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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1877)
22 THE WEST SHOKE. October. STUDY OF EAKTH WORMS. This most curious case uf the intimate rela tion! of animals to plants, ami of Ixith to the PTtmiWf flf mh lirrlal trhnttflT taking place on the earth's surface, lias recently been worked out in great il--t.ul by Von Henseu, who, strange to say, does not seem to bate heanl of DtfWini labors, which he confirms And supplements. He states that the adult worms come to the surface at night, ami, with their tails in the mouths of their burro we, survey the country round ami collect food in the shape of leaves anil twigs. These are heaped Up around the entrance, the leaves being rolled Op separately and partly drawii into tlie ttihe, where they BOOB: become maeerateil ami partially decomposed, so as to form such savory meat as the worm's soul loveth. Von llchscn'n observations were conducted in a garden with a layer of mold nine inches deep ami a subsoil 'if yellnw diluvial sand. The worm-tubes were not easily traced in the mold, but were lerfectly cleat in the sand, running vertically downward to a depth of from tluce. to x feet. Tliu lulea were ofteu found t In hm-'l with stones about the size of a pin's head, brought from the surface, and fruit kernel were also found in them. Hut me point oi duet importance is unit llie wans of the burrows were found to bu btMt with lit- tie black masses of a characterises shape - tho excrements ol the worniH. Beside! UlBM fresh I iiihahited to DM, others were found in which the cavity was lilleii with black earth, the black color being diffused into the surrounding sand, and these again passed insensibly into mere black stripes veins uf mold running in ttm sandy subsoil. in about ii.-Lii 01 the unuuuuiteu tubes were found the ron tit of plants growing on tho surface. These followed exactly the direction of the tflbw and gave olf liiiu root-hairs through the black walls of the latter. Prom an extended series of observations, VoU HoUMU states that thu roots of annuals can only penetrate into the subsoil through obiuineli opened out to them by earth worms; ami he observes that this penetra tion must Ik: of service to the plant, as the Mlh soil retains noutun longer than thu surface layer of mold Thu content of the intestines and thu excre tions of worms show a great similarity in microscopical ami chemical characters to "veg etable mold " f Ilhttfnutlr ), formed by mixing together rotting leaves and sand and leaving them for about two years, after which time thu leaves um found to huvo undergone complete decomposition. very few shriveled cells being discoverable among saml giauis ami brown organic molecules. To asieit.uu tite precise iart taken by the earth worm in the production of this vegetable mold. Vim Haitian placed two worms In a glaai VMM tilled With sand, on ihe surface of which was spread a layer of f.tllen leaves. Tim worms set to work at once, and after about ill weeks the surface of the sand Win found to be cohered with a layer of mold nearly half u inch deep, while main leines had been carried to u depth of three inches. W orm-tube ran in all dircc tioiis through the saml, Some were quite fresh, others hud a wall of mold an eighth of an meii thick, othere again wan completely idled Wltli mold. Ill short, the soil of the Vessel wus already Mfa0t well prearcd lor thu growth of plants A single worm weighs about 46 grains, ami produce-, in M hours, nearly eight grains of CTiaaiaMUUUI matter, There are, oil an average, about .'t-1,000 worms to all acre of ground, the combine. i weigiit of which is over 'J'-'O pounds, and which together pass through their bodlai and reduce to a line state of lUnatoa about ,17 pomdi of mold in iM hours. Ik'sules thil tlioy prodUM a uniform distribu- turn ol the moid, open up passage in the sub- soil for roots and render the sulisnil fertile. I'hey thus H-rform for the agnculturists an oBaa Which i not only valuable ami extensive, but quita inimitable. A LoanioATim Plow, We read in Ifaaaa. IfefttJf, Aft, of an invention which is said b be practical, but which we should prefer to ten at w.u I, before investing therein. It "consists in the oomblnatiou with the motd'boerd of a plow, of a fountain attachment) introduced between the niold-Ward and share, also lubrication from the colter on its sides, and to the plow point, through which iol, water, or other liquids may W supplie.l, whereby tlie hoe of the mohv Isianl is caused to pass