The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-18
sCINTILLATIONs OF SCIENCE.

fertile suggestion that trade is good
when much money is being spent upon
new industrial enterprises; trade is bad
when little money is being spent on. such
enterprises"
The Japanese are about to organize a
geological staff of engineers. They are
to make thorough and systematic geo.
logical survey Of the whole country,
much after the same methods pursued in
the geological survey of Great Britain
and Ireland.
M. Pallas reports that on stroking a
cat.he experienced formal electric shocks.
He laid his right hand on the left shoul-
while be stroked her back with his left
hand. The shocks were felt in his right
hand when he ceased to touch her with
his. left hand.
Herr Krupp is reported to have, taken
out patent for refining pig by means of
iron oxide in cupola lined with basic
bricks in graphite. He is said to claim
that he gets out a greater part Of the
silicon, sulphur, and phosphorns.without
touching the carbon.
"A modification Of the American-audi-
phone, which has proved Of great service
to the deaf and dumb, has been described
'by M. tColladon before the French Acad-
emy Of Sciences. Instead of hard rubber,
a peculiar kind of pasteboard is used for
the disk, and there are no cords, needed
to regulate the tension. That part of the.
instrument which is held in the mouth
is provided with asurface to resist moist
ure.
The "damposcope" is the name given
by its inventor Prof. Forbes, of An
derson's College, Glasgow, to an ipstru-
ment designed to detect the presence of
fre-damp in mines. The principle en-
bodied in tits that when tuning+fork
istsounded and brought near tube Of a
certain length full of-air, the tube will
resound to the note produced by the
fork. By this machine the, fre-damp in
anime cansbe estimated to the amount
Eof 05 per cent. 1t has already been
adopted in some Of the minesiin Lanark-
shire, Scotland.
A new quadrant electrometer is de-
scribed by Edelmann. The needle, con-
sisting Of two guadrants cut from a
cylinder, swings concentrically within an
other cylinder slit into four tquadrants,
which take the place of the usual pairs
Of fiat quadrantal plates. The needle and
its attached mirror are supported by a
ibifilar suspension, and the charge is given
to the needle by connecting the cup of
concentrated sulphuric acid into which
it dips with the pole. of a Zamboni pile.
This latter arrangement, the compiler of
physical Notes" in the Nature remarks,
is simpler than the usual replenisher and
gauge OF the well-known Thomson cleo
trometers, but can not be anything like
as reliable. .
In the recent London journals there is
a notice of some notes lately contributed
by Mr.. Warrington on some practical
points connected with his laboratory ex-
perience. The first point was the modi-
hcation proposed by Dr. Frankland as, a
Substitute for the steel blocks which form
7 the air-tight connectors between the lab.
oratory and the measuring tubes in the
gas apparatus. DR.. Frankland caused
the measuring tube to end in an upright
funnel, in which fits roughly conical
stopper which terminates the labora-
tory tube. The joint was made
tight by a piece of sheet India.
rubber tied on the lower end of this
conical stopper. The India-rubber being
turned back, was applied to the sides OF
the funnel, and the joint covered with
mercury. This modification Mr.. War
rington has found extremely convenient
One difficulty, however, was the constant
! wearing out of the india-rubber, due tc
it's rubbing up and down on the stopper
: By tying the india-rubber above as wei
as below the stopper this difficulty has
been obviated, and the rubber lasts nov
as many months sit formerly did weeks
Mr.. Warrington recommends the coating
, of laboratory benches, mercury troughs
etc., with paratine. The wood is frs
! heated, and then the parafine is rubbed
! in, so as to preserve the wood from the
] action of acids
4 The Nature says with regard tt
Distinguishing artificial from natura
butter, M. Donny' remarks in q recent
note to the Belgian Academy that the
two behave very differently when heated
between 15O deg. and 160 deg. in q cap
sule or test-tube. AT this Temperature
artificial butter produces very little
froth, but the mass undergoes sort Of
irregular boiling, accompanied by violent
jerks, which tend to project some of the
butter out of the vessel. Theamass grows
brown, but but this is by rea-
son Of the Gaseous matter separat-
ing out in clots on the walls; the fatty
portion Of the sample sensibly retains its
natural color. Naturalbutter, ON the Other
hand, heated to 1902 or 1902, produces
: abundant froth, the jerks are much les'
!. pronounced, and the mass grows brown
; but in different way. A good part o
the brown coloring matter remains il
suspension in the butter, 80 that tn
'fwhole mass has a characteristic brow
: aspeet, similar to that Of the sauce calle'
!, au;benrre noir. All natural buffers be
! have thus, and it is strange, M. Denn
I says, that this simple method of distir