Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-12-11
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY


The canning of sweet corn is an in
dustry of remarkable growth, the first
corn having been packed about 1858,
while 1900 tons We're put up in the
United States in 1895. Recent large
losses from souring have led to an in
vestigation at the Massachusetts in
stitute of technology. The souring is
found to be due to fermentation set up
by bacteria which exist on the corn in
the field, and are not destroyed by the
temperature of $50 degrees to 100 de-
grees at which the corn is cooked in
the cans To effect sterilization the
packer places the cans in retorts
heated by steam under pressure. Ex-
pertinent has shown that a temperature
above the boiling point of water must
be reached throughout the corn to kill
all bacteria, and that exposure of the
cans for sixty minutes to $50 degrees
f. ensures complete sterilization. but
the minimum time and temperature of
safety are still to be determined. Con-
siderable time Is essential on account
of the slow conductlon of heat through
the corn. A demand for corn OF light
color seems to have led the packer to
reduce too much the time or tempera-
ture of the sterilizing process, and the
soured corn of late years has resulted.
From records of an immense number
of observations, DIR. Gerhardt Schott
draws the conclusions that the So
called Gulf stream" does not exist as
Il warm current east of 40 degrees w,
and has no rapid movement east of 60
degrees W.; that the Labrador current
does not anywhere touch the sea-
board of the United States. and has
nothing to do with the cold wall"
and that on the Great Banks there is
practically no current. The warm and
cold streams are irregular movements,
not liable to definite changes with sea-
sons.
A recent calculation shows that cleo
tric heating for cars costs over five
times as much in fuel as heating by
stoves, an expenditure equivalent to
SIN horsepower being required to raise
the temperature of an ordinary car for
twenty-four people from degree to
60 degrees Il. 1t is estimated
duce the fuel expense one-half.
Glass is usually colored by fusinr
with metallic oxide, the entire mass
being changed. In the new process of
NJ, Leon Lemal. patterns are beauti-
fully stained upon the surface by pen
etration. n yellow color being given
when silver salt is placed in con-
tact with the glass and the whole
heated to $50 degrees to $50 degrees
f. The depth of penetration depends
upon the time of heating. the shade
upon the quantity of the salt applied.
In five minutes, the color had reached
depth of 1-150 of an inch, in an
hour. this depth was doubled. and in
IS hours. plate lie of an inch thick
was colored throughout. The yellow
has fine greenish or blush fluores-
ence. Photograph collodion mega
tives can be applied directly to the
glass, and lace patterns can be trans
ferred by simply dipping the lace into
weak solution of nitrate of silver
and then into potassium sulphiie.
Other salts-such as those of gold.
copper and iron-can he used silver
with little copper giving red color.
Psychologists have yet to record
many curious workings of the mind.
DR.. Ginostos has reported to a Bor-
deaux society the caGe of young man
who, since he was ten years old. has
had an irresistible impulse to count
the letters in words and phrases.
This he does continually while awake.
without interfering in any way with
his daily work. his reading, or his con-