Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-09
BITS OF SCIENCE.

An excellent varnish for plows and
other tools that are laid away for winter
is made by melting one pound of lard with
eight ounces OF rosin; apply it warm with
q brush or swab. Tools thus protected
will come out bright as new in the spring.
To produce a pure black upon wood,
pour four quarts of boiling water over one
ounce of powdered extract of logwOod,
and when the solution is effected add one
drachm of yellow chromate of potassium
and stir the whole well. Repeat the ap-
plicatiOn of this mixture until the wood
is black.
If pail of water be placed within six
inches of either side of the stem of a
pumpkin or vegetable marrow, it will in
the course of the night approach it, and
will be found in the morning with one of
the leaves on the water. This experiment
may be continued nightly until the plant
begins to fruit.
There are four thousand paper mills in
the world, with an annual product of two
billion pounds of paper. One-half of this
is used for the purposes of the printer
six hundred million pounds for newspa-
pers alone. England uses the greater
quantity; America next; Germany next;
France next; with Italy, Mexico, Spain
and Prussia following in order.
Dry earth is valuable absorbent and
disinfectant, and is useful to scatter on
the floor of the hen-house during winter.
In drying up pIg-pens and cow-stables
where they are sloppy and wet, dry earth
is of great value. Now is a good time to
lay IN supply. Its great disinfecting
properties have been well eXemplified in
the use of earth closets.
A deal of breakage amongst glass and
crOckery can be prevented by the simple
precaution of placing lamp chimneys,
tumblers and such articles in pot filled
with cold water to which some common
table salt has been added. Boil the water
well and then allow it to cool slowly.
When the articles are taken out and
washed they will resist any sudden
changes of temperature.
The largest gold nuggets ever found
were the following: The Sarah Sands mug
get, found at Ballarat. 1t weighed 100
pounds Troy or 1860 ounces. This, at "a
per ounce, would be worth 96140. The
Blanche Barkly nugget, dug up at Kin
COVER. 1t weighed 145 pounds and was
worth $1,000. The Welcome nugget, found
at Ballarat. 1t weighed 1874 pounds and
was sold for 100000. This was the largest
ever found.
An ingenious continuance for ventilat-
ing cars is now in operation on the Boston
and Lowell Railroad. A funnel-shaped
arrangement is attached to the car, Gre
ating a vacuum in the ventilatOr while
the train is in motion. The atmosphere
inside Of the car rushes to replace that
which is being continually withdrawn
and creates a perfect ventilation. While
the car is going at rapid rate of speed a
handkerchief thrown up will be drawn
out OF the car.
The pipe lines connect with 1000 oil
wells in Pennsylvania, receiving from
them daily $1,000 barrels of Oil. Forty
one million barrels are stored in tanks.
To transport and store this enormous
quantity of oil about 5000 miles OF pine
line and over 1000 iron tanks of an aver
age capacity are necessary. Besides the
5000 miles of branch pipe lines in use in
the region, there are 1 200 miles of trunk
line for piping oil to the refneries at Cleye-
land, Buffalo and Pittsburg.