smoothly and candy throuuh the soil, without the stickun; and ad. be ring of the soil, as always hapjieiis without tucir ucvicc. ihciouutain consists ol perioi.i lions, t.r thin slit opening, Mwci n the mold board and the share, which 1X1 connected by pi "" i tuU's witli a tank ot oil r water, w Ineli is iut aa flood) to a reaenoir. which nuw ha at lached to the handles or Wain, or pcifer'ably to a tank or cask on the riding wheels of the plow, whence thu lubricating liquid is supplied to the i iimn nun iHif.i' oi jiuiiveHoni uiruiigu llie Mils 111 to the colter, share and mold hoard, and m-rnnt ting in-t only sltckv or WUS land to In- turned over and broken up, but at well applies to the hard clay soils of any country, in the time for dimmer and fall plowing.'' It is said further that "the reservoir may contain oO gallons of water, or a day ' supply in plow ing one and a half or two acres." Hut what do the horses think of the draft of a plow weighted down dj im pounds i water lufLoincft or Wtni Borruni on Wixa.- it baa recently been determined Ifl France that wine mej he Uttered through th glass r thu i Mt tie in winch it is contained Wing too alka hue Aceonluiii to analvses triven the AVm. Imtntlrielte, glass (or WUM Iwttles shmild yiebl iwr iwntnai nuaa, ;s.4: dowm or noon, 11.7 lime lS.t;: elay and oude ei mm, 1 1 ; other in gradients. O .t Class in 1,1 bohttei has beM fouml to contain. sile,.i4; imtash or sol 4 I- Itme, Ml) elay and Ink, il l. It teem that the wine surfers principally (rwm e&eeas of lime. Thus, in glass oaaanoaad of atnut, v, sxvia, gj lime, 30, and clav. I for exwniJe. the win liecame thick and loat Its anmia. The lat Kit tle glau contains frxmi IS to mrU lim and W - tXt tttt-t; th wont, Mt to & gjbj and S tu 30 . PACKING BOOS FOR THAN SIT. In the Poultry Worlil there appears an arti cle on the "transportation of eggs'' for hatch ing, sent a distance, by railway. An "old breeder" who has shipped thousands of dozens of eggs for incubation all over tho United States, in the past 20 years, writes thus: "It la my custom always to wrap each egg separately in soft paper lirst, and to twist the nds of this wrapper up tightly. Then I de posit a layer of eggs in about three inches' depth of dry sawdust, or bran, ami cover this laverover with two or three inches of tiackiiiL': each egg being carefully separated from the other. On the top of this, 1 place a second, or a third layer of eggs, in the same way cover- in ' all over with tw.. or three inches in thick neat of the bran, or sawdust, at last. In this way they usually go with wifely any dlatanoe, ' I send eggs away in larye roomy buxes. and pack them in plenty of sawdust, usually, 1 find this method the safest, generally, Re. celitlj, howler, 1 scut two tlo4uu Louiiiu and Bmhnu eggs to a breeder, packed in this way the only mode 1 ever adopt who com plaiuud ol thu shape in which they were peeked) ami who thinks 'so experienced a chllt en man as I am ought to know Wtter POULTEY-KEBPIN0 BY BOYS. It is one of the most promising indicatioue of character when a boy shows a disposition to earn something. This desire to hold something in fee-simple is the very opposite of trampism. I Among boys, the enjoyment of owning, buying J and selling, is very keen, and is often gratified iu the getting of knives, old watches and trink ;ett, and making exchanges with each other, j Who does not remember the wonderful dicker and trade ! his boyhood; It was only the be ginning of a development, or. rather, a .self ' education. This matter should not be permit , ted to go without some guidance. Parents and l guardians should take an interest in it, not exerdiinga meddling interference, but iuspir ino fwtnnnnofi. so as to be able to co-om irate. ' plan and watch the results. Now comes a scheme that is just right. ! ilow can we teach a boy business habits better than by giving him an opportunity to "run" I a hennery? The accounts must be accurately kept; there must bu buying and selling; tiiuru must be bantering there ought to lie protit ! ! A miniature business springs up; and inasmuch ! as it is real, why is it not as good as a business collene! A love of home is fostered by the ownership of flowers, small fruits ami poultry. THE RICHEST WOMAN. The queen of England is, says Mr. Jennings, at this moment the richest woman in the world totally apart from the sum she annually re- ceives from the country." When the IMncs Consort chose South Kensington as the lite for the great exhibition ho invested a large amount