The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-06-09
THINGS WORTH KNOWING.
(American CultiuatOr.)

1t is said that if brass founders
will stir powdered glass into melted
brass when in the cruclbles, that
sound, nice castings will b. the
result. The claim is that the glass
fiux will collect all impurities,
which rise to the top and can be
skinned off, while otherwise the
same impurities would be poured
into the mould with the metal.
The use Of natural gas fuel has
led to the manufacture Of mirrors in
Pittsburg. Up to this time all mir
rors manufactured in the United
States have been from imported
glass. Now, by the aid Of natural
gas, the fneness of the glass pro-
duced rivals that Of the imported
article. Entire absence of impurity,
perfect fusing Of the ingredients,
rapidity Of the melting and pure,
intense fame for relocating OF work
ing are the principal advantages.
"A plan for rendering paper as
tough as wood or leather has been
recently introduced on the CONT
nent. 1t consists in mixing chloride
Of zinc with the pulp in the course
of manufacture. 1t has been found
that the greater the degree Of CON
centration of the zinc solution the
greater will be the toughness OF the
paper. 1t can be used for making
boxes, combs, for roofing, and even
for making boats.
Last year $4,000 900 stamped
envelopes were sold by the Govern
ment. They We're worth S5,773 600.
Envelopes, which in 1869 cost $3.50
per thousand, can now be sold for
$50 per thousand, and the extra
letter size, that then cost Sc, are now
sold for s2.4O. The proposals for
bids for the next four years will
include two sizes called baronial,
about 3X4 inches, for the benefit OF
the ladies who like to use fancy
note-papers.
"A Pittsburg mechanic claims to
have invented a compressed air
motor for street-car travel, an en-
tirely new and economical principle.
The front wheels are unusually
large, and there are small air pumps,
three inches stroke by three diam
eter, set in the periphery of the
wheels. The force of the air pump
is exerted by the weight Of the car
e the wheel, calculated at 100
pounds to each wheel. The air thus
compressed passes into the hollow
hub of the wheel, whence it carries
it's force into the receiver.
"A direct comparison between
coal gas and natural gas, as to rela-
tive cost, may be of interest from a
financial standpoint. A dry-goods
store, whose annual coal gas bills
amounted to between $500 and
$500, now uses natural gas at a cost
of $144 per year. A saloon and
restaurant whose yearly coal-gas
bills were from $500 to $500, now
pay S12O per year. A private resi-
dence, whose bills formerly were
from $50 to $35 per year, is now
lighted at a cost not exceeding from
81 to So.
According to the calculations
made by a scientific writer lately, it
requires a prodiyious amount of
vegetable matter to form a layer of
coal, the estimate being that it
would really take a million years
to form a coal bed 100 feet thick.
The United States has an area of
between 100000 and 100000 square
miles Of coal fields, 100, 900, 900 tons
Of coal being mined from these
fields in one year, or enough to run
a ring around the earth at the equa-
o five and one-half feet wide and
five and one-half thick, the quantity
being sufficient to supply the whole
world for a period OF 1900 to 1000
years.
49, @#ZEaa@@a @4e#H