Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-04-10
SCIENTIFIC GLEANINGS.

Iron can be coppered by dipping it into
melted copper, the surface of which is pro-
tected by a melted layer of cryolite and
phosphoric acid, the articles used being
heated to the same temperature as melted
copper.
Why do leaves turn? The green matter
in the tissue of leaf is composed of two
colors, red and blue Oxidation occurs
when sap ceases to flow, and vegetation
takes on a yellow or red tint. A dry, cold
climate produces more brilliant foliage
than damp and warm one.
Mr. Gladstone, the ex-premier, recently
drew attention to fact which deserves to
be well known. 1t is that pear trees,
when they become old and past bearing,
may be successfully grated with scions of
apple trees, and thus made to yield apples
Recent experiments in this direction have
been very encouraging.
Sir Edwin Chadwick, known in England
as ''the father of sanitary science SAYS
there is no ozone at the surface of the
thickly built street of London-at the base
of st. Paul's for instance-but there is at
the summit, and if pumping machines,
which would pump down the ozone from
above were put in motion, the health of
great cities would be much better than at
present.
Experiments with petroleum vapor have
shown that air mixed with 5 per cent of
the vapor does not explode; when, how
ever, the proportion rises to 6.25 per cent,
slight explosion takes place, while with
8.3 per cent. the explosion become violent
The most violent explosion takes place,
however, with from II to II per
cent. of vapor. Beyond this limit the
violence of the explosion decreases, and
when the air contains 20 per cent of the
vapor no explosion occurs.
A very useful invention tending to les
sen the possibility of accidents in factories,
is now being extensively adopted in Eng
land. The breaking of glass, which is
adjusted against the wall of every room in
the mill, will at once stop the Ell CINE, an
electric current being established between
the room and the throttle valve of tie en-
CINE, shutting off the steam in an instant.
By this means the engine was stopped at
one of the mills recently in few seconds,
and young girl whose clothes had become
entangled in an upright shaft was re-
leased uninjured.
The value of hand grenades for the ex-
fiction of incipient fires has been album
dainty demonstrated, and they are to be
found in corners and corridors of many
public buildings and private houses
There is, however, no necessity for paying
fancy prices for this useful and indispen-
sable article. A perfect substitute for it
is to be found in an ordinary bottle filled
with the solution. The solution is COM
posed of one pound of common salt and
one half pound of sal ammoniac dissolved
in about two quarts Of water.
1t is something unusual to find the
white of fresh, hard-boiled chicken egg
colored red after taking off the shell. The
discoverer of such an egg presumed that
he had to do with a'micro-organism;t tried
to cultivate it, and was not disappointed.
A potato substrata was in a short time
covered with an intense growth of bacillus
prodigiosos. We have here bacillus
that not only withstood being boiled for
certain time without impairing in the
least its vitality, but one inside of fresh
eggs.
According to report made by the Unit
ed States consul at Marseilles, France, on
Feb. 81, the production of wine in the
principal wine growing countries of the
world, vintage of 1888, given in gallons is
as follows: Australia, 1902, O24; Austria,
81 Ass, 800; Algeria, 72,072, 1888; Cape
Colony, 4, AGO. 800; France, 1874, 2O4, 543;
Greece, 46, 493, 500; Hungary, 1874, 919, 900;
Italy, 1913, 242, 409; Portugal, 232, OS5, 900;
Roumania, 18,418, 800; Russia, 80, 459 800:
Servia, 50, 1874; Spain, GOT ,591 900; Swift
zerland, 28,058, 700; Turkey and Cyprus,
68,684, 200; United States, 32,OOO,O 900.