New-York tribune., 1876-05-20
APPLIED SCIENCE.


| pint Of oil of turpentine and about / 200 yrair.
| of tallow and 800 of wax. Rub the wood. in
| warm loom, with the mixture until dead lustor ia
| produced and coat it an hour afterward with thin
] French polish. Greater brlliancy and deeper tona
\ may be produced by an additional coabof polish
! o. THE APPARENT DTSTMBUTIoN OF THE UgAr
FROM THE SUNS DIsK.-Prof Mayer Of Hoboken in
communicating to Nature the details Of some pre-
cautions necessary in order to successfully nyest
| gate the distribution of heat from the suns disk
according to the Photographic method invented by
| himself states that the most important, and indeed
absolutely essential condition that the image Of
| the sun shall be formed on a truly horizontal
surface. OF the influence of an inclined surface in
dsplacinC the isothermals, there can be no doubt;
| and the same action has probably affected the re-
suits obtained by means of thermopies, giving rise
TO the opinion that there exists decided difference
| OF temperature between the north and south solar
poles. BY this way, he suggests we may explain the
| differences between Secchi and Langley.
On THE LIGHT ABSORBED BY THE ATMOSPHERE
OF THE SUN.-Prof. Pickering. assisted by his stu
dent, Mr.. Strange. has made series OF experiments
for the purpose of determining the relative amount Of
light received from portions of the suns surface at
varying distances from the center Of his disk. He
sumo up his results follows: The light OF the
various parts of the suns disk is measured by the
ployed, ard given IN an accompanying table, with
probable error not exceeding one per cent, except
close to the edge. The light at the edge is about
40 Of that ut the center. The variations in bright
! ness are nearly those which would be produced bys
homogeneous atmosphere Of hight equal to the SIMS
rafus and opacity such that only 26 per cent Of the
light is transmitted. There appears 10 be slightly
different dist-bution of the light along the polar,
from that along the equatorial, diameter IL the
atmosphere were removed the brightness cf the
SUMS disk wOuld be uniform, and 1888 times that II
the censpr of the disk at present, while the total
amount of light would be increased 4.6j times
CAUSES OF THE CALCULATION OF THE Blood
Glenard remarks in communication to the Journal
of the Chemical Society that when an arterial or
venous segment filed with blood is removed from
living animal aud preserved in the air the blood does
not coagulae and the flesh dries to the con-
sistence of horn. H17in this condition the blood,
which may have become wax-like or even pulyeu-
lent be soaked in water, it dissoyes, and the sOlu
tion even after ilration is susceptible of spontane
ous coagulation The cause Of the c0agulaon OF
the blood is found 10 be its contact with foreign
body and so long it is retained within its pro er
walls it remains unchanged. Thecoagulating ntiu-
enee Of such contact with foreign bodies is less the
nearer the physical construction of the foreign bodies
approaches to the physical construction OF the yes
sels Apart from the mere contact Of foreign bodies.
none of the conditions with which the blood Is srr-
rounded determine the cOagulation. Neither the
coaguaton nor the fuidlty OF the blood Is due TO
either excess defect of any gas of a chemical
nature. Blood preserved in its segment Of vessel .
r,yivfying 50 long 10 remains fluid; the blood o
an OK seven hours after its removal from the animal
can be successfully tIansfnsed INTO dog bled to ex
trmty. The blood is alive so long as 1t Is spon;ane
ously c0aguable. COagulation II the death of the
blood. Concentration Of the blood prevents but
does not destroy ITS c0agulability the addiIloa OF
water restores the pnysico-chenlcal conditions
-fQti IA Goa u'arp
MrIlroNgs, OR BEES WITHOUT STINGs-Raveret
Wattel gives an account in recent journal OF tho
Acclimatzation Society of Paris of a group cfhy-
rnen0pterous insects known as Meipones, aud found
in various parts of the world, resembling bees very
closely, but being without any sting. Their honey
producing qualities are very decided and 1t IS
thought that, possibly, they may hereafter cohst-
tute an important addition to the series OF do'nes-
ticated insects. They occur in the warmer regions
of the New World and of the islands of the In
dian Archipelago. Resembling bees in their general
character, they are smaller, with a more densely
clothed body and the hind feet propcrioaaily
onocr They have. it is true. rudiment Of sting.
bnt this il not capable of producing any iQnry nor
is there any secretion OF poison. As in the ordinary
bees there are three varieties of individuals the
males females and nruters large number ofspecies
are known 70 natuTallsts. and Others probably still
rernain to be described. Some of them make their
nests in hollow trees, while others suspend them
from the branches These are constructed Of series
of cakes and arc arranged horizontally; they do
not contain two series of opposing cells, hut are
uuch like those of wasps. The honey too is not
.tosed away in fhc cells hut is placed in little cups
by the side If the nest. which len times rs Large
as III the former. These constitute a sort OF ala;
phor.. more or less regular, which the w9TAhicn hh
tle a. -
I'm sort of cover, closing them eNacfly wren they
consider them sufficiently full. The honey OF The m
sect d sad .o be OF "a very superior qn@tN, ana ihs
wax capable of many impogt9ni aPpnc"tiohS AZ
Though deprived OF 4 sting, the mrJpono8 are hos
howcvcr wi hout The means of det"n,e. bnf p99ssrs
stout niaHdibl.s and in biting tho skin they leaTs
upon 10 au 3Cril saliva, wh;cn produces, s''aeturs
an 9itatilg wound. The spot ~ at nlHt sisIc'p
ptrr.pib,e; bat ut the end ct several NOM, o. m'e
htte Nesicic makes its appearance, Ike that esese
by clatharides with this difference, however slAt
M active Inflammation sets III, ana sometimes casfs
great suffering. Many interesting facts IN pgaIdo
this insect as occurring IN different parts Of the
word, will be fonnd in the article referred to.
ON OSTRICH FARSING--Mr. P l.. Simmon1
lately read before the Society of IS very elabo-
rate paper upon ostrich farming, and gave sc-
count of the great development that this business
has assumed ut the present time ard the enormous
profits resulting from 1t. This the more interest
ing to MS at present as is said that parties in Cali
fornia have already commenced work in the same
direction and that the physical conditions appearto
be extremely favorable for success The most sue
cessfu of those expermcuters is A!r. ~ Douglass Of
Hilton, in the Cape Colony, who about eight yesn
ago. bought pair of birds, and subsequently, added
fonr making lis stock Two cocks and four hens
Finding that the old bnJs could not be relied apa
for Matching out all the eggs he devised an ingenious
form uf incubator which has been used by hin 70
great advantage. some form of which Is now con-
sidered absolutely essential to success IN tnS
work The incubator consists Of wooden Doi