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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1880)
THE WEST SHORE. January, 1880. MICROSCOPIC DISCOVERY OF MALA RIAL POISON. For some yean, physicians and scientists have Iwen muoh occupied in effort to ascertain the nataro of the poison whiah produces malarial fever, and tuooets hat Anally crowned these labor, a will be soon by the following, which we eopy from a contemporary: The poison is not cognisable by the senses, nor can it be detected by chemical testa. The air of malarial districts has been analyzed, the oil has been submitted to microscopical exam ination, hut no light was thrown on the aubjoot. Rut not finding a thing looked for is only nega tive proof, ana by no means decisive in any in vestigation. One thing was certain, namely, that the poison was generated in salt and fresh water marshes, in wot meadows, from vegeta tion decaying nnder a hot sun, in lands alter nately flooded and drained, in the moving of earth rich in vegetable matter, and in the drying up under certain atmospheric conditions of stagnant pools. Hut what the poison was that produced those remittont and intermittent dis eases which aro known by the various names of marsh fever, malarial fever, fever ami aguo, and popularly as "ohills" and "shakes,' has at length boon discovoreil by two scientists, Signer Tomasi, of Home, and Prof. Klol, of Prague. After spending three weeks in that fever-stricken region, the lloinan Campagna, experimenting on its toils, its atmosphere, and its stagnant waters, thoy havo succeeded in soeing tho miorosoopio fungus, which, on being placed under the skins of healthy dogs, oaused distinct and regular paroxysms of intermittent fever, and produced in the spleens of these animals that poouliar enlarged oonditinn which it a recognized part of thn pathology of this disease. The report of their investigations and experi ments, and the aucoess that crnwnod them, was read a short time since in the Academy at Rnmo, and if further testa substantiate tho truth of their disoovery, the next series of experiments will have for their object the means whereby those poisonous fungi mav either lie destroyed or rendered innocuous. The practical agricul tural remedy of draiuing and liming will prob ably remain the best remedy. The discovery of the source of malaria in a minute fungus, diseerniblo only under the mi orotoope, merits the applause with which it hat been received, and will strengthen vory materi ally the !eliof in the germ theory of disease whioh hat found in Tyndall ono of ita ablest advocates. For Ci.kanino Kid (Iloviw, Among the many methods for cloauiug kid gloves, the fol lowing may lie given: Put them together with a until. 1. nt quantity of pure lontinc in a large stoppered vessel, and shake the whole occasion ally with alternate reat If on removing the glovet then remain any tpott, rub them out with a toft cloth moitteiied with ether or ben aolt. Dry the glovet by expoture to the air, and then place smoothly between glass plates at tho temperature of boiling water until the laat traott of henaine are oxpelled. They may then be folded and pressed between paper with warm iron. Aunther way it to ute a atrong solution of pure soap in hot milk beaten up with tht yolk of one egg to a pint of the solu tion. Put tht glove on tho hand and rub it gently with tho paste, to which a little ether may bt added, then oarolully lay by to dry. V hit glovet are not discolored by this treat ment, and the leather will be made thereby clean and toft at w hen now. A 0Y in tho wild Watt who for the fint time in hit life aaw a military oompany out for a drill with lift and drum, gave hit mother the following aooount of tht butinsat "A little man blowtd on hit tqutaliu' ttick, and a big man that stood betide him hammered on hit thunder box, then tht boat man pulled out a bin, long knife and ahook it at tht fellert what was standio' np in a long row, and they all walked off on two legs. " GRAZING AND BULL-WHACKING. Tho buiinett of grazing in all ita history has called forth races of peculiar people, and they havo devised systems and methods of operation according to the phaaet of the work in which they are entrsgd( and th eirenmof meo under which it it pursued. A writer for the New Vork Tribune, who recently visited the grazing lands of Nebraska, gives an account of his ob servations, from which wo take leading points to show the general system followed. Tho cattle are horded on Government land at vory littlo exiienso. Tho owner of tho stock has, of oourso, no valid legal claim to tho rango which he takes up, but the right of tho first corner, to the oo oupaney of tho land of which ho takes possos siou, is ono that has thus far been almost uni versally reoognizod. To take up a rango, a man selects a section of unoccupied country lying along some stream, builds a house upon it, and drives his oattlo to it. The extont of his range will depend upon the size of his herd. Tho Boslor herd of 27,000 cattle occupiet the valley They would as toon think of leaving off their tr .mni:rs in the morning, as neglect to buckle on their belts with their long revolvers and fnll supply of ammunition; and Eastern men who employ them or superintend them, and who have been accustomed to live in civilized com munities are obliged to oarry arms in order to command the respect of their nbnrini-nn Chlorate of Potash from the Dead Sea. Chemical analysis having long ago shown that the waters of the Dead tea in Palestine are rich in chlorato of potash, a company hat been formed, and already commenced operations, to extract this salt from its waters. It it stated that in this way chlorate of potash can be ob tained 30 cheaper than by the cheapest. pro cess thus far known; and at there it an increas ing demand for this salt, it is a safe and profit able investment. In order to save fuel, whioh is scarco in those regions, the workt are kept in tho most active operation during the dry sea son, when the water it low and the River Jor dan does not dilute them much, the water level varying considerably,- and consequently the con centration. This body of water, of course, oon- ON BULL-WHACKING of the North Platte river for a distance of -40 miles. The herdt are replenished every year by the purchase of Texat yearlings, and by the natural inereaw. The more enterprising of stock raisert itnprovo the breed of their cattle by 1 b , , . tC" wm ui nuns wmctl art purchaatd in the East. Half-breed cattle grow larger and bring a better price than pure Irxatit. Tht "eow-boyt" who are employed to herd the e.ttle an, at a rult, a rough set of men. THE GREAT PLAINS. tains the soluble ingredienta from the highta surround.ing the whole water-shed, of whioh tho rains have made a lye, and solar evaporation hat concentrated in that tea. A Simple Lite-Preserver. It it not gen erally known that, when a person falls into the water, a common felt hat can be made nu of at a life-preserver. By placing tht hat upon the water, tim down, with the arm around it proaaing it slightly to the breast, it will bear a man up for hours. agaatttaylr- rjd n 'Wtlt-)iBi9g-tj2 'tsntjsnjBy-MtBBatjBMgiwtMflQ SCENE ON A NEBRASKA CATTLE RANCH.
