St. Landry democrat., 1892-06-18
POPULAR SCIENCE.


ond.
The average annual rainfall in the
United States is 29.6 inches, the varla-
lions ranging from y to about 10
| inches.
Recent investigation show that the
average speed of the transmission of
earthquake shocks is nearly 1G, 900 feet
per second.
The smallest known insect, the
ptcratomas putnamii, parasite of the
| ichneunon, is about onc-ninetlcth of an
inch i'll length.
A company has Just been formed in
Chicago, H., to run buses on the boulc-
wards, propelled by accumulators OF
other electrical appliances.
The St. Louis River, near Fond du
lac, Wis, has fall of 12i feet III which
ten dams are to be erected, havln" II
horse power OF seventy three thousand
horses.
BeIling having joints Cemcnted only
is as coed as if the belt were formed Of
solid leather from end to end. 1t lasts
much longer, and drives better tnan
when cut up with sewing.
Paper is now being made freproof,
and is extensively used in the construc-
ton of dwellings. 1t can be made Of any
color desired, and can be polished and
worked like most woods.
The telephone has been successfully
used in surgery to locate the position of
metallic substances in the body, thus
enabling an operation to be performed in
the right direction at once.
The lightest metal known is lithium.
It's specific gravity is only about onc-half
that of water, and of course it floats.
1t has little use in the mechanic arts, its
chief employment being as il medi-
cine.
Risso relates that on one occasion a
huge female ray WAS captured at sea, and
her mate followed the boat for three
days, and then died. These "deviI fishes
are said by some to defend their young
with great courage.
Poisoning by mussels is a well-known
fact. Such poisoning appears i'll chronic
form in Terra del Fucgo, mussels being
abundant on the shores and other kinds
CT food rare, so that the natives eat large
quantities of the former daily, both OF
bad and of good quality.
The temperature used in incubators for
the Matching of chickens varies from
nincty-eight to 103 degrees. Heat IS
not the only essential, however, as
moisture, ventilation and other things
have to be carefully looked after to
secure successful artificial incubation.
Ivory is sensitive to weather. EX-
posture to cold soon cracks it ard
renders billiard balls untrue. They are
easily knocked out of shape, too, if not
we'll seasoned or we'll made. The centre
Of the tusi should go through the centre
of the ball to preserve best true
spherical form.
DR.. Stirlings's Motorcycles typhlops, the
marsupial mole of Australia, Is thought
by Mr.. Ogilby to be connecting link
between the monotremes the duck bill
and spiny antcaterl and the marsupials.
Several English na}uralists think that its
atfinities are closer to the monotremes
than to the latter mammals.
Manganin, which is an alloy of copper,
nickel and manganese, has remarkable
electrical properties. Its resistance hardly
varies at all even through a range Of
temperature varying from fifteen degrees
to ninety-seven degrees centlgIadc. 1t
thus becomes a superior metal for the
construction of artificial resistanCcs.
A new method of testing the hard
ness of steel has been invented by
Swedish metallurgist. 1t is based upon
the intensity of current necessary to fuse
a wire of standard size. Experiments
show the current required for wires Of
various sizes, and upon this base the
quality of any sample can be deter
mined.
An Improvement in the preparation of
lubricants is soap, formed by treating
wool grease with alkaline lye. This is
dissolved in water and filtered, and to
this solution another of alum is added,
forming a brown precipltate. From
this, when dry, lubrlcating oils OF any
viscosity may be produced by simply dis
solving it in fluid mineral oil.
The latest application of electricity is
to the curling of forehead fringes. The
idea is American, of course, and its
realization is auxiously looked forward
to by young women of fashion, who hope
to find in electricity means of pro-
ducing at moments notice those in
fantine rings and hyacinthine locks
which now take twenty minutes at least
to bring to PROJECTIONS.