Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-12-31
ART AND SCIENCE.

Two plants believed to be new Ia
science have been discovered in Central
Australia. The one Yields a small black
pea, growing in pods, and is edible, the
other is a small native cucumber.
Ice machines are designed to employ
the heat generated from coal in extract.
ing the heat stored up in water. Oue
ton of coal will make fifteen tons
of ice by at least one of the processes.
Small quantities of arsenic are used
in the manufacture of glass. It serves
to peroxidize the iron oxide in the sand
and thereby to purify the body OF
the glass, Too much will impart a
milky hue.
1t is known as a fact in geology that
below the depth of thirty feet the earth
becomes regularly warmer as we de-
scend. On an average the increase is
at the rate of one degree Of Fahrenheit
for every fifty feet.
Another unsupported danger growing
out OF the intirmities of railway en-
ployes was suggested at the recent con-
AN4NlNS VI lllol4 NlCbOI0 VI Nlthl HllllGS III
Milan. 1t appears that locomotive en-
gineers are peculiarly subject to Ger,
tain disease Of the ear, liable to affect
their hearing in such a way as to imperil
the safety of their trains. Like color
blindness, this defect seems to have
been operative long before it was dis
covered.
Some Of the washing waters OF Paris,
which were formerly run into the CITY
sewers, are now collected in casks, and,
the suds being subjected to chemical
treatment, the fatty matters are manu-
featured into toilet soaps, made fragrant
by the addition of oil of roses. Accord
ing to this process q little sulphuric
acid is added to the soap water obtained
from washing linen, the whole is then
stirred up and the fatty matter is allow
ed to stand for few hours, when, on
its collecting upon the surface of the
liquid, it is gathered in casks.
One of the advantages pertaining to
the new method of engraving by cleo
tricity-an electric spark pen having
been invented for the purpose in Paris
is that the artist does all parts of his
work, and with no more trouble than il
working with an ordinary pencil, and
can even operate in dark room, without
any other light than the glare from the
induction spark, If sheet of thin
paper be attached to a plate of copper
or zinc, it is said that an engraving may
be made with extraordinary facility by
this device.
Prof. T. Sterry Hunt, estimating the
production of pig iron in this country
during the past year at 100000 tons,
expresses the belief that the full realiza-
ton Of the country's possibilities in iron
manufacture will not be attained until
iron shall be found side by side with
the coal and limestone needed for its
manufacture From his experience in
the valley Of the Hooking, in Ohio, he is
of the opinien that that section will be
the main place of supply of both pig
iron and steel, the ore, coal, and lime
being found there in close proximity.
Very fine and lightly deposited snow
occupies about twenty-four times as
hluCu SPdCe dS water Iue IulChlleSS Ol
an ordinary fall Of snow collected upon
the ground generally represents about
as much water as would lie in tenth
part of the same depth. Ten inches Of
snow, therefore, correspond with one
inch of rain. The most accurate way,
however, to estimate the quantity Of
snow that is contained in any fall, is to
cut round cake out of the deposit to
its full depth by a cylinder of copper,
or tin, of known diameter and then to
measure the water that is procured by
melting that quantity of snow This at
once furnishes ready means of comlGr,
ing the fall of snow with rainfall
measured in rain-gauge possessing q
receiving funnel of the same diameter
as the cylinder.