Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-04-03
POPULAR SCIENCE.

suffering from poisoning produced by wall
paper and other fabrics containing arsenic,
the following symptoms described by
Carr may be found of use in putting un-
suspecting persons ON the alert to discover
| the cause of their ill-health and to take the
necessary steps to remove the evil influ-
ence. The symptoms of chronic poisoning
by arsenic begin with what appears to be
an ordinary cold or cough dryness and ir-
ritation of the throat and frequent head
| aches extreme restlessness great debil-
ity, accompanied by cold, clammy sweats,
cramps in the legs, gripping and dysentery,
convulsive twitching, and group of nerv-
GUS symptoms varying in each case. In
fiammation or irritation, with smarting OF
the eyes and nostrils, is often the most
marked symptom, lasting for days, weeks
or months, sometimes accompanied by ir-
ritation of the skin or whole mucous tract
sore throat, running ON to diphtheritic
throat liberation and soreness of the
mouth and tongue Initiative fever, which,
if persistent, exhausts the patient, and
death takes place by collapse. One
universal feature should be mentioned,
namely, the ineticiency of all usual rene
dies, the presence of arsenic not being sus-
pected.
An examination of the physical functions
| of leaves of plants has been conducted by
M. E. Chevreul, and his conclusions have
been published in recent number of the
Journal des SaUants. He has, as he thinks,
established that both surfaces of the leaf
transpire most when acted upon by sun
light. Leaves of some plants, such as
fboca of +ba chestnut op1 4ba
spire equally from both surfaces. Most OF
the plants tested show that if the transpira-
ton of the upper surface of leaf be repre-
sented by unity, that of the lower surface
of the leaf will be about 1910; but in the
shade the relation is as unity is TO 40.
He also confirms the results of other OBJ
servations that the plants absorb the salts
necessary for their sustenance and develop
ment, not only by the leaves, but by the
petals of their flowers.
The introduction of American machinery
by the shears manufacturers of Sheffield,
England, is causing dismay to the opera
tives, who were but lately the most AFRO
CANT Of strikers. At a late meeting of the
trade society they offered the employers a
reduction of Is per cent. upon the best
handmade shears and 10 per cent. on all
other grades of hand made shears. But the
manufacturers cannot now recede. They
have found American competition driving
them out of their own home market, be-
sides easily diverting foreign trade. They
must keep up with the times or abandon
their business. The forging machines have
exceeded the most sanguine expectations,
and have dispelled the most inveterate
don HIS and no IF 4ba
machines is equally unquestionable.
DIR. J. FL. Provost has found that rain
removes much more matter from an I'M
cropped than a cropped soil. He placed
three inches of soil in two glazed earthen-
ware pans seventeen inches in diameter
Four grammes of white clover seed were
sown in one of the pans, and tine other
was left without any stimulus to vegeta-
ton. Both pans were exposed from July
Dist to October 4th, and then the drainage
water was collected and analysed with re-
suits which warranted the above conclu-
sion.
This bath for plating various metals with
platinum has received the approval of Pro-
fessor Boettger Freshly precipitated am
monia platinum chloride is treated at the
BOIuI with
solution of citrate of soda. The result is
an orange-colored solution of slightly acid
reaction and rich in platinum. The de-
composition of this bath by the current
from two or three Bunsen cells produces a
lustrous layer of platinum.
G. A. Ashburner is authority for the
statement that since the discovery of petro-
leum by Colonel Drake, in 1859, Pennsyl-
vania had produced up to the END of 1879
not less than l32. 262, 639 barrels of crude
oil, valued at $40, 700, 672 His theory of
the origin of the oil is that the oil sands
are the mere reservoirs which contain the
product of the decomposition of vegetable
and animal life of the Devonian epoch.
As the color of indigo is really greenish
blue when it is used as pigment or in So
luton, and as the color of the dry cake is
not only very black, but variable, accord
ing to the mode in which it is handled,
Professor o. n. Rood thinks it desirable
to let indigo" fall into disuse in designat-
ing color of the spectrum. and to substi-
tute "ultramarine" for it, the color of the
artificial variety being intended.
James Croll concludes that e the true
temperature of the sun IS not very different
from its effective temperature, and that it
is not much less than 10000 degrees if we
only consider the absorption of the terres-
trial atmosphere, nor much more than 90
600 degrees if we take into consideration
the absorption by the solar atmosphere.
estimating the latter at SIS. 100 of the total
radiation of the sun.
Leipsic, Germany, has put on the mar
ket colored inks, which may be used for
writing labels on glass. iron, marble,
mother of pearl and metal. The writing
is done with goose quill. and when dry
adhe-es so firmly that it cannot be re-
moved by any liquid Four different col
ors are made, black, white, red and blue.