The time
w ill depend on the kind and size of the fish,
but it may le easily known when it i ready by
drawing up the fish-plate and trying ii it' will
separata from the bone. Here," as in other
things, practice is better than all the directions
that can be given, as so much depends on the
strength of the tire and the size of the fish. A
little salt and vinegar should always be put into
the water, and some prefer the Rah. taulod in
what is called a court bouillon, and this is how
it is done: Lay the Rah in the fish-kettle with
uough cold water to cover it, add It gloss of
tor tlie novelty ot the thing. Whereupon, his UoatioU of the report on t he . i.-.gr.ud.ical and ' . f
vmiia.tJ.iuna uaiffhhnr m vise, nm tn on to Am 1 2 . n nul to li
y . .. i .... ,,,,,, . Sort, of ,.r:,, . ii iiv, f
if it is too dark to do this, closing the eves and
in i i mud nation watehinir attentively tho stream
of air entering and leaving the nostrils. An
other plan has recently been proposed by Dr.
Cooke, w ho tells us thai in many cases of steep
lesaueas U U ouh lu-cvMMU't to breathe. erv
slowly and quietly for a few minutes to secure
refreshiiiL' slaan 11, t Km l. , tlmt mul mbmh .1...
pend on hypsnBmia of the brain, and that In wine or vinegar, aorae alioed oarrot and onions,
this sluw broathina the blood uintdv ! UmmiaH pepper, salt and a laurtd leaf, a bunch of nars-
sutlicicntly to make an iiupivssion." Certainly, "'V- f;1!t of sweet herbs, or some ol the
when the mind is uncontrollably active, and so wnt powdered and tied uji in a muslin lag.
prevents sleep, persons whose observation was Th"se seasonings impart a line llavor to most
worth trusting have testified that the breathing boiled Rah, excepting salmon, and lor ircsh-water
was l(uiek and short, and they have found they llsU il ilt OOnaldorod very useful for getting rid
lKcainc more disHsed to sleep by breathing the muddy taste they often have,
slowly. This supports Dr. Cooke's practice, Frying lisb may be fairly well done by juit
but at other times his plan quite failed It is ptttwig auflioient fat iu the pan to prevent it
sticking, and cooking it till of a tine brown col
or: but thi' artistic mode of frvinn fish is what
is called the wet process, which may bo simply
described as boiling it in fat There are diller
ont opinions ai lo w hat kind of fat answers lost,
UUt all agree that butter should never be used,
as the expense is great, and the color never tn
go.nl. Lard is considered by many to be the
best frying inediuroi but Oarame, the great
French cook, gives the preference to beef fat
not, however, the dripping from the roast, but
i, Ui I made by Belting beef suet instead of the
fat of the pig. W hat we recommend to fami
lies as best and most economical is clarified
dripping, that is. the fat front the joints while
roasting, poured into boiling w atcr, and ivuioved
in a OUke when cold. Hut whatever the medium,
the great point is to have the fa) at U proper
temperature before the article to be fried is Hit
in. The skillful cook can see the blue smoke
rising just at the boiling NOint, and then she
knows it li time to put in licrtish; but for those
w ho are only acquiring expericni e, it is safer to
throw in a bit ot bread) and it it takes a line
color iu a minute or so, then the fat is lint
enough, and the Rah may be put in. This is
the cardinal point of successful frying. As
Brlllat'SavaHn ays: "It all deponui on the
surprise," that is, on the fat being hot enough,
or otherwise the fish will be tublM and greasy
instead of crisp and appetizing. Another point
to be attended to is that the tat be deep enough
I in the pan to cover the fish, which should ho
put into a wire basket that will easily lit into
the pan of fat, and then no turning is rwjuitl d.
