New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-05-25
APPLIED SCIENCE.

80 ,bo rails When the signal is given that y car
L become detached the road watcher paceT ., s vi
tbe track with the tongues towaru .ne Va' ~ tbo
sn.oIs III winch run over the tongues INTO the
~mrve5 recess and push the apparatus along inc
track: and the sliding of the tongues ana INC s'oP
ping of the wheels soon cheek the car
CocurSrAI RED on WooI.-Boil the wool for an |
hour in bath prepared in a copper Tor better, TIM
vessel with soft water. with the addition OF half
popnd Of oxalic acid half pound of tnsat and one
pound of oochineal for ten pounds fstun The bath
may be repeatedly used. after clearing it, and the
proportions given may be varied, when an ec9n2 sn
yested by Geyer that the addition OF yeiioW mo
render the color more fiery, without ad'hns pi'''
Caliy TO the cost
NEW Form OF BLIGHT on FOREST IREEs'-A ne"
form of blight is reported as attacking oeeCh-ueo'
in Westphalia. A snOw-white. doWny sups'"n00
,n,cars upon the bark and gradually covers the
troe sometimes producing death. 1t is shown py
the microscope to consist of fine threads among
,;cb opneor great numbers of small insects by
wIich these are secreted. 1t has the properties Oh
wax having nearly the composition aT% nv
pctosh the soap yielding an acid. with meltihe
point of 5l.5o. The disappointed portion meiteo a'
lac Jas, ami seemed to be men IN eaiDon
pxrp,cr OF SUMLc-According TO Remnants
Fafberzeitung. extract of sunac, obtained oy Doll
ing and evaporating in vacuum, has recently oeeh
brought into commerce in the form of thick sirup
which Is without any trace of acidity, and when
will keep indefinitely; while the common decoctoh
nf sumac soon turns sour and becomes useless The
chief advantage in the of the extract lies IN the
economv of time and roOm since it simply requires
dnuion with hot water. The weight OF extract, ior
any shade, also be accurately deterneu' anu ~
ran be convenientlv employed in many cases 10 pro-
ducc a desired shade by subsequent additions TO the
bath and may often be found OF pecullar use IN
dyeing although possibly too expensive ior gelei"i
DETECTION OF CmCoRY IN DECOCTIoS OF Coz
rEE-It was stated at meeting of the Berlin Poly
technic Society in reply TO inquiry for trust
worthy test for chicory in boiled coffee that decoc-
lion of the coloring matter of chcory root is not
preciptated by sesquisats of iron but retains It's
color while the brown coloring matter of coffee is
changed by a solution of sesquisulphate of iron to
hight green and is partially precpitated IN blush
green flakes. la mixed decoctlon OF D0th alIer
addition of few drops Of the iron salt, the liquid
above the urecipitate retains brownsh-yelioW
roIor according TO the amount of chicory present.
The separation of the precipltate may De haStened
10y rendering the colOTed liquid signify alkaline
with ammonia
VERY SIMPLE Recommendations suggests
the use Of fine rubber cord about - inches long,
supplied with loop at each end, and having on 1t
small white bead, sliding upon it with gentle frlc-
ton. By securing end to the table by pin, and
passing a pencil through the other end, and draw
keeping the string stretched. and causing the bead
TO describe the outline of a simple drawing placed
beneath it. a t0leTaby good copy of the drawing
will be produced bearing any desired proportion to
the original, according TO the position given TO the
bead on the string thus if the bead is in the center
Of the cord, the drawing Will be double the SIZE OF
the original. The best results are only obtalnable
after some practice, and by employing finer point
than a bead.
Alloy RESEMBLING SILvER-An alloy sand to
resemble silver is prepared by Pirsch- BaUdoin of
Paris from II per cent of "copper" les Of nickel 115
Of cobalt 25 Of tin 1.2j of iron Z. Of zinc. Some
aluminium about Il per cent NAV also be added.
The nickel is first melted, with an equal amount of
copper and the zinc. with copper in the proportion
of parts of zinc 10 of copper. The irOn the rest
of the copper. and the cobalt lin form of oxide
then fused at a high temperature. in a graphite
crucibic, with the first alloy and charcoal, under
cover of charcoal. 10 thus tue zinc, allowed with
copper Is added, when the tenpefatuIe has fallen
10 a point at whChIt will SIMPLY melt The cruclble
Is thea removed from the hre ana The contents are
u stirred with wooden rod ami the tin added,
wrapped in paper and the mass stirred again and
poured out. Most Of the zinc YoIail!lzes IN the
operation
AGRICULTURAL VALUE OF ANTHRACITE ASHES
In The BaIlein of the Bussey Institution of Har-
ward University, lately issued, are accounts of
several series of investigations undertaken by
Prof Storcr and his assistants, which are not only
interesting and valuable in themselves, but also
very encouraging in the prospect they give for the
cultivation of agricultural science in this country
Among these are several experiments "On the
Agricultural Value of the Ashes of AnthraCte.o In
these experiments pots were charged with ashes of
PENNSYLVANIA anthracite coal and planted with oats,
barley buckwheat, beans, maize, &c In some cases
they were watered with rainwater alone; in others
with solutions Of nitric acid phosphoric acid,
combined with lime magnesia potash, ammonia, or
of several Of these together. The ashes used were
free from wood ashes thus differing from those COM
monty produced in stoves and furnaces.
Raised in the ashes with rain-water alone says
Prof StoreT, "nOne of the plants really prospeIed
The beans and peas grew To a considerable hight,
but it was plain that the matter of which the
parts formed came chiefly from the older
parts. The nitrogen, at all events. needed for
the formation of leaves aud stems was
apparently the same that had taken part in
the formation of the first shoots from
the seeds" When, however, nitrate of
lime was substituted for the rain-water with which
the plants had been watered, the plants, before
stuutcd and dying, became thrifty. and in time ex-
hibted a luxuriant growth. The yield of dry sub
stance when the plants were watered with nitrate
of lime was in several over Is times much
rs when pure water was used " 1t is plain that
the ashes used must have contained appreciate
quantities Of phOsphOIlc acid and potash as well as
the lime. magnesa, sulphuric acid and iron, which
are necessary for the growth of plants, for on the
addition Of nitrCgeniZed salts to the ashes abund-
aut crops OF buckwheat and barley could he pro-
duccd. The addition of potash and
phosphoIic acid did little OF good while suphate
VI Inaguesia seemed to do HARM
The question arose whether the pure anthracite |
coal ashes were better IN respect To their content OF
potash and phCSphOlc aCld than ordinary sand. To
get hight upon this point experiments quite SINH |
lar 10 the above We're made with ordinary PIT sand
such as is common in the neichborhood of Boston |
u nm WI ia el &c 1. sod in