The Montgomery advertiser. [volume], January 11, 1925, MAGAZINE SECTION, Image 46

About The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982

Image provided by: University of Alabama Libraries, Tuscaloosa, AL

                
M'
Sti-t' :
Invisible Animals '
Are Food Producers
ALTHOUGH the oceans have been de
scribed as the barren waste of waters,
the desert expanse of sea, and the like,
yet the fact is that nowhere on the globe does
there exist a more numerous assemblage of ani
mal and plant forms than in the upper layers of
the waters of the oceans and seas. So multi
tudinous are these living forms that a single
tumblerful of water drawn at random from the
surface of any lake, or sea, may contain hun
dreds of thousands of individuals, and yet the
whole company be invisible to the unaided eye,
or at most, impart but a slightly cloudy aspect
to the water.
In all large bodies of water, both salt and
fresh, there exist in the upper layers, a vast host
of living forms, collectively known as the plank
ton. They are minute, transparent or trans
luscent, and of a delicacy of structure which
enables them to float without exertion. Some
of these are plants, some animals. The plants
are represented chiefly by the algae, the lowest
and most lowly-organized vegetable forms.
“The animals of the plankton are chiefly the
protozoa, rotifers, and Crustacea,” explains Dr.
Leon Augustus Hausman, instructor in zoology,
at Rutgers College, writing in the Scientific Amer
ican. #The protozoa are comparable, in organi
zation of body and position in the animal king
dom, with the desmids and diatoms. They are
minute, uni-cellular___
■' forms, and are pos
sessed of some
fairly efficient
means of locomo
. tion . . .
“The rotifers and
Crustacea are the
largest of the
planktons. The
former are of espe
cial interest to stu
dents of aquatic
life, because of
their affinities with
the worms,’ and also
because of the
many problems in
Some of the Smallest of the Plankton Organisms, Represented as Lying Upon the
Shaft of a Human Hair Which Is Approximately 50 Microns in Diameter*
• lliabvi j ami oat”
atomy which they present. In the plankton they
act the part of carnivora, and transform smaller
organisms into food available for larger ones.
The Crustacea represented in the plankton are
v ' distantly allied to the familiar lobsters and crabs,
* n _
and nearly all of these grow to sufficient magni
tude to be seen with the naked eye. They form
the chief food of many species of fishes. . . .
“Within this unique circle of the life of the
open water we find a society of creatures which
How “FROST FLOWERS”Are FORMED
FROST flowers are such striking: and beauti
ful objects that to one who observes them
for the first time they are regarded as being:
something rare and perhaps not even previously
known. But just a hundred years ago Stephen
i
il
f.
u
'H
Danger in Careless Use
nf Electric Fixtures .
T«E ordinary house current of electricity,
though “stepped down” to only about 120
’volts, is strong enough to be dangerous
under some circumstances.
The United States Bureau of Standards says
ihat, when handling an electric fixture, one
Should carefully avoid contact with faucets or v
To
Escape
Danger
of a
Severe
^, Shock
or Even
Death
| ' > Take
, Care to
Avoid
Contact
with
Wi ■ Other
Metal
%%' Objects
fiif) While •
Turning
Electric
Light On
|jf% or Off.
any other article of metal, lest the current be
thereby circuited through the body.
The woman jhown in the accompanying photo
, graph is inviting a severe shock, and possibly
death. She has one hand on the key that turns
onthe electric light, and the other on a grounded
water-faucet. The. path of possible current
through her body is indicated by the broken
white line*
Elliot in “A Sketch of the Botany of South
Carolina and Georgia” described how the marsh
fieabane exhibited a remarkable phenomenon on
every cold, frosty morning during the Winter,
when crystalline fibers nearly an inch in length
shot out in every direction from the base of the
stem.
Since Elliot’s time many scientists have made
similar observations and have attempted to ex
plain the cause. A writer in the Missouri Botani
cal Garden Bulletin gives a brief explanation of
this curious phenomenon:
“While ice -crystals are by no means confined
to a single species, as has sometimes been sup
posed, there are only a comparatively few plants
in which this phenomenon can take place. The
roots must retain their vitality long after the
stems have died, and continue to force up water,
•which either freezes on a cut or wound or finds
some other outlet through the bark. The ten
dency of stems to contract in cold weather,
squeezing out any surplus of water present, may
likewise be a factor in the formation of ice
crystals.”
Why You Can Sleep Best
S When It Is Dark
D ARKNESS is a big factor in inducing)
sleep because it is difficult to keep the
eyes open in the dark, and closed eyes
bring the “sandman.” Waking is not normally
possible without thought. The fatigue products
of the body, scientists explain, are concentrated
in the brain and the latter gradually dulls and
/becomes sluggish. When drowsiness is coming on
only worry, care, fear, pain, and the use of
stimulants can ward it off.
