The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-01-03
Scientific and Useful.

kangaroo hides have already become
an important article of export from
Australia. They make the most pliable
leather that is known, admirably fitted
for bootlegs, gloves, and riding whips.
The skins are sent to Europe, some
tanned, and some simply dried.
In printing pictures from prints,
the page or picture is first soaked in
a solution of potash, and then in one of
tartaric acid. This produces a perfect
diffusion of cry stalls of bitarate of potash
through the in printed part of the paper.
As this salt re>ists oil, the ink roller may
now be passed over the surface, without
transferring any ink except to the
printed part.
The following recipe has been we'll
recommended: Borax, II lbs, sal am
moniac, h., sal ammoniac, h.,
prussiate of potash / lb., resin L OF.
Pound these ingredients finely to-
gether, add gill each of water and
alcohol, and boil to a stiff paste in
an iron kettle. Do not boil too long or
it will become hard when cool. The
burnt steel is dipped, while hot, in the
composition and slightly hammered.
Protosulphate of iron gives brown
precipitate, which acquires metallic
luster when rubbed. Proto-chloride of
tin gives purple or blackish precipi-
tate, insoluble in muriatic acid. Sui
phuretted hydrogen and hydrosul-
| phuret of ammonia give black pre-
cipitate, insoluble in simple acids. Am
monia gives reddish-yellow precipitate
illuminating gold) with tolerably con-
centrated solutions, either at once, OF
on boiling the liquid. Liquor cf potassa
gives, with neutral solutions of gold, 6
similar precipitate to that formed by
ammonia, insoluble in excess.
The Transactions of the Medical So
ciety of Upsala contains an account Of
an ingenious piece of rascality in the
hop trade, said to be practised ON con
siderable scale in that city. Hops which
have already been used for making ex
tracts, or for brewing in the ordinary
way, are damped with tincture of alb
sinthe, or wormwood, freed from spirit
by distillation, redried, and then PLACED
upon the market as a genuine article
with or without the addition of a little
fresh bloom. Owing to their increased
bitterness they often command bettel
price than unadulterated hops.
1t has been ascertained that pepper
contains peculiar basic principle caIlec
piperine," an acrid resin, volatil,
oil, gum, starch, malic and tartari'
acids, etc. That known in commerce a
"ground pepper" is usually adulteratet
with -four, sago, etc., which may easil,
be detected with the microscope
Pipe-ine, when perfectly pure, is in col
orless crystals, neutral, and not aka
line. Pelletier says that when quit
pure it is tasteless DIR. Christison, how
ever, states that the very whitest cryS
tails he ever found were acrid. Th
resin is acrid and pungent; and it
thought by some that the properties 0
pepper depend chiefly upon the resin.
Astronomer Royal Smyth, of th
Royal Observatory, Scotland, says tha
the coming winter is going to be exceed
ingly cold. From the observations @
earth thermometers over a period @
thirty-nine years, he finds that betwee
1887 and 1876 three great heat wave
, from without struck Great Britain
namely, the first in 1865, the secon
r in 1857, and the third in 1867. TIL
next one will probably come in 1879;
within limits of half of a year each way
, The periods of minimum temperature, G
! greatest cold, are not in the middle tim
! between the crests of these three hef
4 waves, but are comparatively close u
: to them, on each side, at distance G
about year and half. Hence til
I next cold wave is due at the end of til
present year, and very frigid weatht
e may be looked for.