x lauds thereabouts, and that money ' ' has by this time increased 40 or 50 fold, and brings in a revenue adequate in itself to cover the expenses of a good sized kingdom. The queen herself is an excellent manager, and hod Bhe begun life with a capital of fiOO she would by this time hare made it 60,000, for she li.u a turn for money -making, aud never losei ,-, chance of increasing her shining Btore. It miy be doubted whether she spends much, if any, more than 25,000 a year, for she rarely re' ceives anybody even to dinner, and although she has to keep up a large class of servants, 20,000 will go a long way ex-en here to defray all expenses ot that description. I mentioned thii sum of 20,000 the other day to n friend of mine who knows a good deal more about the court than 1 do, and lie laughed at it as Wing absurdly high. However that be, the queen re ceives .18"),000 a year from the nation, about 40,000 more from the Duchy of Lancaster, ad not less than .t'liOO.OOO from her investments or $.'(, li",000 a year. The prince of Wales re ceives 40,000 from the nation, aliout 1)0,000 from the Duchy of Cornwall, and his wife, 10,000 from the nation -altogether 110,000, and upon this he has to keep a large family and to receive aud entertain numerous visitors and guests, give garden parties, balls, dinners and incur vast expenses generally, which ought prop erly to fall upon the monarch. No wonder that he is relatively a poor man. The prospect be fore him is not very bright, for the queen may reign for '20 years to come yet. She ia only 58, and is strong as a lion, in perfect health, and probably hopet to reign aa long as her distin guished ancestor, Cenrgelll., who was on tha throne for 00 years peace to his memory! Aud certainly no one wishes any evil to happen to tho queen, or to see the shortening of her days, for, after all, it is by no means certain that a change, whenever it may come, will necessarily be for the better. LEWINTOWN NARROWS. We print herewith an engraving showing a scene on the line of the Pennsylvania railroad. It is the Ijewistown narrows. Lcwistswn is on tho left bank of the beautiful Juniata river and tho nrgest town on its banks. Immediately east of the town, between it and MitlHn, thu railroad passes through the Lewistow n narrows, formed by the Itlack Log mountain on Hie south, and the Shade mountain on the north. These were formerly known as the Ixnig nar rows, and previous to the construction of the railroad there was but one house in them for a distance of 10 milea. The mountains rise ab ruptly from the river to a bight, in many places, hi more imiu l.iwo met, ami their Mites are gen erally covered with a dense forest growth, giv ing an appearance of deep gloom to the gorge. Here and there the chain is tartly broken, or its sides indented by ravines, aud the rocks stand out in naked grandeur; but as a rule, the walls of nature are intact, and the foliage coven all. The water HoWl peacefully through the haiinel it has carved, reflecting mi its bosom the shadow s of the giants it conquered in form ing a passage. LEWISTOWN NARROWS. than to send two doon eggs thus packed in a lsi big enough for su doen,' etc! Not an egg was broken, or disturlsd, when the I mi was opened. Hut he desired 'cush ions on the box, a handle to the package, aud Orewe in the over.' I never trouble rayaelf with thin nonsense. I don't believe iu it; and 1 hare no diOcolty in getting eggs to my nu merous iiatrous, safely where, as yon say, they are handled carefully and properly by the evpresuien. ' UuMht springs are simply a nuisance. 'OludltOM' are uniuveMary. and will not help to avoid concussion. If the ex press lads wish to concuss the box, cushtoua re of no account as a protection." RHOLUUI ROAlie, The RngUah, at all events, says a letter-writer, know how to make roads. Their Wood tavemenu are magniticent Iou don basnet the fashion of wood, and Liverpool i lieginntng to follow it; but there are ho pave ments m the Sutea to touch these wooden roads of Euijlan.l They are laid on founda tions which in some cases have bean solidifying since the day of the Romans. On these founda tions they lay macadam and cement leveral feet deep, and then ooane Mooka of pine, laid with BWeaMVllke accuracy. There is a piece of woM paveMnt of this Vind in Oiford street, London, winch has not !een repaired for over two years, aud it kwkJ a suWtantial and per fect aa when it was lirst laid down. The aver age price of this kind of pavement is about $4 per square yard, and the companies