The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-03-17
SCRAPS OF SCIENCE,

COPPER has been detected in the soil
Of churchyard, and in portions of ex-
humed bodies.
AT Thebes an ancient Egyptian papy-
rus roll containing treatise on medicine
has been found
A NEW scientific instrument is the
''phlviometer, which registers the guam
tity of rain falling within certain
period, and the duration and the hour of
the fall.
IT has been discovered that minute
fungus will cause fermentation in solu
zion of glucose, while it does not affect
that of cane sugar Advantage has been
taken of this fact to separate cane sugar
from molasses, the glucose undergoing
fermentation, and thus allowing the cane
sugar to crystalize out.
A PAPER said to be proof against fire
and water is prepaid in this way After
a mixture of two-thirds ordinary paper
pulp and one-third asbestos has been
thoroughly incorporated, it is stepped in
solution of common salt and alum. 1t
is then made into paper, which is finally
coated with shellac varnish.
THE new invention, the photophone, q
modification of the telephone with silen-
ium, by means of which light is made
durable, has had new and practicable
application. 1t has been employed in
the study of the solar eruptions and the
effect of these great commissions in the
sun has been perceived audibly by the
| ear of the observer.
A MEDICAL missionary has learned the
curious fact that Mongol doctors are not
entirely unacquainted with the proper
ties of galvanism. It is said that they
are in the habit of prescribing pulyer-
lied loadstone ore for sores, and q man
hard of hearing was, in one case, recon-
mended to put piece of loadstone into
each ear and chew q piece of iron in his
mouth!
!; Mr.. G. J. KNTNER, of the United
States Patent Office, believed that, judg-
ing from what has already been done in
various applications of electricity, with
in the'next decade we shall find our large
| telegraphic corporations operating their
elevators, supplying motive power, heat,
and light throughout their buildings,
and electricity for their lines from one
common source of power.
THE researches of Professor Quincke
indicate that the change of volume of
influence is not due to heat, for the
change produced in the volume of fatty
oils is one of contraction. The same in
vestigator has shown that electricity di-
| minishes the elasticity of flint and Ger
man glass, which is also said to be- the
case with India rubber, while the elas-
ITCHY of mica and gutta percha is in
| creased.
A DAIRYING company of London have
I laboratory at which samples of milk
received from farmers are subjected to
| chemical analysis. Prizes have been Of
fered by the company, which are to be
| given those farmers whose milk supply
stands highest in quality during stated
period Of time. The samples of milk
are carefully examined by the company s
analyst, whose analyses and reports will
decide the competition for the prizes. 1t
is expected that much valuable informa-
tion respecting methods for producing
the richest possible milk will be pro-
duced in this way. ;,
| IF elastic gum is warmed, then ex-
panded and wound in spiral upon a
glass tube or wire, and cooled for short
time in cooling mixture, it shows no
tendency to contract; but when it is sub
mitted to hot water it returns quickly to
its original length. The phenomenon
can also be made to appear without the
use of the cooling mixture. If one holds
heated gum second in an expanded
condition it shows no disposition to re-
turn to its original length, but if one i'm
merses it in hot water it contracts to one
fourth or one-fifth of its original length.
| Maxwell has found that similar phenom-
ena are produced in gutta percha.
For the purpose of determining the
capacity of horse to undergo the priya-
1 tioHs incident to state of siege, series
of experiments have been made in Paris.
The results show: That horse may
| hold out for twenty-five days without any
solid nourishment, provided it is supplied
with sufficient good drinking water; that
horse can subsist on barley five days
without water; and, thirdly, that if O
horse is well fed for ten days, but insuf,
ficiently supplied with water throughout
this period, twill not outlive the eleventh
day. A horse which had received nc
solid nourishment for twelve days was
nevertheless in condition to draw q load
of six hundred pounds on the twelfth day
of its fast.