The Hickman courier., 1881-03-18
SCRAPS OF SCIENCE.

CoPPER has been detected in the soil
Of churchyard, and in portions OF ex-
humed bodies. Sex -u
AT Thebes an'ancient Egyptian papy%
rus roll containing a treatise on medicine
has been found.lo s-s l-s f-h
A NEW scientific instrument is the
''pulviometer, which registers the guam
tty of rain falling within a certain
period, and the duration and the hour OF
the fall.
IT has been discovered that minute
fungus will cause fermentation in solu-
ton of glucose, while it does not affect
thatof 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
mixture of two-thirds ordinary paper
pulp and one-thirl asbestos has been
thoroughly Incorporated, it is stepped in
n solution of common salt and alum. 1t
Is then made into paper, which is finally
coated with shellac varnish.
THE new invention, the photophoue, n
modification of the telephone with silen-
ium, by means of which light is made
durable. has had a new and practicable
application. Itlhasi 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 s
A MEDICAL missionary has learned the
curious fact that Alongol doctors are not
entirely umacquainted with the proper
ties of galvauism. 1t is said that>they
are in the habit of prescribing pulver-
lied loadstone ore for sores, and man
hard of hearing was, IN one case, recon-
mended To put piece of loadstone into
each ear and chew a piece of iron ia his
mouth
Mr.. G. J. KINrNER, of the United
States Patent Office, believed that, iudg-
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
solid and liquid bodies under electrical
inhuencevis 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 elias
ITCHY of mica and gutta percha is in
creased
A DAIRYING company of London have
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 a stated
.neriod of time. The samples of milk
&C tscllic1eff7S examined by the company's
analyst, whose analyses and reports win
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.
LIZ. elastic gum is warmed, then ex-
panded and wound in a spiral upon
glass tube or wire, and cooledf for a short |
time in a cooling mixture, 1T shows no |
tendency to contract; but when it is sub |
mitted to hot water it returns quickly 10 |
its original length. The phenomenon |
can also be made to appear. without the |
USE VI Tic II OLt npltlo
heated gum second in an expanded |
condition it shows no disposition to re
turn to. its original length, but if one inn
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.
sFoR the purpose of determining the
of horse to undergo the priva-
tions incident to state of siege. a series |
of experiments have been made in Paris. |
The results show That a horse may |
hold out for twenty-five days without any |
solid notrishment, provided tits supplied |
with sufficient good drinking water; that |
a horse can subsist.on barley five days
without water; and, thirdly, thai if a
horse is well fed for ten days, but insult |
supplied with water throughout !
this period, twill not outlive the eleventh
day. A horse which had received no
solid nourishment for twelve days was
in condition to draw load |
of six hundred pounds on the twelfth day |
of its fast.