The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-06-20
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
A CHINESE INDUSTRY.

A CHINESE INDUSTRY.
The British consular agent at Chung king, Mr..
Hosie, has made tour through certain districts
of China for the purpose of gaining information
concerning insect white wax. He has found the
substance to be the product of minute brown lice
like insects, which exist, together with a small
black beetle, in excrescences gals attached to
the boughs and twigs of an evergreen, called by
the Chinese "the insect tree" Early in May these
gals are collected and placed on the wax-tree,
usually stump from which rise numerous sprouts.
The creatures soon deposit white coating on the
boughs and twigs, which often reaches thick
ness Of quarter of an inch in ninety or a hun
bred days. The branches are then Topped off
and the wax is carefully removed by scraping and
boiling. The material is then poured into moulds,
and becomes the white wax of commerce, used
chiefly for candles.
GEOGRAPHY IN PLEASURE PARKS.
At conference in Madrid Prof. Escriche, Of
Quadalajara, has described a project for making
familiar in an interesting way the dry details of
geography. His plan relates to the formation in
cities and towns of geographical parks, J" each to
be public garden reproducing on a certain scale,
according to its extent, the geographical features
of country. The park would be kind of map
in relief, the principal towns being represented
by places surrounded by trees, the main highways
by winding paths, and the rivers by streams of
water. The clumps of trees within the network
of roads would form varied pastures, in which the
natural products of each locality would find
place among the flowers; and in the centre, where
the towns should be, would be placed small struc-
lures in which would be Photographic views of
the principal monuments and, especially, the most
important astronomical, geographical, historical
and artistic information concerning the town rep
resented.
THE SCIENCE OF DEEP FLOWING.
A German agricultural chemist, Prof. Heinrich,
concludes that plants ere best nourished when the
II. e 4 - Ill l.
centration, not the absolute quantity of pantfood
but its concentration determining the fertility of
a soil. Deep tilage without simultaneously in
creased application of manure is hurtful, since the
plant-food is thus diluted and the nutrition of the
crop rendered more difficult. Deep tiIlage ensures,
but heightened concentration of plant-food in
creases, the harvest.
CHINESE MINERAL WEALTH.
The coal fields of China proper, according to q
paper read before the Philosophical Society of
Glasgow by Mr.. A. Williamson, have total area
of about 400, 900 square miles. Both the Shansi
and Heenan coal-felds greater than that of the
aggregate efthe principal coal producing countries
of Europe, and in other districts of North China
the coal-felds are said to be seven times as large
as all those of Great Britain. The coal is of vari
GUS kinds and iron ores are in all parts found in
close proximity to the coal.
MISCELLANEOUS.
1t appears that an alloy of copper, platinum
and tin has been extensively used in Great Britain
for jewelry with the object of deciving pawn
brokers. The fraud has been very successful, as
the compound resists the usual nitric acid test for
gold. The alloy has even been used for counter
feiting English coins.
Mr.. Lennox Browne, an English Psychologist,
finds that drinking and smoking affect the vocal
organs, statistics furnished by no less than $50
professional vocalsts having shown him that a
singer should avoid all stimulants.
The latest report of the Russian Geographical
Society makes the Lena delta extend nearly half
a degree farther north than on the best maps.
The northern cape of Danube (Dounay) Island is
placed in 73o 55N north latitude, while on the
Vega map it is in 73o 81.
Weather-vanes illuminated by electricity, so as
to be visible at night, have been suggested.
During the summer season of this year, thun-
derstorms will form subject of special study by
the newly organized New England Meteorologi-
cal Society. Observations, divided into several
classes to bring the work within reach of all who
will share in it, will be taken whenever a thunder
storm can be seen or heard.
Bacterial germs, supposed to be capable of pro-
dueing disease, have been found in the air of
Switzerland at heights great as $500 feet above
sea-level.
From experiments made in Germany by Prof.
E. Wolny, it appears that the air is considerably
cooler over a field under crop than over o fallow
field, and that the temperature fuctuates less in
the former case than in the latter. The maxi
mum of air temperature travels with the course of
the sun, from eastern slopes in the morning to
the southern at noon and to the western in the
evening.
a peculiar black paper of Siam and Burmah,
made from the bark of certain trees, is used very
much as are states in Europe and America. The
writing upon it may be rubbed out by the appli-
cation of betel leaves, just as slate-writing is
erased by means of sponge.
Several Spanish doctors have been practicing
vaccination" with cholera virus. It is reported
that so much faith is placed in these experiments
by people of all classes that 300 individuals we're
inoculated in Valencia in a single afternoon. A
commission from Madrid has been sent to report
on the result.
An electrician asserts that in bodies in which
life is not extinct the temperature rises upon the
application of an electric current, but never in
the case of actual death. This fact supplies
test for in where life is suspected to
main in persons apparently dead.