284 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the seeds to soak ; it only shortens the time 

 the seeds have afterward to remain in the 

 soil. The character of the soil may influ- 

 ence the results. Light, when it has any in- 

 fluence and it has great influence with some 

 species has a retarding effect. The weight 

 of the seed is often a tolerably accurate 

 measure of its viability. As a rule, heavy 

 seeds germinate better than light ones of 

 the same sample. When variability was 

 perceived with reference to color, the 

 stronger sproutings usually occurred in the 

 darker-colored seeds. The latitude in which 

 seeds are grown may determine their behav- 

 ior in germination northern-grown seeds 

 seeming to germinate more quickly than 

 southern-grown. More than one test is need- 

 ed to be decisive respecting any sample of 

 seeds. There appear, from the testings re- 

 ported, to be no pernicious adulteration of 

 garden seeds in this country, and no hurtful 

 impurities. 



Tapioea. The manihot, or tapioca plant, 

 was originally a native of tropical South 

 America, but is now largely cultivated 

 throughout all tropical countries. It is a 

 small, shrubby plant, growing from four to 

 eight feet high ; and becomes suitable for 

 use in from sixteen to eighteen months after 

 the young plants are established. Besides 

 the well-known wholesome food, the root 

 abounds in a peculiar poisonous juice, which 

 is said to be analogous to hydrocyanic acid ; 

 but this substance being volatile and easily 

 destroyed by fermentation, no difficulty is 

 met in procuring the food-product free from 

 it. The pulp obtained from the roots is 

 washed in cold water, after which, upon 

 resting, the starch subsides. The water is 

 then drawn off and the starch is heated, 

 when pearl tapioca is obtained. In prepar- 

 ing the cassava meal, the roots having been 

 prepared, are baked on an iron plate. Thus 

 prepared, the meal swells considerably in 

 water or broth, and is called ccrraque. 

 K, instead of drying the grated pulp, it is 

 spread upon a hot iron plate, the starch and 

 mucilage, by mixing together, consolidate 

 the pulp and form a biscuit, called cassava 

 bread, which is a very important and nutri- 

 tious food. The resultant of the mastication 

 of these cukes, upon fermentation, produces 

 an agreeable but intoxicating drink. 



The Island of Paros and its Marbles. 



The Island of Paros, according to Mr. R. 

 Swan's description in the British Associa- 

 tion, is eleven miles long and eight miles 

 broad at its widest part, with a mountainous 

 interior rising to a height of twenty-five 

 hundred and thirty feet, and a broad belt of 

 nearly level land round the coast. The 

 southern part of the island consists chiefly 

 of crystalline limestone, of undefined age 

 but probably Cretaceous. The finest statu- 

 ary marble, or lychnitis, varies from five to 

 fifteen feet in thickness at the quarries of 

 St. Minas, and occurs in a bed of coarse- 

 grained white marble with bluish -black 

 veins. The coarse marble becomes dark in 

 color near the lychnitis, both above and be- 

 low it, and thus the layer of statuary marble 

 is distinctly marked off. The dark color is 

 due to traces of binoxide of manganese and 

 ma<metic oxide of iron. The rocks are much 

 disturbed and folded, and often clip at high 

 angles. The ancients avoided the marble 

 lying near the axis of elevation, which was 

 of inferior quality to the other parts. A 

 Greek company, formed a few years ago to 

 work the quarries, attacked the rock here, 

 where it could be got at least expense, and 

 so discredited the marble in the market that 

 it went down, after one hundred and sixty 

 thousand pounds had been spent in getting 

 the quarry ready. There is a good deal of 

 excellent colored marble on the island, but, 

 not having been used by the ancient Greeks, 

 is not much known. 



A Classification of Incendiaries. Dr. J. 



A. Fowler, of Philadelphia, has made a 

 classification of more than twenty different 

 kinds of incendiaries, or motives to incen- 

 diarism. They are 1, the incendiary policy- 

 holder; 2, the incendiary for gain or advan- 

 tage other than insurance ; 3, the revengeful 

 incendiary ; 4, the discharged hand ; 5, the 

 malicious servant; 6, the rioter; V, the 

 tramp ; 8, the thief (for concealment of 

 theft); 9, the thief (for opportunity for 

 theft) ; 10, the murderer (for concealment 

 of crime); 11, the incendiary for murder; 

 12, the mischievous small boy (or girl); 13, 

 the contriver for incendiary reward ; 14, the 

 fire-bug, or fire conspirator (terrorizing by 

 fire); 15, incendiarism from momentary 

 rage; 16, the drunken incendiary; 1*7, in- 