keen it in order for two years without chanre. and thru guarantee it for 15 years at an animal charge of H cents per auuare yard for maintenance. which eualiles the jiarers to relay the road, if uwtww), iut 'ignt or ten years. A fondness for the finest things produced in our climate to cultivate them, if belonging to to the vegetable kingdom; to breed, foster and pet them, if belonging to the nnimnl is not only a source of keen enjoyment, but indicates K'ood traits and a certain elevation of character above that which is brutish. Young people should lie deftly guided, step by step, through pleasant (.atlis, with here and there a little job of earnest work, made easy by social frolie and recreation, which come after in their proper ulace. With a little encouragement, boys may Ucomo quite familiar with the point of excel lence iu high-class poultry, pigeons and other patf, ami learn the liest methyls ((f breeding and management They may learn when aud where to purchase supplies to the 1--t advantage, and how to sell the surplus pndueta so as to give the most protit with the least o-ense. A pleasant self reliance and good business habits may he grow ing, an.i, at the same time, a love tor nature, for rehneinenl and humanity. Poultry K'or.f. was on the stage are made bv putting tall and short bojl under iinted canvas, who teter it up and down. At an English theater a terri ble stern, appeared -u their sea when only gen tle swells should oeeur. The leasee rushed out te see what was the trouble, and was met by the stage manager with, -It s all right now, air; tlie eU 'te, u penny waves were jmiog the ahil hog waves a thrashing. " Now doth the little baw armed with a shin gle, dive head hrst into an empty sugar barrel and come out with the brand of cane upon his The Action or Oiis on Cornell. In a paper before tlie liritisli Association, "On the Action of Various Fatty Oils upon Copper," Wm. H. Watson, P.O. 8., gave in detail a number of experiments, showing the extent of which 10 ti lie rent mi.-, let upon copper, i ne result ot tne experiments seemed to show that parnflineand cas tor have the least action upon copper, and that the action of sperm oil and seal oil is slight. Linseed, almond, olive, sesame, ncatsfoot and colza produced considerable action upon copper, linseed oil being most active. The author con eluded, from bis cxpi'rimcnts, that the compar ative action of different oils cannot be correctly decided in all cases simply from the appearance of the oils after exposure to copper plates, though minute quantities of the metal might be easily detected in moot oils from the color which is produced by such exjHisure. An associate expressed gratification at the results of Mr. Watson's experiments, as they confirmed the results of his own. He felt that he should be quite Oonpttont, with the aid of what he had now learned, to do that which he had long beeu attempting to bring te a higher state of per fection oils for the purpose of lubrication. AttnvtriAi. Coum n Brandy. It is a well know n fact, says JVeieUlW Z?itehrift, that the longer brandy is permitted te remain in the cask the darker it gets iu color- due to the taking up of the coloring matter in the wood. Liquor dealers have a strong inclination te have noth ing but old brandy, so-called, in stock, therefore color their young liquor by means of burnt sugar (caramel . This falsification is at once IpMrent to the practiced tippler, bat a chemi cal test is nevertheless very desirable. Herr E. Carles discovered that the falsification re ferred to can lie detected by means either of the albumen of an egj or sulphate of iron. If totwo samples of brandy, the one colored by natural means, the other by sugar, one-sixth of their volume of albumen be added, thev will become turbid. On clearing, either by being permitted to stand quietly or by filtration, the artificially colored liquor w ill retain its color while the un adulterated will be almost colorless. The addi tion of a concentrated solution of nilphate of iron will not alfect the tampered liquor, while the true article wiU be colored to a blackish green color, more intense as the brandy is aged. Waterproof Lkathrr. Melt one liter of boiled linseed oil, P2A grammes of met, 46 grammes wax. and grammes r. -hi together over a slow tire, and apply it to the leather with a brash while warm. Tnis composition keeps the leather very soft The English fishermen have long been using it They can remain ia the water for hours ere it penetrates through the leather.