The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1881-12-22
POPULAR SCIENCE.

From the palmetto 1bre a new kind
of paper ia now made which can be
washed with soap and water, and
wfung ont and dried like linen. 1t is
tough and resembles parchment in
color.
Messrs. Russell s. West, in a remark
able paper contributed TO the Royal
Society, London, concluded that the
minimum amount of nitrogen excreted
by healthy adult man is, on the
average, eight grammes in the twenty
four hours.
Mr.. 9. T. Kingzett scouts the idea
that ozone is n natural disinfecta
and thinks that much of the credit
given TO ozone ought justly and more
accurately be ascribed to the peroxide
Of hydrogen.
To preserve leather hose, betting,
ETC., in good condition, The Engineer
recommends crude castor oil, warmed
if possible, and freely applied. 1t in
creases, it says, the pliability OF the
leather, and the cling Of the belts, and
does not become rancid. Rats avoid
it. In hose it should be pumped in
from tho interior under considerable
pressure, thus thoroughly filing the
pores.
The substance found in the boys in
Ireland, supposed to have been ordin-
airy butter hidden ages ago by the
smugglcrs, or as the common people
believed concealed by the fairies, turns
out not to be butter at all, but to DO
a natural substance arising from the
decomposition of the vegetable matter
forming the peat, a kind OF mineral
resin, or hydro carbOnaceOus COM
pound.
In communication to the French
Academy of Sciences, Debray states
| that lead can not be alleged with iri-
| dunn or ruthenium. Although they
dissolve in lead at high temperatures
they crystalline out of it when the
| temperature is low, and when the mass
| Is dissolved ia dilute nitric acid both
! iridium and ruthenium will be depos-
! tied in the form of brilliant crystal
| line powder, inSoluble in any of the
! acids. There is an actual combination
! however, between platinum and rho
! dunn with lead, aHd during the union
! both light and heat are very sensible.
| Crystalline alloys are the result.
! When the lead is in excess a very fusi-
Bile alloy is obtained, which after be-
! ing acted upon by dilute nitric acid
leaves a residue Of platinum or rho
dunn in combination with some lead
There seems to be very little or no
! doubt Chat the plumbo- platinum COM
bination, at least, is true alloy, hav-
ing about IL per cent Of lead.
To detect the presence of chiccory
in coffee, saws Prunier, the microscope
examination is the best; but as this Is
not always possible the following
method may be emp dyed: The co1eo
is spread on a sheet OF white paper.
The grains of coffee then present an
angular appearance, while the chic
cory has an amorphous appearance and
is of darker color. " hen the sus-
pected grains arc picked out with q
needle, the coffee grains will jump
away or are split by it, but the chic
cory grains, being softer, are easily
punctured. The softer grains when
| crushed carefully between the teeth
produce a gritty sensation like fine
sand. II chiccory is present its flavor
is more like all acid bitter than the
aromatic bitter TASTE 81 coffee. Chic
cory in coffee may thus be roughly cs-
tinated About two grammes of dried
ground coffee are sifted III d hair sieve
from the fine dust which consist of
pure coffee tho larger grains are MA.
cerated for some hours with cold wa,
ter, and then thrown on piece OF
sire etched cloth and rubbed with tht
fingers, when the chiccOry is forces
through leaving the coffee grains OIL
the cloth. The coffee Is then collect
ell, dried and weighed. The loss OF
weight gives the weight OF the chic
cory.