When scientists speak of how “fast” a person
q^eeps they, mean how deep ip his sleep. Not
-only is it possible to measure sleep, but there ate
different means of doing so. One method is by
dropping a steel ball. The ball is dropped at in
creasing distances—four, six, eight, ten, twelve
inches, etc.—until the sleeper becomes conscious
of the sound and awakens. In this way scien-,
tists can find out how “deep” was his sleep.
Another method is to touch the sleeper with ait
electric wire, noting the intensity of the current
used. ,
At a certain time each night you go to a cer
tain room set apart as a bedroom, and, whether
- really tired or not, automatically undress, turn
out file light, get in bed, relax yeur muscles and
let ,tip on mental activity, close your eyes and
presto!—in a few moments you are asleep. To
go to bed is a habit; sleep is nothing more than
auto-suggestion. Science. may go into more de
tails which require technical knowledge, but the
foregoing is about the most lucid explanation of
the phenomenon known as “sleep.” It is ac
knowledged that sleep is due to brain anemia or
poisoning. The qestion is: How is this condition
'produced?
To quote one scientist: “Sleep is a sequence
of psycho-physical phenomena, originally more
Oir less consciously associated, now running off
automatically, like a ball rolling in a groove.” .
People prepare for sleep as a matter of habit.
Auto-suggestion does the rest. After you go to
bed your thoughts may wander about for a time
but sooner or later they come to a standstill—t
and you are in the “Land of Nod.” .
WHY There Could Be NO FISH Without MICROSCOPIC
Below—Chart Showy
ing the lnter-rela* /
tionships of the
Groups ofL Food
Supply, the Arrows
in Each Case Point*
ing from Consumed
to Consumer.
v Above—Leptgdora, a
.Crustacean, One of the
Largest of the Plankton
Forms, Which May Reach
an Inch or More in Length.
Right—Various Specimens
Of Plankton Grouped About
R Scale Reading in Microns.
is self-sustaining, and entire
ly independent of the life of
the land. It contains within
itself all of those elemental
groups found in any complete
and self-perpetuating animal
society; producers, consum
ers, scavengers, parasites,
'and the like. It is doubtful
if there can be found any
where else a community of
organic beings in which the
vital economic balance has
reached so precise and undeviating an adjustment.
“All this is very interesting, you say, but is it
of importance?. Of.the greatest importance! not
only for the biological sciences, but practically
as well.. For in the study of plankton we are
considering a group of creatures which forms
the basis of the entire life of our seas and lakes.
It is the great feeding ground for fishes, or for
those forms upon which the fishes depend for
food. And the fishes, in their turn, provide
the necessary food supply for the aquatic mam
mals; the seals, whales, porpoises, and others.
Eliminate the plankton and all aquatic life would
cease to be.
“The minutest of the plankton may be likened
to the meadows of the land. They are the
primary foraging ground, consuming inorganic
Queer Things That May Get
Into Your Eyes
PRACTICALLY everyone has suffered pain
due to foreign bodies getting into the eyes,
but few realize the origin of some of these
irritants. Recent researches by an eminent oc
culist show that many of the things that lodge
in the eyes come from great distances.
For example, the great deserts of the East
contribute prolifically to the number of dust*
particles that you may get in your eyes in the
' course of a lifetime. Heavy winds whirl tiny
atoms of sand the world over, and many of them
come to rest in the human eye. A microscopic
examination of a particle of sand taken from
a person’s eye showed that it must have come
from a desert three thousand miles distant!
Volcanic disturbances may cause discomfort in
0 a similar way. Molten lava exudes clouds of
steam which contain billions of particles, most of
which fall to earth thousands of miles from the
scene of the eruption.
Likewise pollen from the larger forests may
affect our eyes, the tiny molecules being borne
into the upper air currents and blown far and
wide. Microscopic examination, again, reveals
the fact that minute particles of meteor dust,
which finds its way into the atmosphere,with the
heavy vapors discharged by the star in falling
through space actually gets in eyes.
Perhaps even more curious is the little-known
fact that the scales of butterflies' wings are often
found by occulists to be a source of irritation to
' the human eye. These scales are invisible except
through a microscope, but they are capable of
causing intense discomfort. Some of them, it
has been proved, reach the eyes from-tropical
lands, having been carried across the oceans by
the air.
fi
elements and producing food for the herbivors.
Smaller feeds upon larger, is the general rule,
and so the life of the water is maintained. It is
interesting and noteworthy in this connection
to recall that the largest creature, bulk consid
ered, of which we have any record in the history
of our earth, the huge Blue Rorqual Whale feeds
very largely upon the smallest creatures, the
members of this plankton group.
