Science.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 426, 16 June 1904, Page 2

Science.

ELECTRIFIED BILLIARDS. £2-*? PARISIAN has introduced elec©Ml) fcricity into billiards. Ia the aKflg centre of the table is plaoed a plate of some easily electrified substance, and the balls are of compressed pitch, the cue being tipped with chemi-cally-prepared cork. The balls being influenced by the electrified plate, cannons are difficult. The player finds exercise for greater skill than ever, it is claimed, and the new difficulties add zest to the game. CITY OFSALT. One of the most remarkable cities in the world is that of Kelburg, near Cracow, Poland, for, besides being situated underground, it is excavated entirely in rock salt. Moßt of the iahabitants work in the famous salt mines, and all the streets and houses are of the purest white imaginable. .One of the most famous features of the city iB tbs cathedral, carved in salt and lighted by electricity; and, when the late Czar Alexander visited it he was so fascinated with the magnificent effect of the light upon the crystal walls that he presented the cathedral with a jewelled altar cross. Saoh a thing as infectious disease is unknown in Kelburg; in faot, the majority of the inhabitants die of old age.

ATHLETICS V. BEAUTY. The . much discussed question of athleticism for our sex has roused considerable controversy, and few seem to realise that in athletics, as in work of all kinds, .whether of brain or of body, moderation is the only thing likely to lead to succese. There will always be men, and even more invariably women, who overdo everything they undertake, and these it is who suffer from brain strain or physical breakdown caused by over-enthusiasm in their undertakings. There can be no doubt that some girls make a toil of their pleasures, and worry their people considerably thereby, but in many instances the enthusiasm wears off when the real things of life have to be faced. If there is no real work to be done it is better for a girl to work off her superfluous energy by some physical exercise than to eit down with folded handß and grumble at fate. There is much less risk of hysteria. It is a pity that gardening is not more generally undertaken by women than it is. The hard manual work should be left to others, but there is much to interest and improve the mind in the tending of hothouse plants or the grafting of, roses. I think that most flower lovers have a mind of refined and gentle bent, and we might all help to make cur surroundings and our particular corner of the world more beautiful by flowers, even though it should be but the humble window-box in town.

THE LIQUID NATURE OF SOLID FOOD. Few people realise the surprising amount of water we consume in tbe shape of solids. It appears, for example, that the turnip contains over 90 per cent, of water, the cabbage nearly the same amount, and the cucumber and the vegetable marrow about 95 per cent ; while amongst fruits the strawberry contains nearly 90 per cent, of water, the apple 82 per cent, and grapes 30 per cent, Even the various meats used as food contain an amount of water far in excess of the amount of solid constituents. Tim three-quarters of beef and mutton consist of water. Limb contains less water namely, 64 per cent, pork still less, 61 per cent., and bacon only 22 per cent. It would appear that as the flesh foods increase in the amount of fat the proportion of water, as a rule, diminishes. <= . Coming to birds, the flash of the fowl and duck, contains about 70 per cent, of water, and that of the pigeon 75 per cent,, while the flash of the goose contaias only 38 per cent,, the last being another example of the fat increasing with a corresponding diminution in the proportion of water. Fishea contain from 40 to 80 per cent, of water. The egg, one of the most powerful of nutritives, contains 65 5 per cent, of water, the whites consisting of water to the extent ot 86 per cent, and the yolk of water to the extent of 51 per cent, The latter, of course, is the more nourishing part, As a rule, foods containing a small proportion of water are not fib for human consumption until they are cooked, which commonly means reducing them to a digestible state by adding water in the process of boiling.

AN ELECTRIC CAR WITHOUT RAILS. The peculiar construction of tbe streets and roads ia the suburbs of large cities sometimes renders it very difficult to install electric tramway ajetema. This drawback has been successfully surmounted in Germany by equipping trams or omnibuses in such a way that they derive their power from an overhead current, yet do not need to run on steel rails. ' Cassell's Magazine' illustrates one of these interesting vehicles in daily use. The great advantage claimed for this system is that the self-propelled vehicle can pass any conveyance on the road by simply steering to the right or to the left a possible distance of about three metres from the trolley line' In passing another omnibus or tram coming in an opposite direction, it is neoeesiry, of course, under the circumstances, to remove the trolley poles from one conveyance while the other moves along. In densely populated suburbs, where the streets are very narrow and crooked, the system has undoubtedly much to commend it, both on account of its cheapness and the ability of the cars to wind their way in and out amongst the ordinary traffi 3. The system haß been tried with success in both Germany and France.

The boys of the town, knowing his anxiety never to be late for this appointment, do their best to delay him, and he gets into a fearful state with them; in faot, he has been known to hail a ; cab rather than be late. Now for the origin of his strange behaviour. This is the story, but I can't vouoh for its exact truth. I have myself seen him rushing to be in time. This poor man was once a doctor, and engaged to be married, and, it is said, the. day, hour, and church were fixed for,,wC wedding. *^sP* A few days before, however, the bride? elect became ill, and one day her betrothed, by accident, gave her a dose of the wrong medicine with fatal results. The awful shock turned the poor fellow's brain, and he now exhibits the curious eccentricity I have described. ''> v

THE DAILY PIANO PRACTICB. Should you have cause to suspect that your child is short-sighted, even in a Blight degree, let it wear good spectacles during the time of its daily practice. Some children have injured their sight by this simple precaution being neglected, Eveit if the sight is fairly good, it must strain it very much to gaze long at the small black notes on the music sheet It also causes an ungraceful posture,; the child having to bend forward and peer at the music before : her; in order to see the notes distinctly; and this,.if it is not checked, will narrow the chest and weaken the lungs.. THE CLEANSING UF CUTS. Never neglect a cut on a obild's hand. Children are so reckless that, unless great pain is felt, they will go on playing after the injury has been received, getting dirt and all kinds of impurities into the wound. Where this is the, case, it is imperative that the cut be thoroughly cleaned before any attempt at dressing is made. As 1 a rule, a thorough sponging cold or tepid water, allowing a stream tp>.run freely from the sponge into the wound, will perfectly cleaHse it; a &d it is a good plan to put a little boracic acid into the water, If the cut is very deep and ragged, and you have reason to believe that there is still some(substance to be removed, cold bread poultices frequently applied for twenty-four hours -will draw it out. In either case, as soon as the cut is oleansed, draw the edges together by s'rapß of sticking-plaster, and fasten a narrow linen bandage round it.