The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-06-14
LIGHT PRESERYATIYE
BEAMS FROM THE SUN NOW
TO BE USED.
How theNsw Power weFks-Aetinie Rays
TO Destroy Microbes By simply shak-
Ing Them 10 Ds.th-Applioatios Of
an old Principle.

A new process. BY means Of which
all kinds OF perishable organic sub
stances may be preserved. has been dis
covered by Willard @. Day OF Balti-
more. Nd II is the chemical power OF
light. and in addition TO being pre-
sentative. II acts as a destroyer OF dis
ease. and incidentally lowers the price
Of food. says the San Francisco Ex-
aminer This chemical property OF
light is called It's aetinic power and is
best generated by electricity directed
from a powerful arc light The effect
Of this light upon microbes is TO dis
turb and. after a longer or shorter
period, 10 destroy them. Mr.. Day has
experimental with a great many varie-
ties OF germs and microbes. covering
the entire field. both OF the paihogenie
and nonpathoGenic. and from the larg-
est 10 the smallest OF these tiny micro
organisms. Microbes which can endure
boiling water for forty hours have been
killed by the actinic power OF light.
There are three grand divisions OF mi
erobes. First. the aerobics. or those
which cannot live without air. Second.
the anaerobics. or those which cannot
live in the presence Of air; and. third.
those which can live either In air or
without II. Mr.. Days method OF treat
ing the organic substances destroys all
the various classes and varieties OF mi
crobes. During the years In which he
has been perfecting his process he has
tested all the kinds OF light and heat.
Many effects hitherto ascribed 10 heat
have been found to be the result OF the
actinie power Of light. The violet rays
OF light are very destructive 10 mi
crobes. while the red rays hardly affect
them at all. The germieidal effects OF
white light appear to be due to the
rapid impulse of the blue and the violet
waves. while the waves far above or
below the spectrum are not fatal TO
them. Mr. Days starting point in his
voyage OF discovery in the realms OF
light was the knowledge OF the fact
that sunlight as well as heat Is abso-
lutely necessary TO the growth OF every
species OF vegetation, from the smallest
to the largest. How sunlight acts In
causing growth frst claimed his atten-
ton. In a grain OF corn II is known
that food Is laid up by the parent corn
stalk to supply the germ in It's first
stage OF growth. says the San Francis
CO Examiner. Heat and moisture alone
are sufficient TO start a grain OF corn
into growing. The first white root and
plumule are made out OF the food stun
put into the grain by the parent stalk
That, however. Ia soon exhausted. II
no more were manufactured the young
plant would end its existence at once
But at this point comes the work Of
sunlight. II gives no new material. II
takes no.ains away. But those vibra-
t,-ns OF the suns ray which are faster
than $50. 600. 900. OOO. OoO. 600 per second
shake the very small atoms apart. and
in this way the growing process Is ad-
vanesd. Now light. as Mr. Day would
utilize Il. simply shakes the microbes
to death, and so changes the mierobe
haunts and habitations that new mi
crobes can find no place or suitable con-
ditlon for living. The operation Of Mr..
Days invention Is not confined to a
narrow territory. or 20 the preservation
OF a few substances. He expects 10
apply II to putting up beef in North
and South kserica; mutton in Aus
traliA: goldfish in Massachusetts,. Cana
da and Newfoundland; salmon In Ore
gon and Washington; herring In La
brador Sweden and Norway; fruits and
vegetables in California. New Mexico
and Maryland. and other articles In
other regions The result anticipated
Is that the world will learn to eat a
number OF practically new and whole
some articles OF food. which are entire
ly free from all dlsease-producing
germs. as well as from those microbes
that usually cause deterioration in the
quality Of the articles. OF which finally
bring on decay.