“The pl&nkton organisms are variously dis
tributed in the upper strata of the water. Light
is, of course, the controlling factor in their
distribution. Hence we find the majority of the
species near the surface, say from about three
LIFE in the SEA
feet below the topi to some ten or fifteen feet
below that, the distribution varying with the
clarity of the water. Planktons are found, in
some localities, however, as far beneath the sur
face as sixty or seventy feet. Temperature ex
erts, likewise, an influence in plankton disposi
tion. And curiously enough it is not in the
tropical seas that one finds the richest and
most abundant plankton life, but in the polar
ones'!
“The planktons themselves are virtually un
able to, regulate their dispersal over large tracts ^
of water, for although many of them are pro
vided with locomotor appendage's and are cap
able of voluntary and directed movement, what
ever swimming they accomplish is of a rather
ineffective sort and serves to move them only'
through comparatively minute distances. They \
may rise or sink, and thus seek their optimum
levels, but are dependent upon tides, winds, and
water currents for their broad general distri
bution.
“It is because of this very intimate relation
ship of planktonology with one aspect of our
conservation of an important element in our
food supply that this comparatively new field
of study is receiving the attention of scientists.”
TOBACCO Tree Grown as a “SPORT”,
NATURE is the arch-inventor.* She is con-*
etantly trying- experiments, bringing- into
the w<$rld new varieties and new species
of plants and animals. The results are com
monly called “sports,” and, when they occur in
the vegetable world, they are sometimes devel
oped by plant-breeders most advantageously.
It was, a Maryland tobacco grower who devel
The Tobacco Tree, Which Grow* to Twice the
Height of a Man, Was Originated by What
Heredity Experts Call “Mutation.*
oped the tobacco tree, which grows to twice the
height of a man.
This variety of tobacco plant was originated
as a "sport,” or what the heredity experts call a
"mutation.” The Maryland man found it in a
tobacco field, dug it up, and propagated it. That
was just eighteen years ago.
Today it is a very important variety commer^
dally, and is known as the Mammoth. But, when
grown for market, it is not allowed to become a
tree, or anything like that. The top is cut off,
so that the plant may spread laterally, produc
ing. a greater number of leaves.
A trouble at first found witlv this Mammoth
tobacco in Maryland, the place of its origin, was
that .it produced no seed. But, when grown in
Florida during the Winter, it does produce seed;
and so all the seed used for planting this valu
able variety in Maryland and Virginia now comes
from the flowery peninsula.
1116 “Earth Pig” That ,
Lives on Ants ■
ONE of the strangest of animals is the "aard
vark” or earth pig, as it is commonly
called. This curious creature, which is '
found in the wilds of Abyssinia, is really not
ta pig at all, for its porcine affinities, according
to the description Professor W. P. Pycraft gives
of this animal in the Illustrated London News, are
more imaginary than real. It will .immediately
become apparent that the “piggy” appearance is
due to the tubular snout and long ears. But
head and ears alike are far too long and narrow
for a pig; while the feet are not cloven-hoofed, t
but instead bear numerous toes, armed with very
formidable-looking claws. Finally, the tail is the
very antithesis of that of the pig, since it is really
of great size, tapering gently from the body to a
point.
In color it is of a dull, ashy gray as to the
upper parts, while the legs are almost black,
j The skin is but sparsely covered with extremely
I short, almost bristle-like hairs. On the legs this
hair is longer, but still not thick enough to con
ceal the skin; while the throat and under parts
display no more than a few scattered hairs. The
ears are absolutely bare. . ..
The muzzle is quite hairy, while the nostrils
are entirely hidden by a veritable forest of long,
stiff hairs, whose purpose seems to be that of
protecting the openings of the nostrils against
the entry of ants, on which the creature feeds.
The mouth is very different from that of the
great South American ant-eater, or from that 6f
the strange pangolin, or manis, which is also an
African species. For in these two it is a mere
* slit, no larger than will serve to accommodate the .
long, worm-like tongue. r In the aard-vark the
lower jaw terminates squarely, is fairly wide,
and falls considerably short of the end of the
’ snout. The tongue, which can be thrust out a
good ten inches, is thick and band-like. During
. life it is covered with a copious secretion of
sticky saliva, formed by two great glands ex
tending along the neck as far back as the breast
bone.
The burrowing powers of this animal are al
most incredible. It is said that they can delve
into the ground as fast, or faster, than a couple
of men armed with pick and shovel can dig.
EIGHT Most Common DREAMS and WHAT They MEAN
1 ■ - ' . i- - .-r '■ ■■ ■' !
