New-York tribune., 1874-02-21

FRICTION SEALING-wAx.-At the Vienna Ekposr
iion were shown small sticks of varlousiy coioio,
reahng-wax tipped with an inflammapie co','"" ,
which when limited by friction. burns ;entIv anu
hot 'Fst;ng q ar dropping as is usnally ire case
Theouantity i'm each stick is Sailcleht i"i ' W.
mon two small seiils'
F, x,uy Avn DrRABIF INk.-According 10 bo't-
Ger \ rapid-dryng. brilliant INK wh'ch IeSi'' W
,rably well the most powerful cheh'ic'u io-"s0'
NAV no made bv tTituating carinnc WIN soiie SUI I
fion of water-RlaSs N pIr,Gd," p1;r mil ~ flows
.iilntinR with water-gaSs SOLUTION uhui ~ "o"'
readily.
Nvv Potato DIsFAsE.-A form Of the potato
i.ease which has prevailed for several seasons in
.or,oin departments of France exhibits itself III
neculiar weakness of growth in the shoots WhhGGh
attain their usual length but are wanting m rthGN &
ness The first leaves are also delectVe hul 'ie
tnbers do not appear be diseased nor affected IN
onoLty A fungus is assigned rs the cauSe, Ou lur-
ther invesu CATION Is needed on 'hS punt
Nrw BLIGHT on FOREST TREES ~ WHSTrHAhA-
The beech trees Of Wesphalia have emily been at
tackled with a new form of blight. which, beginning
m the bark finally covers the wfo', tree WIN q
suow-whitc down making the tree SO KY anu Sli,,o SUI
times killing II. This down, under tAe mGI9'IoiI loiI
s fouud 10 consist of fine threads OF wax wncD Doln
IN its composition and in its melting 'oi'I j. Ntlt
similar to the Chinese wax Secretcd ny SINAI" i'9'''
FxTp,c1roN OF SIX FROM HALF-sILK RAGS. &c
Hitherto only all-slk material has been worked
over but Dr. Wagner claims 10 have discovered
process for obtaining siik from hali-sllk material
which leaves nothing 20 be desired aS 10 cheapneSS
Ct rapidtv He also states that the SIX eA!IdCteu
docs not suffer in quality nor color, ana can pe it',
lcrcd suitable for spinning, either alone or nlNed
with new silk accor ling to the qdaity OF the MA
teral from which it rs separated
IMPROVED MODE OF CONDFNsING MuK.-A sim
plc and cheapi method Of condensng milk, devised
by Gfal of Innsbruck, consists in heating the milk
in a boiler to from 10 to 16O and then pumping II
M through pipes at the month OF each of which Is
porforatcd rose like that of q watering-cau. The
milk thus returns in separate threads TO the Doer
md in its passage the wateTy part Is evapOrated
This method is said to give concentrated mix Quite
ps good as that by the ordinary processes ana Win
much less trouble and expense.
RAPID CURE POR CATNRH-According to Ham
iton the severest catarrhal cold can he removed in
about ten hours by a mixture Of carbolic acld, lo
,lrops: tipctnre Of iodine and chloroform each 7.j
drops. few drops of the mixture should be heated
over spirit lamp i'm teSt-tube, the mouth OF when
should bc applied TO the nostTils soon as yolatl
zation is ELECTED The OPERATION shonld be 1epetea
in about two minutes when, after the patient sneezs
number OF times the troublesome symptoms rap
idly disappear
CONVERSION OF CIRCULAR INTO PLANE NOTION
Prof Sylvester announces means of converting
circular into plane motion, which il is thought, may
be rendered of practical value in addition to ITS
scientific interest. In communication TO Nature.
Prof Sylvester states that he would never have ht
upon the instrument which effects TINS result. but
for the discovery by Peaucillier of mode of con-
yeTtinR circular into rectilinear motion, problem
which had previously bafed the attempts of all
meChaniCians having been enumerated III the same
category Of questions 10 he solved the guadraurc
of the circle and deemed equally impossible.
ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA IN PItNTs.-Dr. Burdon
hos al ram oh
investigations TO the British Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science the irritability and con-
traction of the well known plant the Venus Fly
trap. BY a remarkable series of experiments made
with the aid of Sir William Thompson's galvanome
ter he has shown that III certain organs OF this and
other sensitive plants there exists q correspondence
Of function between them and the motor organs Of
animals 10 a remarkable degree He especially in
tu9 @ qioeoion '~, ~ " % ~ us @ I
traclr actions are accompanied by ne same eIec-
trcal changes those that in the contraction
of the muscles Of animals.
Nov-PoIsoNoUs CHARACTER or PURE CORAIIINE
Shortly after the discovery of corane, one of the
new aniline dyes attention was called to certain
cases of poisoning resulting from wearing stockings
and other garments which had been cOloTed by
it. and strong prejudice arose against it's use.
This led to various investigations to determine the
facts in the case. and among Others one by Prof
TabOurin. of the Veterinary School of Lyons whose
report published i'll The annals Of the Agricul-
frdl Society of that city, In this he comes to the
Cusion that pure cOrallme, usually furnished III
commerce. is substance entirely harmless and that
its employment in dyeing and painting may be CON
tinued with perfect safety provided that il be fixed
upon textile fiber and upon tissues, by the aid of
substances destitute OF poisonous properties.
EFFECTIVE INSECT PowDER.-Powder prepared
as follows from the plant used in making the So
called Persian insect powder is recommended less
liable to failure than the commercial article, and
he Id
bugs aud poultry vermin but also useful internal
remedy against worms, when administered in
weak infusion. Seed of the plant known scientif-
cally as the Ppethrum roseum, and which Is
obtainable from large seed-dealers is be sown in
May not too thickly in well cultivated bed and
will develop large stalks bv Fall fthe weeds are kept
down; although il seldom blooms before the next May
or June. The flowers to be plucked they become
fully developed, and the yellow dlsk-tOwers separ.
ated from the red rays and calyx thoroughly dried
in the shade and finely puly yeTlZed Flowers can lie
pluc ked even IN the Autumn so that few beds Will
produce a considerable quantity of the powder, and
the plant is perennial il be pr0pagated by di
viding the old stalks in the Fall Since it is indi-
genOns to the Caucasus, IT is not very sensitive to
Winter temperature.
A COVERING OF Snow AS PROTECTION AGAINST
FROsT.-Ebermayer gives, in his recent work on the
influence of the forests table of observations show
ing the temperature of the earth covered by snow
during the very cold weather Of December 1871, in
Bavaria. The fact has been generally known that
is the best possible protection against the pen
etraion Of frost into the earth and that it is the
natural protection of seeds Young plants and other
vegetation against frost Ii is however satisfac-
tory 10 he able to refer TO the exact observations
made on tnis subject by EoeTmsyer. and, all indi
cation OF the extent TO which does protect the
earth IL may be stated for instance that on the 9Th
and 18th OF December the temperature of the air at
Vienna fell TO minus 26.S0 Fahrenheit while the
of the earth tho snour zoo =,