The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-21
sUINTILLATIONs OF SCIENCE.


Mr.. E. Da Can't reports that it has
been found in the Azores that the en-
trance of smoke into the consefvatories
causes rapid developemcnt of the buds
in the cases of roses ananas, &C., and
that this fact is now made use of in has
tening the blooming. ....-
Mr.. w, HI. Preece, President of the
Society Of Telegraph Engineers, proposes
that in comparing electric light systems
with other means of illumination and
with one another, the light or system of
lighting be estimated not by its specific
intensity but by the area of ground it is
capable of Illuminating to given stand
ard or at given cost of production.
To bleach jute, Singer recommends
tiat the yarn be first placed in weak
and slightly warm soap bath for 10 min
utes, and then transferred to chloride
of lime bath OF l.0035 specific gravity.
After<the lapse OF forty minutes the
yarn is taken out. Sometimes it may be
necessary to repeat the operation. Fin
ally, the yarn is washed in warm and
thentin cold water and dried In the open
air. 4.
| The new anesthic by w. B. Maclene
is undergoing experiment by tine Edin-
burgh Odonto Chirurgical Society. 1t
consists in combining the administration
or exhibition of ethylen dichloride with
nitrous oxide gas; and this is effected by
placing small quantity of the ethylen-
dichloride on a little sponge held by a
clip in the way-tube ON the nitrous oxide
INHALER, leaving space enough on each
side of the sponge for the free passage of
the nitrous oxide.
Polar snow is known to contain five.
fortieths of iron, which must have de-
seended from the atmosphere. In the
snow north of Spitzbergen, Nordensjolk
detected iron, cobalt, and phosphorus.
Facts like these appear to have suggested
a theory of the aurora borealis to Prof.
Grinemann, of Gottingten. He believes
that large masses of iron particles de-
scribe path round the sun, and when
the earth crosses their path some of the
particles are attracted by it, especially at
the poles. When the particles strike the
atmosphere the friction thus produced
causes them to ignite and become lumin-
Gus, following exactly the behavior of
meteorites.
DR.. Neil Carmichael, of the Philoso-
phical Society of Glasgow, maintains
that the particles ordinarily found in
sewer-gas are not emanations from in
fectious diseases, and are not capable Of
originating them, and that disease germs
do not pass through a water-trap of
proper construction and good condition.
Water-traps, he asserts, excluded the air
Of the soil pipe to such an extent that
the small quantity which escapes is so
purified by filtration as to be perfectly
harmless. He attributes the evil conse-
quences which sometimes attend the use
of sinks and water-closets to some detect
in the soil-pipe. He succeeded in de-
monstrating by experiment that sosmall
an avenue of escape as pin-hole in a
soil-pipe allows the passage of germs and
other particles, and tina. hole of that
size may, therefore, be fertile source of
serious disease.
Signor Agostini finds, says Nature,
quoting from No. OF its Italian name
sake, that if through drop of mercury,
lying on surface not wet by it, cur
rent of electricity be sent in a vertical
direction, it rotates under the influence
of the earth's magnetism, as may be seen
il few particles of lvcopodium powder
be strewn on it. Similarly a mercury
drop rotates when placed on the surface
of steel magnet, and e. &. the magnet
connected with the positive pole of very
weak element, while an electrode pene-
trating the drop from above is connected
with the negative. From the strength
and direction of rotation of a number Of
such drops one may in general make
visible the distribution OF the magnet
ism, the neutral points, ETC., both in the
magnetic bars themselves, as when an
iron bar is brought coaxially near to one
end or into contact; also in the latter
The results Of previous experimental
measurements are thus confirmed.
DR.. X. Birnbaum writes in Dingler's
Journal that at the St. John Gas-works
near Saarbruck some gas-pipes which had
been in use for ten years showed pecu-
liar phenomena. The cast-iron of which
the pipes were made had assumed the
form Of regular, brittle and graphite
like mass of magnetic oxide which could
be cut with a knife, and had shining
surface. The brightness, however, dis
appeared when the surfaces were exposed
for a few weeks to the air. The expla-
nation given of the alteration of the
qualities of the iron is that owing to the
softness of the soil it was necessary to
surround the pipes with some hard ma
terial to keep them in position, and for
this purpose cinders were employed.
These were obtained from the Saar coal,
which is noted for containing large
amount of pyrites. The latter coming
in contact with rain-water, and also being
partly exposed to atmospheric influences,
readily acted on the metal and brought
about the change.
The prevailing opinion regarding the
liability of iron to assume crystalline