The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-01-24
Scientific Miscellany.

Or. j. G.. Booth, of the United States
mint, states that the commoner metals
OF commerce have greatly improved in
quality in tho last few years as a result
of improvement in the work of puriti.
cation. Much copper now averages 90
per cent. pure, while large proportion
of the silver from the mining regions
contains 80 and nine-tenths per cent
of the pure metal. Concerning the
waste In working precious metals, DR..
Booth remarks that, while y loss of ten
per cent. is tolerated in working iron
in the fire, the government holds the
mint responsible for greater waste in
working gold than onc-tcnth OF one per
cent, and the actual loss is usually far
less than this.
In the open air mineral coal is liable
to crumbling and often TO spontaneous
combustion An Australian mining
engineer, Wen.el Poech, has discover
ed q simple and inexpensive means OF
preventing loss from such sources, the
plan consisting chiefly in treating The
coal-pilc with steam for the exclusion
, of the air and securing permanent re-
tention Of moisture The theory il that
the absorption of oxygen and other
gases, for which the way is opened oy
the evaporation OF the microscopic
moisture, causes the deterioration OF
the coal, and this cannot happen If the
coal is kept full OF water.
The doctrine OF the pcrmanenoy OF
the ocean basins, about which geolo-
gists disagree, is strongly supported by
Rev. O. Fisher, who refers TO sugges-
ton which he made N 1882 TO account
! for the origin of the vast deprossions
which the oceans fill Accepting Prof.
| G.. II Darwin's theory that the moon
broke away from the earth more than
fifty million years ago, he thinks the
ocean basins may be the scar that was
| formed, and that the basement rocks OK
continents are fragments of the crust
which had already solidiicd, aud which
were left behind. ..
II has been demonstrated by DR.. Hans
! Molisch that the roots OF plants may DC
DETECTED from their normal direction
ts exposure on one side TO certain gas
cs. II such gases are in moderate
quantities the roots bend away from
their source; if in larger quantities, to-
ward such source. The side OF the
root exposed TO the action of the gas
grows more strongly than the other.
A German experimenter, Prof. y.
Wollny. has found that soil covered
with living heritage or dead vegetable
matter is Colder in summer and warm
ar In winter than bare soil under other
wise similar conditions. The difference
of temperature is greatest in summer
and least in spring and autumn. Bare
soil heats more quickly in the spring
and oools more quickly in autumn than
that covered with living or dead voge'
table matter.
In q communication to the French
Academy OF Science, Mons. A. Ii. dt
Villeneuve has urged the Importance OF
using distilled water for drinking pur'
poses, and has suggested that the cos'
NAV be greatly reduced by using thai
obtainable from steam engines. lie
asserts that it is not unpalatable and
contains sufficient air, while the sb
senoe OF lime salts isan advantage
A Swedish naturalist, DR.. Wills, hs.
investigated the strength OF vaFiou!
kinds Of sea weed TO resist strains, sucf
as are caused by the swell OF the sea.
He finds that scaweeds are very strong
and elastic, the parts which ordinarily
lie lowest in the water being capable o
bearing the greatest strain.
The little living worms which have
been most Unexpectedly discovered IL
ice are described by Prof. Lcidy as be
, ing white or colorless, and from one
fourth to one-sixth Of an inch long b.
ono-scventy-ff,h of an inch in thick
ness, the $ ccics being unknown.
) The deep sea crustaceq, according t
Prof. Moselcy, either have very larg
eyes or are eycless, and there must b.
a source Of light in the deep sea 1hs
source, he claims, is phosphorosccnce
but its light must be very dim