The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-04-11
Scientific and Industrial.

Birds which have open nests usually
produce colored or mottled eggs, while
those having covered or concealed nests
have white eggs. The color serves as a
protective, and is possibly due to the
action of the principle of selection.
A summer school of Zoology for the
benefit of Union College, Schenectady,
n. Y, is talked of. 1t will be established
either on one of the Bahama Islands,
or at some point on our Southern Coast.
At recent sanitary Congress in Eng
land the cremation of the dead on the
field of battle was advocated. Rapidly
acting portable crematories were recon-
mended. This course would prevent the
pollution of the air and of springs oc-
casioned by the interment of bodies by
the thousand.
A recent German invention consists
in bank note album, made with leaves
of asbestos paper, between which the
notes are placed. If the book is firmly
clasped, the notes, checks or valuable
documents so placed will be legible, even
after exposure to a fire which reduces
them to cinders.
The younger engineers of Philadelphia
have formed an Engineers Club, for
mutual improvement and interchange
of ideas upon practical questions con-
nected with that branch. Meetings for
discussion of scientific subjects and the
reading of professional PAL ers, are held
twice month, at the residences of the
members.
1t is the proposition of a Rochester
IN. W gentleman to do away with ship
canals, and to transport vessels across
the land in tanks mounted on trucks
and run on a marine railway. He thinks
the system can be applied to the Cape
Cod Peninsula and also to the Isthmus
of Darien.
The Charleston Is. C.) artesian well
has reached depth of 1,840 feet, and
flows about ninety gallons per minute
1t is proposed to go two thousand feet
and should the supply meet expectations
group of wells feeding reservoir and
the water pumped directly into the
mains, will probably constitute the flu
ture water-works of the city.
Mr.. Edison, the inventor of the
phonograph, is experimenting upon
some adaptation of compressed ar, by
which the sounds emitted by the instru
ment may be intensified. He says he
can, in time, make the machine talk sc
loudly that it can be used on vessels tt
warn off ether ships during fogs. Hii
last astonishing proposal is to construc
a huge phonograph to be placed in th'
proposed statue of Liberty in New Yorl
harbor, SO that he figure can make
speech audible over the entire bay.
The difference between morning ant
evening milk is subject which has beel
recently put to the test of chemica
analysis. Evenings milk is found to b.
the richer. The solids in evenings mill
(thirteen per cent.) exceed those O
the water contained in the fluid was di
minished from eighty-nine per cent. t
: eighty-six. The fatty matter gradual,
increases as the day progresses. In tn
morning it amounts to two and one
fourth per cent, at noon three and one
; half per cent, and at evening five an
) three-fourth per cent. The practice
8 importance of this discovery is tina
: while sixteen ounces of mornings mil
e will yield but one-half ounce of butter
: about double the quantity can be oil
tanned from evenings milk.
' The absence of snow in the Wisconsi
pineries this winter has driven the lun
/ bermen to devise means for transportin
:. their lumber, which is usually haule
on sleds. Flat cars have been made t
= hold the logs, and provided with groove
o wheels. Common poles were laid alon
J, the bare ground, and are bolted togethe
at the ends. No ties are employed, th
n grooves in the wheeles keeping them
!, position. The cars are drawn by horse
q and are said to move easily with heav
: loads. In some regions where it ws
n cold, but no snow, the roads were sprinl
led and allowed to freeze, SO that slee
e could be drawn over them. The e.
e ceedingly mild and open winter h,
$ been very detrimental to the lumberin
interests of the Northwest.