The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1889-06-22
COMPLIED FOR THE ARKAEsAw TRAvKLKR.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

An Italian engineer has successfully prevented
the incrustation of steam boilers by the use Of
sugar.
Berlin musician, DIR. Eisenmann, has applied
electro magnets to the piano to sustain, In
crease and diminish sound. The timbre of the tone
may be changed also, from violencello to pic
colo.
system of building houses entirely out of sheet
iron has been communicated to the Society of
Architecture, in Paris. The walls, partitions roofs
and wainscoting are composed of double metallic
sheets, separated by air mattress, which Is sur
rounded by different non-conductors of teAt.
EcoNoMIc PROGRESS IN ELECrmcl The pro-
gress made In the of electricity during period
OF only five years is strikingly shown by Mr. A. X.
Foote, of Cincinnati. in these fgups: Dynamos
increased efficiency. % per cent decreased cost, 40
per cent. Ircandescent lamps increased efficiency,
100 per cent increased life 100 per cent decreased
cost, Sc per cent. Cartons, decreased cost IS per
cent Wire, decreased cost. 20 per cent. Line con-
struction, decreased cost, 81 per cent.
FLORAL CoLoRs The statement that there are
more flowers of blue than of other colors Ia not
universally accepted. Examining the seed list of
foricuturist, Mr. T.. II. Robertson has found 733
different kinds OF which 129 produce red flowers
lilo white, 81 yellow, 81 blue, So purple and Il
orange Others give flowers of various colors, a
classification of which, ii il were possible, would
not materially change their ratios. second seed
list of 900 species, confirmed these results and
as the list include both native and exotic species
Mr. Robertson believes that they form a fair irdex
to the actual proportion of the several colors exist
ing In the floral world
GoLp MADE FROM SuvER-Three allotropic
forms of silve--broadly distinguished from nor
NAL silver by color, properties and chemical reac-
tions-have been obtained by Mr.. NJ. Carey Lea, of
Philadelphia. The first Is soluble, deep red in
solution, lilac, blue green while moist, and bril-
liant blush green metallic when dry. The second
Is insoluble, dark reddish brown while moist, and
when dry somewhat resembles the first The third
Is insoluble, dark bronze while wet, AMI when dry
exactly resembles gold in FURNISHED Jumps. Minute
specks of this form have been occasionally noticed
In silver solutions, ard this has often probably led
to the superstition that silver might be transmitted
into gold. Ii may be formed in many ways, but
by only one process-in which silver tartrate Is
reduced by ferrous tsrrAte-has Mr.. Lea succeeded
in making the. gold-silver at all permanent speci
mems thus secured being unchanged after thirty
months. Each of the three forms gives lustrous
metallic films when spread out in pasty condi-
ton, Is easily crushed to a fine powder and is
restored to normal silver by acids. A paste of
gold silver on glass makes a beautiful gold colored
mirror.
THE >CAvENGERS or MATURE -"Under the mi
croscope" says Mr. Henry j. Slack, +. II. Nj. s., ait
Is seen that animal and vegetable matter rots
away, swarms of ferments come into existence For
example, in q drop of water, the flesh OF dead
water flea was noticed in commotion while the
writer was engaged on this paper. Thousands of
U-shaped vibrions were living upon it. all were In
brisk motion, straig and bending their bod
les with whip like hicks. They were q company
of scavengers, sweetening the water by chemical
process necessary for their own nutrition. Our
rivers and ponds would become factories of deadly
poisons and all the earth's soil would be contami
mated, If inexpressibe myriads of minute plants
and animals did not attack dead organic matter,
and cause its elements to enter into and useful
combinations. II we find thousands of such lit
tie ferments at work upon fragment of matter no
bigger than full stop of this print what must be
the numbers in peration when tons upon tons are
dealt with in the contents of our sewers, In the
manures we put on our fields and in the vast null
titudes of human and other bodies that perish on
land or in sea-"