Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1846-01-01

A
their more vital and active parts the leaves adj
| mirably adapts them 10 action upon the atmos:
phere by means Of attraction of adhesion but
as we shall have to return to this subject again
In subsequent part Of our course, we will dis
miss II Tor the present.
| Jpdter, the remaining subject to which our at
tention was to-day to be directed, is, you have
| already been informed, a compound Of hydrogen
and oxygen, consisting Of single atom of the
first, or part by weight, united with single
atom, or parts by weight of the latter.
| Passing by IT'S most prominent and well known
properties, and leaving those Of its effects which
! result Immediately from changes in temperature
produced in it or by it, until we come regularly
to the subject of Heat, l shall to-day mention
some Of the chemical properties of water, of great
importance In the operations of vegetable and
imal life.
Water is capable of dissolving a greater NUM-
Der OF different substances, than any other known
liquid Indeed, there are comparatively few SUBJ
stances which are capable of resisting It's solvent
powers altogether. The solvent power which
water possesses for liquids, is limited. and when
this limi, is reached, the solution is what we call
saturated solution. This limit is very different
in the case OF different solids; for instance one
pound Of common tabe-salt will require 81
pounds of'water to dissolve it, forming satura-
ted solution, whilst one pound Of Iodine would
require 1000 pounds of water.
End. Water is capable of absolving or dissol-
w
large quantities, its porous character enabling il
TO act upon them by attraction of adhesion like
piece OF spongy platinum. In the case Of gases
as well in that of Solids there is limit TO Tie
exten. TO which this solution can be carried, call
ed the limit Of saluration, and as i'm the case of
solids loo, this limit is different in the case of
different gases; for example l cubic inch of
water will absorb or dissolve $50 cub. inches of
ammonia, whilst 100 cub. in. of water will alb
sorb but of hydrogen. In consequence of this
solvent power which water possesses both for
solids and gases, rain water, after falling throup
the atmosphere and irickliDg through the soil, by
the time it reaches the roots of plants is q yefvl
different substance from pure water {; it is indeed
very complex liquid, containing many different
gases as well as solids in solution. In view of
this fact we can well understand why it is that a
plant watered with pure distilled water may
dwindie and die, whilst one watered with rain
water will flourish. We can unde rstand too. WHY
II is' that soil resting upon loo porous sravely
sub-Soil, is able 10 retain no manure which is
placed upon it, and why all attempt TO permanent
iy Improve such soil must prove vain, unless in
some way you can give to the sub-soil greater
consistency. We see too, the good policy OF
working soils deeply, SO that they can retain the
rain that falls upon them for If that water runs
OH 1t carries with it not only the gaseous treas.
ures which il has brought down from the atmos.
Phere, but also, some part at least of the soluble
mineral substances contained in the soil itself
a
dergoes decomposition in great variety of cir
eumstanceS, and its elements as readily combine
again when the cause which separated them has
ceased 10 act. 1t is in the form of water that the
greater portion of oxygen and hydrogen, which
enter as essential constituents into the compost
ton OF most vegetable and animal substances
are introduced into The living organizations Wa
ter enters at the root Of the plant and as il passes
through It's structure it yields oxygen TO one yes.
sci and hydrogen to another, according as the one
or The other is necessary to the perfection of the
substance which the vessel is destined TO form
and then, after This substance has performed
the part assigned it, during the decay Of The plant
us elements re"unlte and appear as water again,
Tor water is always of the products of the
decay OF vegetable substances. In the words of
another, "few things really more wonderful
in chemical physiology, than the vast variety of
transmn,ations which are continually going on. |
through the agency of the elements of WATER
On the subject proposed for examination at the |
present meeting of the class, viz tie vaiue of
d!Gtrent Hinds II GOOD for fuel Prof. Arms,ropy
read the following paper
That there is great difference i'm the value of /
different kinds OF wood for fuel and further, that
there is difference in the value OF the san. k,ad
OF wood when used in green and when used in !
dry State, also, when burned in an open fro |
place, In Franklin and in close stove our eve
Ty day experience teaches US but few persons
perhaps are awa are of the real amount of The diff.
ierence produced by these several causes The
most complete set OF experiments on this subject,
oil which have seen any account, is that per-
formed by MIR. Bull Of Philadelphia, some wears
since, and given to The public in his work on
fuel.
His experiments, which seem to have been
conducted with great care as we'll as ingenuity
were performed in the following manner: With
In larger chamber, small one was constructed
of boards grooved together in the most perfec,
manner Tor rendering it tight, and cutting of all
communications with the air of the outer room
The fuel upon which he made his experiments,
was consumed in a small cylindrical siove,
twelve inches high, and four inches in diameter
made OF common sheet-lTon lined with CLAW the
pipe attached to it was formed of the thjnnest
sheetiron, two inches in diameter and for,y-two
feet long, Of course with several elbows, so that
the air and smoke Oy the time they Quilted the
pipe had parted with almost all their heat lie
formed his judgment respecting the relative value
OF the different kinds of fuel and The different
modes OF using them, by noticing the length of
time for which certain weight of each would
keep the air OF the inne. -vvm 10 degrees warmer
than that OF the outer room, that Of the outer
room being kept at uniform temperature, After
ascerainiDg in this way the comparative vaIce of
the same weight of different kinds of wood as
wood is sold by the cord and not By the pound,
these values were changed into values by meas-
ure, by calculations based upon the specific orav
ty OF the different kinds of wood, in a way which
will at once suggest itself TO those familiar with
these kinds of calculations. AS the results of
these experiments will be found of great practical
value in determining ell questions respecting the
subject Of fuel, and / have not seen them re-
published in any work except "Alen's Mechan-
les applied TO the useful arts" which work as
well as the original one of Bull are rarely 10 be
met with, give the more important of them be-
t-fI