The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-09-08
VALUABLE IMPORTATION.
INDELLIBLE INK.


of ! part by weight of lampblack. 10 of
potash water.glass, of the consistency of
syrup. of ammonia water, and SO of
distilled water.
ELECTRIC ACTION ON PLANTS.
Having observed that the discharge
from powerful electrical machine pro.
duccd remarkable changes in the color of
plants, NJ. Becquerel ascribes this result
to the rupturing Of the cells containing
the colorlng matter. This opinion is
sustained by the fact that when the cellu-
lar envelope is washed the leaf becomes
white.
! PREHISTORIC RELIC.
A small image of human head carved
IN stone, which was dug up on farm in
Webster township, Mich, some years ago,
was exhibited at the Detroit meeting of
the American association. 1t appears to
be made OF Potsdam red sandstone, which
does not exist in nature in that part of
the country. The features of the face
are Of an Egyptian cast.
THE VELOCITY OF TRANSMISSION OF MAGNET.
| ISM.
In order to remove all doubt as to the
accuracy of the results of preceding in
vestigators, DR.. Herwig has sought to de.
termine the velocity of transmission of
magnetic influences by separating the var
lous portions Of his apparatus to very
considerable distances; and he concludes
that 1t the action Of the terrestrial m:g-
netism really possesses definite velocity,
1t must amount to at least half million
miles per second; or, in other words, that
the terrestrial magnetic influence makes
itself felt at any point of the earth's sur
face in less than one three.hundredth of a
second.
| SOLAR SPOTS.
| Gauthler states that as the result Of
three and half years Of observation on
the solar phenomena, by means of the
equatorial as the observatory at Geneva.
kindly put at his disposition bv Prof.
Planamour, he finds himself entirely Jus.
tilted in coinciding perfectly with the
theory OF Zoliner as to solar spots being
scorle floating upon the liquid, and pos.
IDLY even within the denser, gaseous Dor.
ton of the solar surface. They are ap
psrently the result of cooling, depending
on the radiation from the surface of the
sun ; and this explanation of Zollner is
the only one that seems to him not to
contradict both ordinary laws of physics
and well.known facts.
BLACK STAIN IN IMITATION OF EBONY,
An excellent black varnish, which gives
the effect of ebony to walnut, apple or
pear wood, especially when free from
veins, is prepared by first boiling 400
grammes of nut gall, 100 grammes of
rasped CampeachY wood, 500 grammcs of
vltriol' and so grammes of verdlgris, with
a suitable quantity Of water. This is to
be filtered while still hot, and several ap-
pl1cations are to be made to the wood.
Afterward two or three layers of the fol.
lowing preparation are to be applied 100
grammes iron filings dissolved in IS GEN.
filters Of acetic acid. Each application
is to be allowed to dry before another is
made.
TIDAL INFLUENCES ON THE EARrH's RorA.
! TON.
Mr.. Tylor, in some remarks on a new
theory Of tides and waves, advocates the
view that the level ofthe ocean is nearly
represented by high-water mark on coasts
and boys where there is free access of
the tide, or in channel without a con.
slant flow. He states that he entirely
disbelieves in tidal action having the
smallest effect on the rotation Of the
earth, and that the assumption of a gre at
heap of water travelling in one direction
is gross error. He also suggests that
some geological difficulties, such as the
evidence that tides during the quartenary
periods were three or four times as large
as at present, may be explained by peri
ode changes of position of part of the in
terror of the earth, rather than by sup
posing great changes in the distance of
the moon from the earth.
DETERMINATION OF OZONE IN THE AIR,
The determination of the quantity of
ozone i'll the air has not yet been achieved
by any convenient method, since the tint
OF the ordinary ozone test papers is dc.
termlned by the velocity of the wind. 1t
was supposed by Won Pettenkofer that
the absence Of the OF one reaction in the
atmosphere Of closed dwelling-room was
due to the slight circulation in the air.
The subject has, however, been fully in
vestigated by Wolffhugel, who finds that
while given quantity of fresh air yields
very visible ozone reaction, yet 10 or
IL times that quantity taken from the
interior of dwellings produces no effect
even when the rooms are unused, having
previously been well aired. Wolffhugel
has also shown that there is great ab-
sence of ozone in the air near the ground.
ELECTRIC LIGHTS IN SOLID BODIES.
Cadogan Morgan, in 1785, was the first
experimenter who produced the electrical
light in the interior of solid bodies. He
inserted two wires in wood and caused
the spark to pass between them. The
wood was illuminated with blood red or