The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-09-10
SCIENTIFIC CHAT.

The production of Stag wool and the industrial
applications of the article appear TO be largely on
the increase By the action of strong jets of steam
the Stag is transformed into fibrous whitish sill
cate cotton. which, being mineral is incombustible,
ike asbestos; 1t IS advantaScously and extensively
used III England III the construction of new houses
with Mansard roofs the space between the interior
lath panelling and the exterior covering of zinc
slate tin, being filled with this Stag WOOL the ef
feet being to protect from the rgor of frost in Win
ter and from intense heat in Summer 1t is also said
to prevent freezing and bursting of taps, spouts
and water pipes II these are covered by the wool
in Winter.
A new sugar. Is obtained from the seeds of
the Taurus persea, tree growing in the tropics
This sugar has on previous occasions been noticed
by chemists but was supposed by them to be man.
mite. 1t IS extracted by boiling alcohol from which
it crystallizes cooling. Its points of fusion is
1885 to 1SI degrees, while that of mannte is 20 de-
greeS lower; it is very soluble in hot less in cold
water and even in concentrated solution it hiss no
action in the polarimeter on adding borax, how
ever, to four per cent solution, it gives rotation
to the right of 05o degrees 1t does not reduce
copper solutions and is not fermentabIe Boiling
nitric acid converts it into oxalic acid without the
production of mucc acid. There are also some other
chemical characteristics peculiar to this sugar
On the 9TH of May, NJ. Dareste hung up egg
in q little bag, lying its side and marked the
upper part of the shell with little X. The 9Th of
June he let the egg down, still inclosed in its bag
into saucepan of boiling-water. When hard, he
cut .he egg open. The yolk he found adhering to
the membrane, not of the lower but of the upper
shell, and thus disproved the common belief
that the yolk was heavier than the white or albu-
The London Lancet regards the increased use
of fruit in ordinary diet rs of the most salutary
tendencies of domestic management i'll our day.
The starchy and saccharine componentS of fruit
while they not equal in accumulated force to
the more solid ingredients OF meat and fat, are
similarly useful in their own degree, and have the
advantage of greater digestibility. Other advan-
tages are local stimulation and the maintenance of
n vigorous circulation, thus relieving skin and kid
neys by transferring part of their excretory work
to the bowels.
1t is stated as n curious fact, by writer In the
Building NctcS that one of the properties specially
conducive to durability in timber is its odoriferous-
ness-woods which are of this character being the
increase in strength due to seasoning i'm different
woods is as follows: White pine, per cent elm,
12.3 per cent oak, 266 per cent; ASH Az per cent
beech, 6l9. The comparative value of differ$ It
woods in respect to crushing strength and stittss,
is thus shown: Teak, 6,555; English oak, 4,074 {;
ash. 357l; elm 3,46S beech, 3,079; mahogany,
257; spruce 2,522; yellow pine, ,, 1873; sycamore,
| 1873; cedar 7O0 Regarding the relative degrees
of hardness, shellbark hickory stands highest and,
calling that 100, white oak is ST. white ash dog
wood 80, scrub oak 73 white hazel -, apple 30, red
oak CO. beech 65. black walnut 90. yellow oak 60,
white elm So hard maple 56, wild cedar IS, yellow
teak and thorn of notable hardness, and, of
course very servceable where that quality is essen
tial.
- German gcologists estimate that the Dead Sea
will be of solid salt thousand years hence.
"A new industry in the southern forests is the
utilization of the needles of the lungleaved pine
(Pin1tS patuStriS) The leaves soaked in n bath
to remove the glazing, and then" crnkied" for
stufting cushions and other upholstering purposes.