The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-02-07
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

Wines made from the wild oranges
Of Florida are alleged to have greatly
prized therapeutic properties. The
manufacture Of these beverages Is very
simple.
Some French chemists have sue
ceeded in solidifying petroleum, In which
state Il burns like tallow. This solidifi.
cation is effected by adding to distilled
petroleum twenty-five per cent. OF the
purified Juice Of the plant belongingt TO
| the family of the Euphorbiaceous.
Ether spray in the practice OF DR..
McColpanan, has not only immediately
relieved facial neuralgia, but has effect.
ed permanent cure. The intense cold
produced is considered to have acted on
the affected nerve, so as to nave pro-
duced n complete change in the nutr'-
ton and It's action.-San FRANCISCO
Chronicle.
Instead of employing an ammoni-
acal double salt of nickel in an alkaline
solution, for nickel plating; a new plan
is to use neutral or slightly alkaline
solution, containing certain organic
acids; 80 parts BY weight OF sulphate OF
nickel, 25 Of citrate of nickel, and 10 of
benzoic acid, are dissolved in 1000 OF
ier.-Chicaqo Tribune.
On Long Island the sand industry
has grown to extraordinary propof-
tons. Only four firms whose invested
capital did not exceed $4,000 existed
five years ago. The capital invested in
the business at the present time exceeds
| S2,OO0,0O0 An average of 1850 tons
of sand are shipped in boats to New
York daily Y. Times.
Sheep culture is no longer a matter
of doubt or experiment in tho Arkansas
Valley. Numerous streams OF pure
running water, tame and wild grasses,
cheap food and market facilities present
great inducements to sheep owners.
From very small beginning made
about five years ago the business has
increased to good proportions.
In o lecture at the Lowell Institute,
Professor George l.. Goodalc, the we'll
known botanist, recently stated that a
sunnower, three feet and u half high,
presented an evaporating surface Of
thirty-nine square feet, ind that the
roots OF such q sunilower had been
found TO aggregate fourteen hundred
and forty eight feet in length. Accord.
ing to the same authority, grasses and
similar plants, on hot day in summer,
exhale about their own weight OF water
The american Naturalist says tina,
mountain cork has been recently used il
Germany az substitute for ANNA
charcoal for the removal Of color from
molasses. The mountain cork, a spe
cics of amphlbole. is dried, igni,ed and
soaked In molasses, then again dried
and ignited. The process is repeated
several times until some 3.5 per cent. Of
carbon has become fixed in the mineral
which Is then ready for use. 1t is more
efficient than charcoal in removing the
alkalies from molasses
"A new map of the mean annua
rainfall Of the world has been prepared
by Professor Elias LOOMS, of Yale Col
lege. He finds that an equatorial rain
belt of fifty inches of rain year extend
continuously across all the continent
and islands, and Is nearly fifteen hun
dred miles wide on an average. On thu
other hand the regions which receiv
less than ten inches of rain per aunun
: are also very extensive, although Spail
is the only land in Europe where tn
,, rainfall is so scanty as this. In Asia
, however, there is an area three thousan,
,, miles long and one thousand mile
: broad, over which the rainfall average
/, less than ten inches, and like tracts OK
: ist in Africa, Australia, on the ives
coast of South America, and the Mort
, American continent near the Great Slav
,, Lake, in Arizona, and in Southern Cali
fornia. Professor Loomis estimates tina
: onc.ffth of the earth's land surface re
, ocives nm annual rainfall of less than to
, inches. Very little is known as TO tn
quantity Of rain which falls upon tn
, ocean.