130 THE YOUNG 
maturely brought on, and aggravated by 
the squeeze in the live-box. It is, how- 
ever, probable, from the stronger texture 
and greater organic development of this 
animalcule, that it does not divide so 
easily as the softer and simpler kinds. 
Frequent examination of this animal- 
cule has created a strong doubt in my 
mind whether it is rightly placed in our 
"systems." My own impression is that 
it belongs to a higher class. 
Feather Cloth. 
THIS novel and beautiful fabric is more 
and more prized as it becomes more 
widely known. Those of our readers who 
are familiar with the processes of ordinary 
cloth manufacture will appreciate the fol- 
lowing description of the metliod of mak- 
ing feather cloth, which we take from the 
Textile Manufacture?': 
The manufacture of feather cloth is not 
difficult, and the machines used in an 
ordinary woolen mill are suitable for the 
purpose with but slight modifications. 
When the dowm has been jniUed off the 
feathers it is ready to be mixed with any 
textile material, such as cotton, silk, or 
wool, but the latter is the most suitable 
on account of its softness. Down may 
even be spun by itself, but this is seldom 
done. The mixture most to be recom- 
mended is 70 lbs. to 80 lbs. down, 100 lbs. 
to 120 lbs. olein, wool 40 lbs. to 60 lbs. To 
unite these three they are placed in alter- 
nate layers upon each other on a floor, 
and are then passed through a cock heel 
willy, making 400 to 500 turns per minute, 
and then brought to the scribbler. The 
main cylinder of this engine should run 
only about 35 to 45 revolutions per minute, 
instead of 100 to 110 as with pure wool. 
All rollers, clearers and doffer must be 
speeded in proportion. India rubber 
clothing is the best for this work, and 
must not be too fine, while the rollers 
should be set pretty close. When passing 
out of the scribbler the mixture is allowed 
to fall on the floor, and removed by a 
girl to the carding engine. In doing this 
the attendant examines the mixture a 
little to remove any whole feathers which 
may have passed. 
The carding engine runs at the same 
speed as the scribbler, and is, in other 
respects, like it. The mixture does, how- 
ever, not fall on the floor, but is passed 
on a sheet of cotton cloth, wdiich is rolled 
up behind the engine, and rolls up the 
lap coming from it, so that the latter re- 
mains perfectly separated, and cannot be 
compressed. 
— Flour dusted on cabbages when the 
dew is on, will kill off cabbage worms. 
Probably by closing the pores of the 
Avorms. 
SCIENTIST. 
A River of Hot Water. 
The great Sutro Tunnel, cut to relieve the 
celebrated Comstock mines at Vir^^iuia Citj',. 
Nevada, of vast quantities of hot water which 
is encountered in them, affords an outlet of 
12,000,000 tons every twenty-four hours. Some 
of the water, as it finds its way into the mines,, 
has a temperature of 195 degrees, while four 
miles from the mouth of the tunnel the temper- 
ature ranges from 130 degrees to 135 degrees.. 
To obviate the inconvenience which would arise 
from the vapor such a vast quantity of water 
would give off, the flow is conducted through 
the entire tunnel, four miles, in a tight flume 
made of pine. At the point of exit the water 
has lost but seven degrees of heat. Sixty feet 
below the month of the timnel the hot water is 
utilized for turning machinery belonging to the 
company, from whence it is carried off by sn 
tunnel 1,100 feet in length, which serves as a 
waterway. Leaving the wasteway tunnel, the 
water flows to the Carson River, a mile and a 
half distant. This hot water is being utilized 
for many purposes. The boys have arranged 
several pools where they indulge in hot baths. 
The miners and otliers use it for laundry pur- 
poses, and arrangements are being made 
whereby 1,000 acres belonging to the companj'- 
are being irrigated. It is proposed to conduct 
the hot water through iron pipes beneath the 
surface of the soil, near the roots of thousands- 
of fruit trees which are to be planted, and in a 
similar manner giving the necessary warmth 
to a number of hot-houses to be used for the 
propagation of early fruits and vegetables. 
Curious Changes of the Planet Mars. 
Astronomers have lately been much puzzled 
at certain remarkable changes that have boen 
observed to be taking place on the surface of our 
neighboring planet Mars, and many specula- 
tions as to their real nature and significance 
have been ventured, though as yet they are 
mere vague guesses. 
The changes here referred to first arrested' 
the attention of astronomers at the time of the 
brilliant opposition of Mars in 1877, when his 
two satellites were discovered. It was then that 
the existence of a number of long, narrow 
streaks, forming a sort of network over his sur- 
face, was also discovered. At the subsequent 
opposition of 1879-80, Prof. Schiaparelli, Direc- 
tor of the Observatory of Milan, detected these 
same long, narrow streaks crossing the Martian 
disk in all directions, and which, bearing more 
resemblance to canals than anything else, have 
since been so designated. These canals Schia- 
parelli carefully examined, and made accurate 
drawings of them. 
