Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1874-02-07

from destruction by fire or injury by
moisture.
BEST TINE FOR PAINTING HOUSES
The best time for painting the exterior
Of buildings is late in autumn or during
the winter. Paint then employed will
endure twice as long as when applied in
early summer or hot weather. In the
former it dries slowly and becomes hard,
like a glazed surface, not easily affected
aftcrward by the weather, or worn off
by the beating Of storms. But in very
hot weather the oil in the paint soaks
into the wood at once, as into a sponge,
leaving the lead nearly dry, and nearly
ready to crumble off. This last Difficult
ty, however, might be guarded against,
though at an increased expense, by first
going over the surface with raw oil. BY
painting in cold weather, n annoy
ance mightcertainly be escaped, namely,
the collection of small flies in the fresh
paint.
WASHING CoMPoUND.-The use of
soda for washing linen is very injurious
to the tissus and imparts to it a yellow
color. In Germany and Belgium the
following mixture is now extensively
and benefcially used: Two pounds of
soap is dissolved in about FIVE gallons of !
water as hot as the hand can bear it
then next is added TO this fluid three
large,sized ~tablespoonfuls of liquid
ammonia and one spoonful of best oil
of turpentine. These fluids are incor-
porated rapidly by means of beating
them together with a small birch broom.
The linen is then soaked in this liquid
for three hours, care being taken to
cover the washing tub by a closely-ft-
ting wooded cover. By this means the
linen is thoroughly cleaned, saving
much rubbing, time and fuel. Ammo
min does not affect the linen or wooden
goods, and is largely used as a liquor
in the north of England.
THE YOKE IS UNEASY. Even the
speed Of the OK is increased by the use
OF the horse gear when by mean of
the yoke, he is fastened to the vehicle
only by the neck, his body sways awk-
wardly about, his fore-feet close to the
tongue, and his hind ones often at a
distance from it with this angular
movement he seems to labor at a great
disadvantage, whereas, in the harness,
the body Of the animal is kept in a di-
rect line with its work, which must be
of great advantage. The increase of
power and speed, obtainable in working
oxen by the method here commended,
to say nothing of the relief to the poor
belst in Kidding it of a heavy and I'M.
Welding pressure upon that most sen
si-jvo part Of the animal, the top of the
veItcbrae, should be sufficient induce
meut for our farmers to substitute the
harness for the yoke. For the sake Of
mercy, let some means be devised and
adopted to relieve the patient OK from
the torture Of the yoke.
How TOT KILL AN ANIMAL WITHOUT
SUFFERTNG.-Many persons would be
glad to know how to kill an animal
without giving suffering, and we ven.
ture to give the benefit of our expert.
ence. We are constantly called upon
to destroy horses, dogs and cats, and
have little difficulty in doing it. For
horses we use a large sponge, say six
inches ; meter, thoroughly satu-
rr.d with .U oroform, which is dropped
... O. bag rye enough to be drawn
OWE 5hs .. es nose. 1t is not desira-
.- h. hay le bag "air-tight :" for, if
SO, sufHo-..on is likely to ensue. In
Owo or three minutes the horse is I'M
conscious, and in eight or ten minutes
dead, without suffering. For dogs and
cats a similar process, using a small
sponge and bag or these animals with
the saturated sponge, may be put in a
box admitting some air, when they soon
ego to sleep" Seventy five cents
worth of chloroform will kill q horse,
and twenty-five a dog or cat. Ii one
satlration of the sponge does not com
plete the work, repeat it.
TIE GREAT LAVA FIELDS West OF
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. Prof. lie Conte
of the California state university con-
sidcrs the Cascade mountain regions
one OF the most interesting fields for
geological research on the earth. in
connection with the great overflo V of
lava which deluged the territories OF the
northwest in past ages, the professor
says The principal point of eruption
from the great central cauldron was at
the Cascade mountains in Oregon,
which are of themselves one solid mass
Of lava. From this center the lava
overfowed a great portion of Oregon,
Washington territory, all of northern
California, and vast sections of Nevada,
Montana aud Idaho. The lava food
covered an area of at least 200, 900
square miles, as far as explored, and it
would probably be found to extend over
a surface of 300, 900 square miles, as its
limit northward had never been deter
mined. The depth Of the lava crust
varied from upward of 5000 feet in the
Cascade and Blue mountain region, to
one and two hundred feet and less at
u e FONTS oH the outer cGAo Of the
caeri1,H . Nlera The tremendous gorge
Of the Columbus river cut through the
lava bed, il had a depth OF 3. 500 feet
TIE exploration OF Prof lie Conte had
determined tlat the great lava flood
pertained to a comparatively recent ge-
illogical period, and he assigns the erup.
ton to the latter part Of the miocene,
possibly extending to the post-tertiary.
In the great canon of the Columbia riv-
er, beneath this immense layer of lava,
he had discovered the petrifed stumps
of trees, beds Of leaves, and all eviden-
ces of a great forest once existing on a
level corresponding with the present
surface Of the river. Above this forest
came a drift period, and it was buried
in a heavy layer Of conglomerate before
the overflow of 5000 feet of lava.
OZONE AND ITS PHYSIOLOGICAL Eff
FEcTs.-Ozone is a colorless gas, with q
powerful and peculiar odor. Like oxy-
gen, it is an oxodizing agent of great
power. 1t changes indigo into %isatine,
the black sulphate of lead into the
white sulphate of lead. 1t oxodizes
anthony, manganese, arsenic, iron,
zinc, tin, silver, lead, bismuth, and
mercury. Many of the lower oxides it
transforms into peroxides. 1t corrodes
India-rubber and decolorizes blue lit
II acts with great rapidity