New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-06-04
aCgESCE AND ART.
American Institute Polytechnic Assooia-
linn.


At the regular meeting, May 10, ). d. TILL
MAN esq. presiding. Mir. SECRETARY CAgyEY read
communication from the Austrian Engineers Union. Il
Vienna. nt.inins Offer Of prizes for tie best
best treatise Tie most useful roof construc
tons OF wood and iron" to be illustrated with IL
necessary drawings. al on the same scale Tor est
mating the stability oi each structure under vaTic'
contingent wcglts ali tho requisite sCcniitcrules
formulas 20 be sol forth There should also be gise
the results Of calculations and comparisons, ~
lent tables No Wacrd together mat The architect Of
engineer find tho necessary data for nal ing tie
Inmates for each roof construction separately. The
competitors viii have until sept. 20. lrtJ Ia send In
tier work.. Tho successful authors III addition - The
prizes VIII be- entitled 10 the copyright Of thciT works
provided they pnhi 30 ,srm within six months. Amer
that time should they decline 20 publish the Austrian
Engineers Union charges Itself with tie publication Of
TIE tyo treltisee in suJbla manner. Further infor.
NATION concerning this cer Oi prizes may be obtained
b. applying 10 tie Secretary Of the American In
stiiule.
The presiding officer presented the following interest.
ng summary Of cle tic experiments and discoveries
MTGAs5 DIsIEPTcTAEr.
! DR. II. G.. DALp9g Or DcnerIa has proved by cx.
pertinent That megaS or begassehe dried stem Of the
sug9roapo aer It's saechare juice has been extracted
b. pIcssurslcs N, properly q absorbing DESTROY
ing the noxors ciuye arising from animal decOmpo-i.
ti0n. lie hes used il dislnfectant In hoe iel
where except IN thc immediate neiglboThood Of the
worst II ulce'. there was no unp.easa1t cdor,
and even tierc the tis srccaOe smell MAS greatly m0ci
fed.
THR MOST VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS OF FETHoLErM.
Mr. Edmund RogAiDs lately stated before tie I.Oynl
Society VI Edinburgh th fhe gases dissolved in Penn
sslsaIIa petroleum, anu which give II such a Aish
degree Of influn ability. were composed Of The lower
members q tie marsh gas series Cnses taken from
the surface Of tho llnn' IS imported III casks rom
America, were shown by enGometrcal analyses % con
tain "a mixture ~ nearly equal proportions u fte
hydridcs Of cllyl and pYopfl The same compoUnes
wcre found ir tc gases evolved warming The volatile
rrd alier t,sc succeeded Tie hydrides ~ pr0pyl and
Int. Il
Of butyl THIS liquid has spec. gr. of 0COy ~ the
melting point of ic' and Is consequently he hchtt
Uruid known iis vapOr density 10 2l II Is coDricas
ard has a sweet, sseeabe odof. Alcohol At p. c.
di.sOlycs between II cad - times it, toiune o! this
Yapor. il is not pefcePbly effected by sulpaurc o.
nitric ncid nor by broiinc Wth twice its volume OF
chlorine mixed ~ Gascg dayl sh the liquid chloride
ALLOYS or sILyEG AND zI.c.
The French Government IL about 20 lower the stand
AID OF tho silver coinage in coqucn nee o mo
inC scarcity of silver money, by az ADDITION &" about
l2r cent Of copper tlus making the per cent 81
copper TO-. NJ PeLgot chemist 70 tho ffonch mint.
Ia. oa Dc eyueran 70 asccn ain how the introduction
Of some zinc or fLe complete substitution 81 zinc iof the
copper would affect tic alloy. He reports TO the Acade
ny u SclcLces a. the substitution Of Lhc ivf Inc cop
pr forms alloy remarkably malenbe ana pcihcty
hO;nOgcnrOas Eiua equivalents OF silver anu INC or
twO c0uTaeuts Of silver 10 one OF zinc gave macanc
alloys who equivalent with two equVooals
OF inc DISC u.s. Of silver with three OF zinc, form com
pcuudsf TOO brtlt to be rolled The present price of zine
j. ONLY ore that Of copper. ard IS matter 81 como
nv the Government should ugc zine The fnc thnt the
dino alloy is less dscolored ~ suphureted hydrogen
than tie copper compound .s IN IL favor. An alloy OF
900 rs Of silver 10 " Il zinc viii keep it, whitcncss IN
p6lysulphde ~Aich would rapidly biacken the legal
alloy ~ silver and COPPER. Tho abfonce OF yefdlgi!s
under the acion VI acid liquors il another advantage
Tho French copper money contains one per cent OF Anei
the small Swiss coins alloys Of zinc silver and nickel
RREKCTs oP LIGHT OK HONEY.
NJ. Scheoier has proved that sirupy honey, exposed
10 light crystaizcs aAd ultimately becomes solid macs
Of sugar while that kept In the dark remains perfectly
liquid. Ihs may account for the fact that bees cover
with that port OF their hive made OF glass 80 as TO
exclude toe light Tie existence Of their young C.
ponds on the liquidity OF their saccharinc food.
RssPiBAIIOg or FRUITS
AT late meeting Of the Academy of Sciences Pnris
N. Cnhours read paper on this subject, from which
1t appears that apples, oranges, and lemons in state
Of perfect maturity, when placed under bell glasses
containing either pure oxygen. q mixture Of Oxygen
and nitrogen common aiY. Tespire by consuming Il
portion Of the oxygen aud giving of carbOnic acid gus
the proportion o! the latter compound being greater In
dlfused light then Ia obscaIty. lie proposed 10 con.
time his investigations regarding changes In frt from
development 10 maturity.
NJ FRXsY then mido remarks ON the mature
ton of fruits and referred ~ experiments made by him
aud N. De Ceisne some time sgo. They found That
fruit passed through three stages In the first stage the
fruit is green and behaves TO the atmosphere Ike leaf
In accompanying carbonic acid and giving of oxygen.
In the second stage that Of rpenng this action Ia
verscd-oxyge Is absorbed and carbonic acid cxhaled
from tho ocucs Of the pericarp In consequence OF
series OF slow COMMISSIONS. IN which the Immediate
soluble principles disappear. Iannin goes hrst then
acids and aftorwaTd sugar In the third stage. thai OF
decompostiOa the effect of which Is the Liberation OF
the seed Oil onters tho celules seA UP alcoholic Ter