The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-06-12
USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC.

OIL paintings are now initiated, ac-
cording to the Photographic News, by
painting in oil on the back of photo
graph rendered Transparent by means of
Canada balsam, and then running them
through press to give the desired sur
face. t
For the purpose of ascertaining the
presence of fire-damp in mines, Millard
and LIE Chatelier use lighted jet of
hydrogen, which gives larger and
more distinct blue aureola than the
flame of the common afety-lamp when
the quantity of the dangerous gas is even
very small.
PROF. VIRcHow, in a recent address
on thesOriental plague to the Berlin
Medical Society, drew the attention of
his hearers to method of disinfecting
advocated by Bulard, who asserts that
if infected articles are plunged into cold
water during some hours, the contagious
germs will invariably be destroyed.
DRY, clean, fresh snow, when incor-
porated with flour, just before mixing
with other ingredients, performs the
same office as baking-powder or yeast
The light mass of interlaced snow crys-
tails holds imprisoned large quantity
of condensed atmospheric air, which,
when the snow is warmed very rapidly,
expands, and acts the part of the car
bonic acid gas in either baking powder
oryeast.
PHYSICIANS, in discussing the quail
ties of wine and the effect of different
kinds and vintages on the human sys-
tenn, have arrived at the conclusion that
red wine is less injurious to the health
than white wine. Red wines are rich
in tannin; white wines are not; the
natural inference being that the astrin-
gent principal present forms a counter
action to the stimulating influence of
the alcohol contained.
DR.. JACKSON offers the opinion that
the refusal to take proper physicist rest
when tired from labor is one of the most
powerful inducements to the consump-
tion of ardent spirits. Men work until
they get so tired that they can not wait
to feel sensibly rested by the progress
of change which goes on in the system
from the suspension of labor. They
either want to work more hours than
they are able to do, or when they have
done as much as they feel themselves at
liberty to do, they are so tired they can
not rest. They therefore get rest in
artificial ways, by resorting to eating
and drinking. Some drink tea or cof-
fee, others chew or smoke tobacco, but
the great majority of tired people in
this country-and the larger share of
our people are tired-drink ardent
spirits in some or other of its forms of
preparations. They fall back on stimu-
lants instead Of the intrinsic vitalities of
their bodies.
SPONTANEOUS COMBUsTION.-EB Bing
of Riga has experimental with different
materials; wadding, raw FAX, hemp,
the waste from silk, wool and cotton
spinnings, as well as sponge, and fin
ally wooddust, as found in any cabinet
makers shop. They were saturated
with various fluids, viz : oils, fresh and
in a gumny state; turpentine, petro-
leum, various varnishes, etc. All the
fbrous materials took fire when saturat-
ed with any of these oils or with mix
lures of the same. Sponge and wood
dust, on the contrary. proved to be en-
tirely harmless. Combustion ensues
most rapidly with II gr. of wadding
and 81 gr. of strong oil varnish, in
"a minutes; while 200 or. of washed
cotton waste, of which a portion was
saturated with $50 gr. of strong oil var
nish and the remainder wrapped about
it, required almost IA hours. These
materials were placed in well shelter
ed spot, and subjected to heat of from
18o to 40 CO.. Silk did not fame up,
but slowly charred.