The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-07-01
CURIOUS AND SCIENTIFIC.

narily it would dry in nm hour, AS tne
chlorides are injurious to vegetation, IL
can not be utilized in agriculture az
illustrated by the reclaimed marshes OF
Holland, where the saline matter has 10
be washed away by spring water before
vegetation appears.
A CURE FOR OPIUM EArINd,- Many
devices, says the Troy Times, have been
rcaorted to enable opium and morphine
eaters to break the remorseless habit
but we think the one tried by the friends
of an old lady in Jefferson county can
not be beaten She first used morpha
as relief from the pains OF a tumor
Nothing could induce her to give up the
use of the poison after the tumor had
been removed. The family accordingly
resolved upon harmless deception
Care ully prepared potato starch was
substituted for the morphia III the
bottles. She complained that the drug
was of IN inferior quality, but reassure!u
by her physician, continued to use J.,
with sublime faith in its virtues untl
her death, fifteen years atterward' Al
no time could she do without her potato
starch. Once, when i'll, her physician
gave her Dover's powd rs, but she could
not rest until she had taken some OF her
bogus morphine. The success OF this
deception ought to be n suggestion to
the friends of slaves of this drug.
,JOANNoN has made u communication
to the academy of sciences IN l'arls up
on the method adopted by him IN iresh
ening the saline lands in the south OF
France, so rs to make them avallaple
for agriculture. There are immense
tracts along the coast of the Medlter
ranean, from Aries to Port Nendres,
which are entirely unproductiVe III con
sequence of the amount OF salt Which
they contain. The process adopted by
him consists first in draining, then III
ditching to Il depth of about two feet,
and then damming and covering WIN
fresh water. The water filters through
the soil, and dissolving the salt contained
therein runs Off by the drains. ThIs
operation il to be continued with SUD-
mersion from three TO five months, ac
cording to the nature OF the Hol After
this the layer between the level OF the
drain and the surface of the field will
be sufficiently free from salt to be
capable of cultivation. In one estab
lishment, near Narbonne, n property
which, before drainage, was worth $loo
was, in few years, raised III value Il
$500.
HARDENING GLASS. This il process
that has been patented by MIR. Macin
tosh, of Westminster, n civil englnee
who has devoted much time and atten
ton to the hardening of iron, steel an'
alloys. Starting on the broad Rronn'
that the lower the degree of t mperatnr'
of the liquid in which certain heatel
bodies were plunged, the harder sucl
bodies became, Mr.. Macintosh has
found that glass, graphite, nncrys
taIlizcd carbon, Stag and other analogous
substances may be rendered exceedingly
| hard by means which are usually lndl
Gated for metals. Colored < lass may,
by this treatment, be rendered so. hard
ns to be effectively used M a substitute
for gems and. what Is curious, may be
puIyerized and used in the same way az
diamond dust or emery powder. IL
hardening the substance, the method
pursued by the patentee Is to place
small quantity of fused or nearly iuseC
or clear colored glass in iron or othe
molds to shape the glass, and the SUP
stance is taken out of the molds AM
placed in platinum molde, and fused o
nearly fused, and suddenly deprived
it's caloric or frigoitic mixtures OF ice
water and salt, or any OF the freezln
compounds that produce extreme cold
the sum and substance of which is TIT
the glass is heated to very high degrt
of temperature and then rapidly coole
in frigid fluid. A startling statemer
is made by Mr.. Macintosh when h
asserts that, when the component par
of gems are treated by the above PR
cess, he is enabled to produce theret
fictitious gems harder than real dii
mOnds.
FIRELEss LOCOMOTIVES 1t VIII b
interesting to know that fire less locomc
tiyes are in constant and successin
operation on city and suburban ran
way in New Orleans, namely, the NeN
Orleans and Carrollton railway, unde
the able management OF General 1t. L
Beanregard, wlo is II skillful engineer
and yet who is alive to and keeps pac
with the improvements OF the aB'
This success has been achieved, toe
} under the most adverse and uupromi
ing circumstances. The road, und'
\ other running arrangements had becon
{ nearly yaluclt 81, its stock having gol
down to 7 cents, bnt it IL now payif
2 and valuable road. The road IN aoo'
l six miles in Length. From the cent
Q to the outskirts OF the city it is Operate
= by mule power; there the mule is take
0 from the car, and the little tireless loc
motive is attached, which is accor
/. pIshed in less time than would be O
Q cupied in attaching another mule. ~
J.. train is then off like rocket, the driv
r still on the platform of the car work.
r the engine, managing the brakes, a
t making change, as usual; there ID
other person on the train to attend
these duties. The car is started
- stopped quicker than when drawn
Q the mule. The railway double ira
d is in the middle of very wide str
" and is little raised, 30 that it can
v. be crossed by carriages except at
j stree crossings; thus, being someH
ny isolated, high speed is admissible.
le locomotive is simply cylinder OF DO
n iron. perhaps 3 feet in diameter ant
We feet long, mounted on four wheels
er partly filled with water. The engll
ID double verticle is attached 10 .he
lin of the cylinder next he car, oelGg isds m'
an in reach of the driver. The cyllnue. e.
ait then filled with steam at proper p, =,
om sure. from stationary boiler ,,. ~ .a,
he ton when the locomotive IS ready,
,en !, ;tp, vii run to the city and back with
care Of expense. There is no hre'
ssbes. no pump, no danger, and
no;se than from the hoofs of hor'
n The expense of this means of prol
WI T,,aral Raaurauard asgured m,