National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-03-12
SCIENTIFIC SCINTILLATIoNS.

| To obtain a glossy skin: Pour upon Il
pint of bran sufficient boiling water to cover it.
| Let it stand until cold and then battle the face
with it, only patting the skin with soft towel to
| dry it.
| To take iron stains out of marble: An
equal quantity of fresh spirit of vitriol and lemon
juice being mixed in bottle shake well, wet the
spots and i'll a few minutes rub with soft linen till
| they disappear.
| Thirteen plans for the new State capt.
| toll at Austin, Tex, have been presented. The
Austin Salesman says that they have been received
| from Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky. and Tennessee
as well as from several places in Texas.
The experiment of irrigating lands in
| the neighborhoOd of Paris with water from the
sewers is said to be working successfully. Sterile
tracts of lands have been converted into fertile
plains, while no increase of sickness among the
| inhabitants has followed, as was apprehended.
A Hungarian chemist has lately shown
some surprising experiments in Paris with a new
light giving substance, which burns with so little
heat that its flame will not set fire to handker-
chief carpet, or other fabric with which it may
come in contact. person may hold the burning
liquid in his hand without injury. This new ilu-
minating fluid is prepared from petroleum.
The Photographic Netrs describes de-
tective camera. the invention of Mr. Bolas. 1t is
like shoeblacks box, and may be slung over the
shoulder with strap. 1t carries gelatine plates
already in position, and a lens that is always in
focus for any distance from twenty to thirty feet
II may be dropped in the street any time the owner
sees a group he wants a picture of When it
touches the ground bulb is squeezed and the ex-
posture is made.
The value of the grape and wine pro-
duct of California for 1880 is estimated at
u. :. n6npn
10000 gallons of brandy, $1,000 worth of raisns
and grapes for preserving and table use the value
ofs1O0,O OOorS150,O00 more The new brandy is worth
at wholesale S1.15 gallon The new vineyards
that have been planted cover 5000 to 10000 acres
In Sonoma County alone 1000 acres were planted
in vines last year. In Napa County the wine pro-
ductincreased from 29 gallons in 1S0to 600
last year. Land fit for wine growing may be had
for s. to Si25 an acre. according to location and
soil.
German Psychologists have been ex-
perimenting to ascertain the best mode of restor-
ing frozen animal life, aud they announce that
the hitherto accepted theory that persons who
have been exposed too long TO extreme cold should
not be brought into contact with warmth except
by slow degrees, is wholly erroneous. Dogs were
frozen by artificial applications of cold until
breathing and pulsation had almost entirely
ceased, and then attempts were made to restore
twenty of them in cold room, twenty in warm
room, and twenty in bath of warm water. Of
the first fourteen died; of the second eight of the
last none. The warm bath brought about restor-
alton in a remarkably short time.
Salt cake is produced in quantity in
California in the manufacture of nitric acid, but
as coal and limestone are dear in that State De
Blancs process for the manufacture of soda is not
economical. Mr.. J. Putxkow, therefore, in re-
cent number Of Dngler's Journal proposes to mix
solution of salt cake with calcium sulphite and
pass in sulphurous acid. Soluble calcium bisul-
phite is formed, and by decomposition calcium
sulphate and sodium bisulphite. The two salts
are separated by filtration, and the sodium bisul-
phite is treated with milk oflime The result is
solution of caustic soda, retaining certain guam
tity of sodium sulphite and sulphate, which is
eVaporated down in the usual manner, and of
calcium sulphite, which is used again in the pro-
cess.