Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-10-20
POPULAR SCIENCE.

IL ID pIOpOScu ny MI. b6nner 10
print anlline black along with alizarin
violets. He prevents the colors from
spreading or running by adding acetate
of lime in large excess to the violet
mordant.
In a note to the Vienna Academy of
Sciences DR.. Margules calls attention
to the beautiful figures that are repro
duced in glycerine when the liquid is
moved in the regular way by the rota-
ton of a diskin contact with it. The
figures are due to the water in the
glycerine.
The Nature reports that Geographic
experiment of a singular description
was tried about the middle of August
at the Trocadero. 1t consists merely
of the reading of large silvered zinc
letters, square metre in size, fixed on
blackened board, by refracting
telescopes. This method has succeed
ed very well from the trocadero to the
Pantheon-a distance of three miles.
The inventor, an officer in the French
service, thinks he will succeed in read
ing messages at distance of sixty
miles under favorable circumstances
Viscose, the gummy substance of
viscous fermentation, is thus described
NJ. A. Bechamp: It is white, easily
powdered, and not at all like gum, but
when it is dissolved in cold water it
appears glutinous. 1t does not reduce
the cupro -potassic reagent. Alcohol
precipitates it entirely from its solution
in mass which can be drawn into
threads. Solutions of viscose are not
colored blue or violet by iodine. Sui
phuric acid acts on viscose as a starch,
forming dextrine and a glucose, and
the doctrines do not ferment when
beer yeast is added to them.
a chemical analysis has been made
by Prof. Girod of the contents of the
"ink-bag," or pouch of the Cephalopoda
dibranchiatd. AS is well known, the
ink-bag contains peculiar secretion,
which can be expelled at will when
the animal is in danger, and by the
dark color impaired by it to the water,
the chances of escape are greatly in
creased. Girod purified the black mat
ter by successive digestions in alcohol,
ether, glacial acetic acid, sodium car
Donate, to which a little potassa had
been added, and dilute hydrochloric
acid. The ultimate analysis is as fol-
lows: Carbon, $50, hydrogen, 4.O4,
and nitrogen, 8.8-the remainder being
oxygen.
A report on the products of the
French cellulOid company has been
drawn up by NJ. Vincent. The author
states that celluloid must be preserved
from any great elevation of tempera-
ture, even for short time, in order to
avoid the conditions which may pro-
duce very serious accidents; and, with
a further view of insuring safety, he
says that only limited quantities of it
ought to be stored up. He found that
cold mineral acids have but a very
slight effect on it, but that hot nitric
and sulphuric acids destroy it very
quickly. A mixture of alcohol and
ether will rapidly destroy it, even in
the cold. The nitro-cellulose, which is
the basis of the celluloid tested, it is
added, is prepared from cigarette
paper.
Concluding very elaborate series
OF lectures on solar physics, which it
would be well to have published in the
form of a memoir, with as complete an
index as possible, Mr.. ]. Norman Lock
yer says: Whereas twenty years ago
we imagined ourselves to be in full
presence in the sun of chemical forms
with which we are familiar here ION
the earth), think in this present year
we are bound to consider that that
view may be modified to a certain ex-
tent, and that we are justified in hold
ing the view that not these chemical
forms with which we are acquainted
here, but their germs really, are re-
vealed to us in the hottest region of
the sun'-a statement of so great i'm
portance that must require years of
patient labor to substantiate to its
full extent.
Some relations between the Uranium
and the skeleton of human beings has
been discovered by M. Manouvrier.
The weight Of the skull varies in a
general way from the weight of the
skeleton, but not proportionately as the
weight of the brain. The weight of
the skeleton without the Uranium,
varies nearly in proportion to the
weight of the femur. The weight of
the Uranium is greater relatively to that
of the femur, the lighter the latter is.
The weight Of the Uranium is much
more considerable to that of the femur
in woman than in mana difference
so pronounced that it constitutes one
of the best secondary sexual character
ties. About 80 women in 160 have the
Uranium heavier than the two femurs.
while 80 men out of 100 have it
lighter. The lower jaw is heavier rela-
lively to the Uranium in the anthro-
poids than in man.
Experiments on cotton-seed oil, which
may be found useful in the application
of their results for the detection of
spurious olive oil, have been conducted
by Prof. Wideman. Cotton-seed oil
has at 0 degree the specific gravity of
0.9, 406, but at 30 degrees of only
0.9,206. Treated with vitrol the oil
assumes a violet tint, which is deepen
ed by stirring; and after the lapse of
twenty-four hours the mixture thickens
and becomes deep brown color. When
sulphuric acid and potassium bichro-
mate are applied to the oil a violent re-
action ensues with an evolution of sui
phuric acid, the oil then taking a
blood-red color. Caustic alkalies of
specific gravity of 1.24 thicken the
oil and makes it straw-yellow, while
the alkaline solution separates and
takes deeper color; and when the
mixture is stirred with glass rod the
upper layers appear blue, passing grad
ually into violet color.
Cane-Growers.
Several gentlemen prominently inter-
ested in the development of the north
orYa cana N 70 oro 40 0p ;oo,,