5 68 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ests in existence, its effect being heightened 

 by contrast with the neighboring deserts, 

 from which it must be entered. It is also a 

 very important timber resource. The San 

 Francisco Mountains, in which it rises, have 

 an elevation of about nine thousand feet, or 

 some twenty-five hundred to three thousand 

 feet above the general level, and give strik- 

 ingly apparent evidence of their volcanic ori- 

 gin. Everywhere through the forest we en- 

 counter beautiful open parks, from a few 

 acres to several miles in ai'ea ; and in these 

 the permanent water-supplies are usually 

 found. The soil underlying the forest con- 

 sists, for the most part, to a great depth, 

 of loose volcanic rock, upon the surface of 

 which no stream can form a permanent bed. 

 The water-courses, therefore, are far beneath 

 the surface, but reappear occasionally to form 

 living pools of water, often a hundred yards 

 or more in diameter. But during the heavy 

 rains even this porous soil is not sufficient 

 to absorb the entire fall of water, and it 

 runs off through the hollows, washing out 

 the loose material to form ravines and small 

 canons. 



Ancient Peruvian Cloths. — Some textile 

 fabrics of ancient Peru, in the collection of 

 Mr. E. A. Barber, of Philadelphia, as de- 

 scribed by Mr. W. Holmes, attest the high 

 standard of taste and mechanical art which 

 that people had reached. Most of the cloths 

 and ornamented garments were wrapped 

 around the dead, and may now be unfolded 

 from the mummies. Others are contained in 

 rolls, baskets, nets, and vases. The articles 

 were chiefly of wearing apparel, and included 

 caps, richly colored bands, and pendent or- 

 naments for the head ; mantles, shirts, gir- 

 dles, sashes, and a variety of wraps for the 

 body ; braided sandals for the feet ; blank- 

 ets, hangings for doors and walls, shel- 

 ter-cloths, ceremonial fabrics and banners, 

 mats, baskets, bags, slings, nets, and other 

 articles. Elaborate ornamental figures were 

 woven into the cloths, and many were fur- 

 nished with textile appendages. Some of 

 the articles were woven whole, but it was 

 customary to weave a garment in parts 

 which were afterward stitched together. 

 There was no cutting and fitting, or " weaving 

 by the yard." All the specimens are purely 

 American in character, with no suggestions 



of Spanish or other foreign influence. Ani- 

 mal and vegetable forms appear in the deco- 

 rations, but animal forms predominate. The 

 • colors of the figures usually bore no refer- 

 ence to the colors of nature, but were chosen 

 for their effect in the decoration. Great 

 cleverness was shown in introducing the ir- 

 regular forms of nature into geometric out- 

 lines without destroying them. A human 

 figure "decked in plumes and clothed in 

 garments of elegant patterns and varied 

 colors " introduced in ; ' a magnificent piece of 

 gobelins," " is a triumph of skill and taste." 

 In many pieces the figures were shown as 

 transparencies when held up to the light. 

 The people were exceedingly fond of fringes, 

 "and some of their tasseled garments are 

 marvels of elaboration." Great skill was 

 shown in the manufacture of very attenu- 

 ated articles, such as bands and cords. Ani- 

 mal figures were woven or knitted in the 

 round, and colored in fair and close imita- 

 tion of nature. Embroideries have been 

 found of excellent quality and most pleas- 

 ing design. Devices were used in dyeing, by 

 means of which spots arranged in simple 

 patterns were left uncolored ; and painting 

 on fabrics was extensively practiced. 



Nursing as against Artificial Feeding. — 



Soxhlet remarks that, according to Lister's 

 experiments, cow's milk, while in the udder, 

 is free from those organisms which cause 

 its decomposition after milking. The sub- 

 stances which cause fermentation of milk 

 come from the outside, from the air or from 

 matters with which it comes in contact. So, 

 likewise, human milk, while in the mother's 

 breast, contains no generators of fermen- 

 tation. By suckling, the mother's milk is 

 transmitted almost directly into the digest- 

 ive organs of the child. In natural nursing, 

 then, the child is fed germless milk ; but, by 

 the artificial method, with milk tainted by 

 substances causing fermentation, and which 

 frequently has already entered into a state 

 of decomposition. The difference in the na- 

 ture of this food as directly and as indirectly 

 given is illustrated by the fact that calves 

 fed from the pail, whether on the milk of 

 the mother cow or on mixed milk, frequently 

 suffer from diarrhoea during the first weeks, 

 the best remedy against which is to allow 

 them to suck the cow directly. We are 