The fame fat will do again and again for 90
times, if necessary ; all that is Deeded i" to
si rain it into boiling water; when cold take it
oil in a cake, w ipe oil' the water on the under
side, and putiffby for use, oi course only to fry
, fish again.
j MOMMM COHVIRTKD Wto PAINT, Few
person! are aware that Veritable Egyptian ninm
, inies are ground up into paints. Hut in this
country and in tiurope muramlei are used for
this purpose the asplialtuiu with which they
are impregnated being ol a quality suHtriorto
that which can elsewhere Iw attained, and pro
ducing a jHipular brownish tint when made into
paint, which is prized by distinguished urtista
both of this and other countries. The ancient
, Egyptians, when they put away (heir dead,
wrapped in clothes saturated With Mphaltom,
butued, as it were, better than they knew, and
could never have realized the fact that ago
after they had been laid iu the tomlut and
pyramids along the Nile, their dust would Is
used in painting pictures in a world then undis
covered, ami by artists whose languages were to
them unknown. That a Portion of one of the
I'haioahs, or a I'otiphar, or even of the historic
Mrs. I'otiphar, may even now lie on the canvass
' of a Vernet a Mulail, or a Church, who may
question? Vatkinglon QattUt,
PttKLKD PlOlt- "Tickled figs!" 1 think I
1 hear Some leader exclaim, with a sneer of incrw
i dulity.) "W ho ever saw plenedfigll never
heard id such a thing!" Herhaps not, my dear
sir Of madam) but pickled ligs are among our
i ooioes t ami rarest nouinera tanie nuunes, and
it some Underwood from Itostoii, or other imr
vcyorof tOOthaomc delicacies, W ere to OOffll lierv
and put those delirious sweet pickles up ill the
tasteful style of Northeiu manufacturers, and
ship then! to the North and Kiwi and West, it
w ould in a few yean reoulra bundreds of acrea
of lig tretw to supply the demand for the law
fruit -Florida htnU'Trmkat,
'. ' BgaggSg1g1gg1ga
SPflBa'TanriBLaa JMBhuwBaHal
HiSPawSRaaunM
THK MOUNTAIN of THK HOLV (TtOSS.
caused by the line oxide, and it is to Iw wished , cei tainh Worth any one's while whotaoOM'
that the manufacture sntl sale of such arm ies lionallv aleenlaes to give it a trial. Iu doing so
containing sine oxide could be prohibited. they should breathe very .piietly. rather deeply,
land at long intervals, but not long enough to
8CKNKRY IN COLORADO cause tin- least feeling of uneasiness. Inline,
J - jlt,y Hi,i,i imitate a m-ihoii sbeping, and do it
VmImuhhJ. .......... . t.f. ti i st.-ft.lih for several inilillti's.
le,deMniiefs aXOBPt under the
In.- t of a physician. The other methisls .., ,, u , ,
t , i t ' i i Ami. ink coloi-, acconlmg to .Mr. .IonviiIi
m, ,,.,,,l Ibor. B 1 Hf.y Md by U)r. MdeWUln, 1h. .. k,7. vuI. ,.,,,, j
hois, b, .( to bU,ud U mm hni for Untlng photognplu, and lik.wUt i Ji-
Mill r,u,. gwfiw) tdrio. ihonU b. promiiU, , ,, J ,,,, ,
ui IflHO n ii In an To I it'
wood aodiStaWofonolud .tick;, whidi 10!0T "V 01 1 ri""'- "
wo ruiuly main bar Moron aa be o,ml,l ""? natural ry ii to many
dinii--. Accirdiinjly, th farmer oollactad a plaeM in Colorado, Thoia rsportt are m wall
load of imMtllUhaped, eraokod, crotchety arrlttan. and the lmallllaa all AmtOM Uk an
mile.. ala that were ever knr,wn under the Bl 1 1. J.,.n -J l . 11.. " linn U the well kietwn iit.taldblv id the
offue.1. TttU dappled ut iti plaoa, takinn . , . . " .nura.-1 , n ... K .. . - l.,it,f,il mil,, I wain, arti.t. who de-ire h
can that hia nooM ahcald have acceaa t nil !"(, "at it la uini.t a. ..! aa a tn, t th. 1 j K ,, ,,m.r ,,. hluei.h. -niiaueu. J id their work t wold en yu
iriiv or siiKike cubufd clas. .. as ri tirutectinii tllLlii.
