The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-09-18
USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC.

THE presence of ammonia in the waite
Of existing seas is general, although it
quantity is variable. 1t exists to a nOta
BILE extent in gypsum, which, being
sedimentary formation, gives evidenc
that ammonia was also in the oceal
water of the seas of early geological
times.
IT is claimed that the cost of keeping
/ herds of cattle in Montana is only 81
cents a head. Including taxes, an eight
year-old beef steer, which will sell OF
the ground for $50, only costs 50 fol
| feed and care The losses in raising
are estimated at per cent, while the
! profits vary from % to 40 cents per an.
mum. In 1873 there were but 86,944
cattle in the Territory; in 1873 there
were 100000 head, while 1000, valued
at $40, 900, were exported to Eastern
markets.
MR.. EDIsoN's agent IN England has
just filed the final specification for his
third English patent on the subject of
the electric light. Thus far it appears
to be the most important patent Mr..
Edison has yet taken out on this subject.
1t appears he has made several inn
portant improvements in his apparatus
for generating and using electricity for
Illuminating purposes, but difficulties
are still in the way to final results, and
it may be some months vet before any
public trial can be attempted.
In Berlin there is a chemical Iabora-
tory, established by a society of house,
wives, for the examination of articles of
food. 1t is directed by a competent
chemist, who gives to the members of
the society a course of lectures Oh pa.
teal chemistry. There is also a cook
ery-school under the patronage of the
society. Domestic servants. who have
remained a certain number of years in
one household (of member of the so
ciety) are rewarded with prizes. The
society also procUres situations for do
mestic servants.
PROF. EMERSON REYNOLDS of Dublin
has discovered new explosive, COM
pounded of two substances, which can
be kept apart without risk, and can be
mixed as required to form Il blasting
agent. The powder is a mixture of 75
parts of chlorate of potassium with %
parts of % sulphurea,n a body discover
ed by Prof. Reynolds, which can be OBJ
tanned cheaply from a waste product of
gas manufacture. The new explosive is
a white powder, which can be ignited at
a lower temperature than gunpowder,
and leaves less solid residue.
AMONG the remarkable inventions re-
Gently patented are a pocket-umbrella
devised by a New Englander, and so
constructed that it can be folded and
placed in an ordinary pocket without
serious Inconvenience; an automatic
music machine invented by two Boston
men, which is designed to wholly sup
plant the orchestra at balls and auto
matically call all of the square dances,
such as quadrilles and the lancers; Il de-
vice for binding a runaway horse with
spring curtains and thus bring him to
stand, planned by a New York man
and a process of making ornamental
buttons principally from blood and pull
verized horn.
DIR. MOEsTA, the geOlogist, while
searching in the vicinity of Rotenburg,
on the Fulda, discovered a subterranean
oak forest, Mt a depth of eight feet under
the ground. The number of well pre-
served trunks is enormous. The wood
is as black as Irish bog-oak, in cOnse-
quence of the influence of water for
centuries; but it is hard and sound, and
forms an excellent material for wood
carving and mosaic. The size of the
trunk is astonishing. One of them,
about 1S metres or 720 inches in length
and 80 metres or 60 inches in breadth,
has been preserved for exhibition in the
Royal Museum at Berlin. The forest
evidently belongs to a very remote pc
riod in the formation of the globe.