Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1851-07-09
AGRICULTURAL SCIENTIFIC.
itH scIESrfFro mAesEr.--So. }.
ptvrsIBIIIrY OF MATTER.

The divisibility Of matter can be carried
% an almost indefinite extent, by mechani-
cal and by chemical means. A few exam
Piles of this are given below.
In the manufacture of gold-leaf, cubic
inch of gold may be beaten out till it covers
$4,000 square inches, and it has been car
ried even to the 290, 636th part of an inch.
In gliding silver wire grain of gold is
spread over a surface Of 400 square inch
ss; and, when examined in microscope,
the gold upon the thousandth of linear
inch, or the millionth Of square inch, is
distinctly visible, it is seen that gold may be
divided into PARTICLES no larger than one l.
4QO,000,00 Of square inch.
Instruments have been constructed by
which 10000 lines, distinct and separate,
have been drawn within the space of sim
gle inch, and which can be seen only by
4 very powerful microscope.
A grain of copper dissolved in nitric &C
id, and then in water of ammonia, will give
violet color to 1872 cubic inches of water.
Estimating that each cubic inch of water
contains million of PARTICLES, the size of
grain of sand, of which there are million
in cubic inch, the grain of copper has been
divided into S92 million parts.
One drop OF strong solution of indigo
colors 1000 cubic inches of water. As the
drop can be shown to contain SOC, 900 visi-
bic parts, and the water has 500 900 times
the bulk of the drop of indigo, it is divided
into 250, 000 10000 parts, which may be
traced in the fluid,
A fragment of silver one tenth of cubic
line in size, dissolved in nitric acid, will
give distinct milky color to 500 cubic inch
es of solution of common salt. Hence
the magnitude of each particle must be less
than the biiiianih of cubic line.
DIR. Wollaston has manufactured for some
of his experiments wire of platinum so fine
that it could not be seen by the naked eye.
To obtain it he drew platinum wire, one
hundreth part of an inch in thickness
This he placed in cylindrical mould. Mel
ted silver was then poured into the mould
which completely enclosed it when cooled
The rod he thus obtained was drawn out in
to wire and when at last the silver had
reached ITS extreme of fineness, it was dis
solved by nitric acid, leaving the platinum
untouched. The thread thus procured il
only the thee-millionth parth of an inch il
thickness.
An Irish girl has spun linen yarn, ofwhicl
pound was 1882 English miles in length
AT this rate II lbs. 3 OF. would 90 rounC
the globe. A visible portion of this threaC
could not have weighed more than the one
one hundred and twenty-seven miniontl
part OF grain.
Cotton has been spun so that a pound o
thread was 100000 yards in length; pount
of wool, 16S, 900 yards.
The thread spun by the silkworm has
diameter of only the l-l7OOth to 1900 par
Of an inch.
The 6bres of cotton are the 1-1O00 par
of an inch in diameter; of fax, 1-2500u
part of an inch; the fibre of the pineappl,
plant the 1-7000th part of an inch.
In the animated kingdom, wonders still
greater than these are to be found
In the small fibre of goose quill, NOR,
than 1900 branches or small leaves have
been counted on each side orrespon
dsnce of The W. Y. Weekly Sun.