other woi si. Day after day passed without a I oountry, to read the ruporta.
ot mpumt. ai leturu ttm pile was constimci. Tht. rmarsctarUtic feature of tin- Mount of the
"Weil, wife, asid she farmer, "1 an going after , f, , . , . .
morewl; Til get another load just such as 1 H'dy ( ross, as shown in the engraving u the
(.-.t last time." h, yes, Jao..b, " she repl.ed; ' vertlcai -f" 1lt,1
wilt k ... ifLTLni frt, m..h . r.-.L.-i I a croas of snow, w inch may U- seen at adis-
i". . J "" V- ,.. ,,f .V) or Si line:, from .itb.T tuont.t to.
I pe,-iks. Ihis is ftiriued bv ft vertical lisiun-
erotchety wood as you bnmght before, does lie
irouu.l tile ptt so nicely.
A luid'.F-sroM'KST of the Kwjlith Mccha.
use of blue chimney or at least of
aUmt l,rou feet high, with a sort of b'ri.uta ladas for the reOeetioo ol the Ugbt, ootortd a
sUspa, pn-luowl by the hn;akiiig down of the light Uttmawioc bjtS. A near approach to day
ide of the mountain, on which the mow is Jlfht f" ' pr'liHsl by a lsjtioleuiii
bums
for weak eyes, against the iinphasant effecU of r,IKAr4 ANM pOTAID 1'Asilty. Six utnnl
red, orange and yUUOW light n tin- same mJHj w(tato,-s, boiled and mashed mealy and
principle the trying r.-l.th yellow light of can- wllU!, i,e taa-cup of sweet cream, half tea-
dies, lamps and gu on normal tyea as wefl m nHHIhfu f h, and flour enough to make it suy
ween ones, can be plssaanUj inotinlss by the iL.,..i1..r .m,,i r,,n not w.,rU n..,i i.-il.
little as j"- -ii!. , ami roll thicker than lOT O04B
moii jtastry.
' Yaui Tr.. -It is a common but injurious
practice for women to take a cup of hot tea on
an empty etaraaeb when tired and twhauittfl
An rgg broken into a weak cup of u-a, well
Iteatui. and mixed with a glass of cold sweet
milk, is much less injurious, ami really uouriah-
DtLlooeaCou tinu Cake. One auart of
I uow bittr; they mere k the . . of )Uv, but the) t v-,ded only tliat which is -- to them U- ci-niml; two parU of sweet milk; two heaped
m answer to a qnostion as ti the Itest means of i.j ailli rL.)1Ullll( tmru ((f U;M aU the vwr , Ump with a round wn k and a light blue .1
keap.nnthf leet dry-in winter, says- "A simple jg fa kUllim, r tll0 lB V(!ry nwyof twu the nual h-uglh, the latter c
plan would!, oil having a isur of ahoes imvir. j dimmi-ht, m MJA, by the melting of the .uow tfi 9 isthdeum b
with hearty a pure white lUme.
loonier tin-maker to put t-tw,vn me so.es willdl hj., awl)IIUlUt,;(i in th ,;1,,lJrt.J
inew tt i giuia percna as mica u a
No wet nr .lamp will ever g. t through. 1 have ' Mhxsa distinctly More your own mind the
adopted this plan for MM yeara. h'onnerly I -lT AXU HoKBiiW OV OaflUmV. Ohfldm well known fact that chd-treu delight as mm h
hau both wet and cold tet continuaJly, which sweeten latent, nut lliey tnake mitlortnoes more hi i . n iti'i, tlieir : .. tln-ir Inol... pro
even worste.1 rt.ra:kingH tailed to USp warm; imw uuwrr; mej lucre so uic can
Iwearcott'in all the winter, and ntiver hsTe ' mitigate the rx-membraiice
eold fauu" $049
of death. lxrj : mited to their OUBijeiuei ami adapted to teaspooiiluU of cream-y last J two e'ga. Itake
their trength Dmm trimiltm)f 'ha-hinj. in a quick ovn.