EXAMINATION of thousands of dreams ex
perienced by thousands of dreamers has
’enabled scientists to learn that the most
Common, dreams are eight in number. And every
one of these, according to Dr. Jamds J. Walsh;
writing in Popular Science Monthly, can be traced
to some physical cause.' f
“The most common dream of all is said to be
that of wandering about with insufficient cloth*
ing,” says Dr. Walsh. “In this, almost always
the dreamer wake3 to find that thfe bed-clothing
has fallen from him, leaving some part of his
body uncovered.
“Most of us have dreamed of running after
something, a trolley-car, for example. It is ter
rible, for in the dream your feet are fastened
■ to the ground. Exerting every muscle and breath
- ing as hasd as you can, you make no progress,
v The car disappears in the' distance. Then you
wake, to find that your nose is stuffed'up with
cold and that you are out of breath—again .an
actual physical sensation.
“Another common dream is that of flying. Its
cause is similar to that of falling. When you
sleep, your diaphragm is less active and more
breathing is done by the .chest. Some slight in
terference with normal respiration causes con
sciousness of the chest moving up and down in
quick, rhythmic movements. You have been
lying in one position so long that the skin has
become numb and no contact is felt with the bed.
Feeling light and without contact with the earth
, you dream of flying.
“Since the invention of airplanes, dreams of
,> flying have increased. Our dreams may use any
' material stored up in our brains. All of us have
v many images of airplanes and other aircraft at
’ call. With dirigibles now soaring over our heads
t «n—itarn nuaa mm ma..
I
dreamers will add rides in airships to their lut
of interesting experiences.
“The dream of food, another common experi
ence, usually can be traced to the sensation of
hunger. I attach so much importance to this
stimulus that when a man asks, 'Why do I)
dream?’ I often reply with the question, 'When,
or what did.you eat?’
'Dreams of murder and death usually are
traceable to indigestion. A piece of «£>eese has
been responsible for many a nightmare. In
such a dream one feels something seriously
wrong, and in attempting to find-an explanation
' for it, memory brings out from the storage *
house, the brain, the most terrifying images laid
up there. So, too, any alteration of the blood
supply to the teeth, or dental decay, may bring a
dream that you are in the dentist’s chair.
“If, in early life, yOu have taken your sehobl
work seriously, you probahly dream often of tak
ing examinations. Men have told me that as
much as 50 years after graduation they have
dreamed of examinations aijd of being asked
questions they cannot answer. This often is
caused by anxiety over the next day’s tasks. *
There is a sensation of unrest, and the dreamer,
seeking some reason for it, associates, it with
occasion when such uneasiness was felt—-exami
nation day at school. This type of dream is fre
quently experienced by doctors, lawyers, and
other professional people who often are asked
many questions.
“Somnambulism, which is automatic activity of
the brain, explains how men in their sleep some
times work out problems which they were unable
to work while awake. This automatic function
ing, which is identical with reasoning done in the
' daytime, except that it is done in an unconscious
-state, Is sometimes vyy. dangerous. Working in
>
the night as wall as in the day, the brain {gets no
rest and is soon overtaxed.
“The clarity of a dream depends altogether on
the time it takes one to wake up. As thoughts
gather around a sensation, they result in a curi
ous conglomeration, which you straighten out
after waking, unconsciously adding fitting ele
ments to them. After a man. tells a dream three
or four times, it can hardly be recognised as the
same narrative. Ordinarily, a dream lasts half
a minute or so, although } have heard persons
declare seriously that they have ‘dreamed, for
hours.’ . .
“Po dreams mean anything? Thousands of
dream books have been written and no doubt in
terest in the subject will persist until the end of
tim!e, but if I had to answer the question with
‘yds’ or ‘no,’ I should choose an emphatic ‘no.’
N “Since drpams are incited by physical causes,
they often tell of disturbances in the body. Some '
of these are obvious to the dreamer and some
are not. A dream may reveal the presence of
an illness of which the dreamer is unaware, since
in sleep all of the’senses are extremely acute.
On* of my patients, for example, had a series of
dreams that a wildcat was clawing at his throat.
I discovered that he was suffering from cancer
of the throat
“But only in the disclosure of physical disor
ders or similar things, do dreams nave meaning.
I have no faith in what are commonly known as
*prophetic* dreams,’ those that tell one where to
find lost finger-rings and missing wills.
“For every dream of prophecy that comes'true
there are 999 that do not. Scarcely a ship sails
out to sea without carrying on board at least
one passenger who has dreamed that that particu
lar snip will be wrecked during the voyage. What
Chance has one to prove dreams false when such
Is the easel’1
/