Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1883-09-13
CURRENT LII ER4TURE.

SCIENCE, weekly magazine published by
| Moses King, Cambridge, Mass, contains much
| matter of interest to earnest thinkers and
advanced Students The number for August
24th is ut hand and among the subjects
treated Of in its pages are Reliability Of
the evidence obtained in the study of con
| tagla, "Ihe conditions necessary for the
sensation Of light" "Hell's observations OF
| the transit Of Venus in 1863" "Errata in cata-
logucs Of stars, " Wards dynamic sociology"
1.-The German survey OF the northern
heavens "a plea for pure science"
Nc. Each of these papers bears
| marks Of great research in its
| preparation, and it may be said of
Sfteisce, without prejudice to less erudite
publications, that it aspires to the classics of
| physics. Other publications appeal to the
| neophyte Science talks to the ripened stu
dent and leads him still higher. One Of the
| articles published in this number is on ''some
hitherto undeyeloped properties Of squares"
formulated by o. s. Wescott of Chicago, and
ezplicab.e by the binominal theorem, but
curious enough, Notwithstanding For in
stance The tens and units figures Of all per-
feet squares of numbers from 20 to 40 inclu-
slVe, are the same as the tens and
unit figures of perfect squares OF
| numbers from "a to inclusive !;
hence, to determine the square OF any num-
Der between rs and 80, find the corresponding
number below IS and augment its square by
the number Of hundreds indicated by its re .
| mptenesa from %. Thus the square of "a il
j7j add 100 and you have GIG, the square of
%, the square Of 90 is 48i add 300 and you
have 7si, the square Of IS. BY a series of
steps of this character the author gives
methods OF squaring higher numbers, and
conversely, for obtaining their square roots
The Examinations Of all perfect squares are
| only % as follows 90, OF, O4, 90, l6, Il, "a,
20 90 SO, IL, IA, 40, iG, 81, GA, 50, 76, 81, "a,
~, 30
In the SCIENTIFIC. AMERICAN of this date
W. Il. Miller Of Cape May, commenting upon
tue article on the manufacture of sorghum
| sugar, published in the issue of August 18th.
says that the "Rio Grande Sugar Company
, OF Cape May county, has been successfully
| engaged in the manufacture OF sorghum
sugar for the past two years. Last year the
company produced from G, 2O6 tons of crushed
cane l,O22 barrels Of molasses, and $40, 94i
| pounds of sugar. This year over thousand
acres of sorghum are rapidly ripen-
ing there, and the work of cutting
the cane and making the sugar
will be begun within the next two weeks
Tho state pays a bounty of II per ton on the
cane raised, and one cent per pound on the
sugar made therSfrom. The author of the
articles on "atoring wind power" discusses
two plans, suggested respectively by MIR.
Davis OF Calais, Me-, and Mr. Mortensen of
Racine, Wis, and regards both as impracti
cable. MIR. Davis suggested that the surplus
| wiud power be devoted to raising weights,
their descent by grayitation to drive the
machinery during cslms. But the reviewer
calculates that, under Mr.. Davis plan.
2iOOO,OOO pounds OF weights must be
raised to hight OF fifty feet
to furnish the power to keepa 20, horse. power
machine running 80 hours MIR. Mortensen
suggests springs, instead OF weights, to be
forced down by the windmills and to drive
| the machinery by their recoil But spring
Hhich shall do the work OF even one-horse
power for an hour will be dangerous instru-
ment TO manage even were its cost not an in
snperable obstacle. But. let.ius hope for
| success and try again., says the common.
tstor. "These two plans have not brought
| Ms what we need, but others may"