The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-07-08
CURIOUS AND SCIENTIFIC.

1 AAhn ANd dtAuCUuo EOAANlOM OU LQl NLN
/ It is proposed to use this to subdu,
dusty roads. It has been found to keey
| land moist for three days, when orti
narily it would dry in an hour. AS the
/ chlorides are injurious to vegetation, j
can not be utilized in agriculture, a
illustrated by the reclaimed marshes o
Holland, where the saline matter has K
be washed away by spring water before
vegetation appears.
A CURE FOR OPIUM EATING. - Many
devices, SAYS the Troy Times, have beer
resOFted 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 morphis
as a relief from the pains of 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 in the
bottles. She complained that the drug
was of an inferior quality, but treasured
by her physician, continued to use il
with sublime faith in its virtues until
her death. fifteen years Rfterward. At
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 suggestion to
the friends of slaves of this drug.
JoANNoN has made a communication
to the academy of sciences in Paris up
on the method adopted by him in fresh
ening the saline lands In the south of
France, SO as to make them available
for agriculture. There are immense
tracts along the coast of the Mediter-
ranean, from Aries to Port Vendres,
which are entirely unproductiye in con-
sequence of the amount of salt which
they contain. The process adopted by
him consists first in draining, then IN
ditching to depth of about two feet,
and then demming and covering with
fresh watel. The water filters through
the soil, and dissolving the salt contained
therein runs off by the drains. This
operation is to be continued with sub
mersion from three to FIVE months, ao-
cordin0 to the nature of the soil. After
this the layer between the level of the
drain and the surface of the field viii
be sufficiently free from salt to be
capable of cultivation. In one estab-
Iishment, near RarbonDe, q property
which, before drainage, was worth $3.50,
was, in few years, raised IN value to
SO. 500.
Hardening GLAss.-This is process
that has been patented by Mr.. Macin-
tosh, of Westminster, civil engineer
who has devoted much time and atten-
ton to the hardening of iron, steel and
allows. Starting on the broad ground
that the lower the degree OF temperature
of the liquid in which certain heated
bodies were plunged, the harder such
bodies became, Mr.. Macintosh has
found that glass, graphite, unerys-
tallized carbon, Stag and other analogous
substances may be rendered exceedingly
hard by means which are usually lndl'
Gated for metals, Colored glass may,
bv this treatment, be rendered so hard
as to be effectively used as a substitute
for gems and, what is curious, may be
pulverized and used in the same way as
diamond dust or emery powder. In
hardening the substance, the method
pursued by the patentee is to place q
small quantity of fused or nearly fused
or clear colored glass In iron or other
moIds to shape the glass, and the sub
stance is taken ont of the molds and
placed in platinum molds, and fused or
nearly fused, and suddenly deprived of
its caloric or frigoi6c mixtures of iced
water and salt, or any OF the freezing
compounds that produce extreme cold
the sum and substance of which is that
the glass is heated to a very high degree
of temperature and then rapidly cooled
in a frig1d fluid. A startling statement
is made by Mr.. Macintosh when he
asserts that, when the component parts
of gems are treated by the above pro-
cess. he is enabled To produce thereby
fictitious gems harder than real dia-
monds.
FIRELEss LOCOMOTIVES. 1t viii be
interesting to know that firC less lOcomo-
tiyes are in constant and successful
operation on a city and suburban rail-
way in New Orleans, namely, the New
Orleans and Oarrollton railway, under
the able management of General G.. Il.
BeaureRard, VINO is a skillful engine er,
and vet who is alive to and keeps pace
with the improvements of the age.
This success has been achieved, too,
under the most adverse and unpromis-
ing circumstances. The road, under
other running arrangements had become
nearly valuelI ss, its stock having gone
down to cents, but it is now paying
and valuable road. The road is about
six miles in leDgt .. From the center
to the outs kirts of the city 1t Is operated
By mule power there the mule IS taken
from the car. and the little freless loco
motive is attached, which is accom-
pIisbed in less time than would be oc-
cupied in attaching another mule. The
train is then off like a rocket, the driver
still on the platform of the car working
the engine, managing the brakes, and
making change, as usual; there is no
other person on the train to attend to
these duties. The car is started and
stopped quicker than when drawn by
the mule. The railway double track
is in the middle of very wide street,
and is q little raised, so that it can not
be crossed by carriages except at the
street crossings thus, being somewhat
isolated. high speed is admissible. The
locomotive Is simply cylinder OF boiler
iron. perhaps 3 feet in diameter and 10
feet long. mounted on four wheels, and
partIv filled with water. The engine
a double verticle-is attached TO the end
of the cylinder next the car, being with
in reach of the driver. The cylinder is
then filed with steam at proper pres
sure. from a stationary boiler at Carroll
ton. when the locomotive is ready, and
it will run to the city and back without
care Of expense. There is no Ere, no
ashes, no pump, no danger, and less
noise than from the hoOfs Of horses.
The expense Of this means Of propul-
sion, General Beauregard assured me, Is
less than by mules. The cost OF the
locomotives is 81, $50 each, which IN
eludes the builders profit.-Nes0 York
Times.
Burmah.