The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-10
POPULAR SCIENCE.

Acc0RDNa to Dr. Wiedehold, fungus
growths IN cellars may be conbated
either BY burning sulphur Of BY pour.
ing two parts ct concentrated sulphuric
,acid over ono part Of common salt, and
20 closing ell openings ~ TO prevent any
escape q the-vapors. ,.s4 ! !
q Warm made slightly SALT and 70
which bran to ne proportion Of one
quart to every gallon has been added, is
said to increase the yield Of milk by 25
per cent. II it is given u cows az their
ordinary drink. After . short time the
COWS will refuse pure water. unless they
are very thirsty.
WHEN potatoes are frozen the amount
OF sugar they contain is doubled, the
starch undergoing corresponding dim
mutton while part Of the protein passes
from the eoagulable into the soluble
form. During the process Of rotting.
the potato loses half its heterogeneous con-
stituents and the whole Of the Sugar
IT is found that sawdust can bS' con.
yerted into o "liquid wood, " and after
ward into solid, flexible, and almost
indestructible mass, which, when
incorporated with animal matter, rolled
and dried, can be used for the most deli
cate impressions, as well as for the form
alton Of solid and durable articles. To
accomplish the method pursued is to
immerse the dust of any kind of wood in
diluted sulphuric acid, sufficiently
strong to affect the fbers, for some
days, the finer parts being tben passed
through o sieve, well.stirred,. and al.
lowed to settle. Z The liquid is,draiDed
from the sediment and the latter mixed
with Q proportionate quantity Of animal
matter, similar to that used for glue
the mess is then rolled, packed in
molds, and allowed to dry.
\ An automatic briek-making machine
of great effici ,ncy and power is among
the recent English inventions. The
driving ),ulleys move at a high speed;
and the first shaft, which is carried on,
an outside bracket, gears by means of 4
pinion inte two equal cog-whe eels-these
driving, respectively, one the upright
plugging shaft and top Iaold, and the
other the final finishing press. The lat.
ter is formed by an overhead cross-head
carrying a stamp, and connected with
the shaft oelow by two cranks and con-
necting-rods-this cross-head and stamp
descending into the, die in the table be-
low, into which the brick has been de-
livered, and finally compressing and
hardening it. Underneath the table
and die is another revolving crank or
cam, which. as it rises, pushes the fin
ished brick f.om the mold, ready for
delivery.
THE beauti full and far-fanled rose and
red shades OF French glass ssre produced
in the following monner. 4 certain
amount of Auriferous glass is prepared
beforehand and run in thin plates, and
fragments Of these plates are used by
the glass 4ower to fuse upon his work,
thus giving it superficial coloration.
It often happens that one and the same
composition of auriferous crystal gives
plates of very different shades-some
coiorless, others tinged more or less
deeply with rose aud red, and some al
most black these differences being due
.totwo can,'es, namely, the temperature
Of the mold into which the melted metal
is run, aDd the temperature Of the fur
mace in which the fusion has been effect
ed. For hght-colored plates, the tenn
perature is made low and the mold very
cold. Blue plates are sometimes pro-
duced under the same circumstances,
which. if reheated, take the normal
color. s sf4 3s.sa